DAILY LOBO new mexico
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January 31, 2014
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
Lottery Saving Bills Breakdown story by John Tyczkowski design by Connor Coleman
With only three weeks left in this year’s legislative session, Lottery Scholarship-related bills are pouring in. Three bills were introduced into the state Senate that attempt to address the lack of sufficient funds to power the Lottery for the next fiscal year. Lottery expenditures for Fiscal Year 2014 are about $67.5 million, while lottery revenues for the same period only total about $44 million, according to hed.state.nm.us.
12345678 SB141Limit Lottery Scholarship Tuition Increases
Senate Bill 141, sponsored by Rep. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, would keep students’ tuition rates constant over eight consecutive semesters of receiving the Lottery, tied to the tuition rate from the student’s first semester of school. It also would maintain a full-time credit load to be 12 credit hours per semester during the regular academic year.
This bill by Rep. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, and Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela, D-Santa Fe, would SB150Lottery Scholarship Solvency make sweeping changes to the current Lottery, including changing the award amounts given to students, creating additional awards for qualifying students and requiring the Lottery fund to maintain a minimum balance at all times.
semesters GPA Regarding specifics, SB 150 would change the minimum required GPA from 2.5 to 2.75 during the first semester of Lottery qualification. Students would be required to maintain the 2.75 GPA and take at least 15 credit hours per semester, or at least 12 credit hours if attending a two-year college, throughout the seven semesters of receiving the Scholarship.
However, “legacy students,” — those who began receiving the Lottery before FY 2015 — prewould only need to maintain 2015 the original 2.5 GPA and take at least 12 credit hours per semester for the remainder of their eight semesters on the scholarship. In the case of students, “with disabilities who may require accommodations,” full-time credit status may be reevaluated to as few as six credits per semester, but no less, for a period not to exceed 14 consecutive semesters. Also, SB 150 would appropriate $8 million from the general fund for each fiscal year, beginning for FY 2015.
In addition, the Lottery Tuition Fund would be created in the state treasury and would be required to maintain a balance of $2 million at all times, which would roll over from year to year. In the event that the total amount of scholarship money paid out to students would cut into that minimum balance, the Higher Education Department would reduce scholarship amounts across the board for all non-legacy students in order to maintain that balance.
If you pass go collect
$8,000,000
In addition, non-legacy students would no longer receive full tuition through the Lottery. Students attending four-year research institutions, such as UNM, NSMU and the NM Institute of Mining and Technology, would receive up to $2,100 per semester. Those attending a comprehensive institution, such as NM Highlands University or Northern New Mexico College, would receive up to $1,000 per semester. Those attending community colleges would receive $800 or the full amount of in-district resident tuition, whichever is less.
SB146Lottery Tuition Rates & Definitions
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The bill also contains an emergency provision declaring that, “it is necessary for the public peace, health and safety that this act take effect immediately.” According to a fiscal impact report released by the Legislative Finance Committee, the New Mexico Lottery Authority said that SB 150, “should be sufficient to maintain (Lottery Scholarship) solvency.”
A bill sponsored by Rep. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, would seek to raise full-time credit loads from 12 to 15 credit hours per semester. In addition, this bill would lock in the tuition rate from the student’s first semester of school for the, “remainder of the semesters, excluding summer semesters, in which the student receives Lottery tuition.” Unlike SB 141, there is no limit as to how many semesters students can receive the Lottery Scholarship.
UNM hosts top teams Notre Dame among nine to compete in invitational by Thomas Romero-Salas sports@dailylobo.com @ThomasRomeroS
Sometimes it is all in the name. And when that name happens to be Notre Dame — one of the most wellknown colleges in the country — a typical track and field meet starts to carry more weight. New Mexico Head Track and Field Coach Joe Franklin said having the Fighting Irish in town will make Saturday’s New Mexico Team Invitational that much more important. For the first time since 1992, UND will be in the state of New Mexico for a regular-season sporting event in any sport. “Our meet this weekend is with some outstanding competition… Just having the Irish come out is a big deal to us,” Franklin said. “It’s a team scored competition with some of the best teams in the county. It’s going to be some phenomenal competition.” Franklin said he invited his good friend Joe Piane — who is also the head track and field coach of the Irish — to have his team take a trip to Albuquerque. Piane accepted
the invitation and the meet quickly started to garner attention from other top schools. Air Force, Arizona State, LSU, Nebraska, TCU, UCLA and Utah State will be the other seven teams joining the Lobos and the Irish at the Albuquerque Convention Center. This will mark the first time that LSU has made a trip to the Land of Enchantment for a regular season sporting event in 12 years. Franklin said it is because of UND that the New Mexico Team Invitational has some of the elite competition in the nation coming to Albuquerque. “The Irish carry a national name, a national brand… once we got them, then LSU and Nebraska come in,” Franklin said. “Then it’s Arizona State and UCLA. It easily becomes the best meet in the country hands down. “Notre Dame brings something special to the meet. It adds a little snazz to it.” For the men and women, the distant races could become the highlight of the meet. On the men’s side, UNM, Air Force and UND all qualified for the 2013 NCAA Cross Country Championships. As for the women, the Lobos and the Irish both competed at the NCAA Championships.
“We’re going to try to make an attempt at some NCAA qualifying marks in the mile. Some people are afraid to do that when you’re at altitude but we’re going to give it a shot,” Franklin said. “Last weekend there were some incredible performances and that hass lead us to take a shot this weekend.” The men’s 60 meter dash will once again be an event to watch this weekend with three of the top sprinters in the nation — ASU’s Ryan Millus (No. 5 in the NCAA) and Tatum Bernard-Taylor (seventh) and UNM’s Ridge Jones (19th). Franklin said most of UNM’s athletes will compete this weekend and that this meet will be used as a measuring stick to see where the Lobos are against top competition. “Quality and depth. That’s why we hope that we can knock off some of these teams,” he said. “We have tended to get away from that (scoring meets). We’re doing it and we’re going to get after this weekend.”
New Mexico Team Invitational Saturday 11 a.m. Albuquerque Convention Center
Aaron Sweet/@AaronCSweet / Daily Lobo UNM triple jumper Jannell Hadnot jumped a career best last Saturday at 41 feet, eight inches in her first collegiate triple-jump competition, debuting as the fourth-best Lobo in school history. She finished sixth in the Cherry & Silver Collegiate Invitational. For the first time since 1992, University of Notre Dame will be in the state of New Mexico for a regular-season sporting event in any sport. The New Mexico Team Invitational is this Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Albuquerque Convention Center.
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