DAILY LOBO new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
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wednesday April 17, 2013
Who proposed fee Art project aims to save home hike for Athletics? Rundown Las Cruces house attracts ‘Before I Die’ art installation
Student government rep declares shenanigans by Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com
After the Board of Regents raised student fees for Athletics, one member of student government is questioning the transparency of the UNM administration. Graduate and Professional Student Association President Marisa Silva said that during the regents’ budget summit last week, Associate Vice President of Budget Planning and Analysis Andrew Cullen initially misrepresented the Athletics fee increase as a recommendation by the Strategic Budget Leadership Team. Silva said this was not the case. “At the budget summit, (the fee increase) was presented as part of the SBLT’s recommendations, which, when (Cullen) was questioned about it, he backtracked and said that it was a suggestion from Finance and Facilities Committee of the Board of Regents,” Silva said. “But initially, he presented the Athletics increase as an SBLT recommendation, which it was not.” To be eligible for student fee funding, individual departments file an application to the Student Fee Review
Board, which creates a list of preliminary recommendations. The recommendation are then passed to the SBLT, which has the power to change the recommendations, but generally does not. The recommendations are then passed to the regents, which has the final say on the exact amount of student fees each applicant gets. At the budget summit, the regents ignored SFRB and SBLT’s recommendation to keep next year’s Athletics student fee amount the same as this year’s $131.75 per student. Instead, the board increased student fee funding for Athletics by a total of about $900,000, which increased the perstudent fee cost for Athletics by $33.45 to $165.20 per student. Silva said she first heard of the proposal to increase student fee funding for Athletics when Regent Jamie Koch introduced it in a Finance and Facilities meeting on April 5. But she said that until the budget summit, she was not aware of the regents’ decision to act on it. Silva said the SBLT has informally supported SFRB’s recommendations, and ended talks about the recommendations on March 27 before the
see Fee
increase PAGE 2
Athletics fee increase 180
$165.20
Student fee per student per semester ($)
160
140
$131.75 120
100
$81.75
$81.75
80
60
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
School year
2013-2014
620
$603
Student fee per student per semester ($)
600
580
560
$553.31 540
$508.49
2010-2011
2011-2012
520
500
2012-2013
2013-2014
School year
Inside the issue 140
by James Staley
The Associated Press LAS CRUCES — Unoccupied for decades and left to crumble, an old house sitting on the corner of Hadley Avenue and Tornillo Street shows its age. Gaping holes in the decomposing stucco bear adobe bricks, laid there, according to an official estimate, in 1925. A fire 85 years later damaged what was left of the roof and gutted the back of the home. A group of Las Crucens are hoping to save the deteriorating home in the Historic Mesquite Street neighborhood — one woman even set up a heralded, worldwide public art project in front of the house, trying to bring attention to the stressed structure. And
even though the home’s owner has filed with the city of Las Cruces an application to demolish it, he said he wants to see it restored. The house has been drawing attention for the past weeks because it serves as the site of “Before I Die,” an interactive public art exhibit set up to invite “people to share their hopes and dreams in public space,” according to the website of its creator, Candy Chang. Such chalkboards are set up all over the globe. Lauded as “one of the most creative community projects ever” by The Atlantic, “Before I Die” boards prompt an array of responses. Over the past few days, the boards in Las Cruces have inspired people to share personal goals, ranging from sweet — “have a baby” — to fantastic — “sleep with tigers.”
Others have been vague but vague. Appearing repeatedly Monday morning was “save my people.” Some are political, such as “impeach Obama,” another recurring message. Faith Hudson, an instructor at Doña Ana Community College, said she heard about the “Before I Die” project from a friend. She decided she wanted one here. The location was not a tough decision. “I kind of wanted attention called to that house,” she said. She said the “Before I Die” boards will remain standing for about a month, then Hudson plans to move them to another, undetermined location. One of the first messages written on one of the chalkboards was directed at the old home. Read one of the signs: “Save this house.”
Towne said that when the station anticipated the cuts in the fall, he made sure it didn’t have to furlough employees or make programming changes. “So we took our spending plans and said, ‘What can we either do without or postpone?’” Towne said. Some of these projects included an upgrade to the server room and an automatic door opener to accommodate people with disabilities. Listeners demonstrated support for KUNM during the station’s fundraising week April 6-12. A listener who wished to remain anonymous offered to pay half the sequestration losses, or $6,000. Towne said the listener stipulated that other listeners would have to match that donation, which they did in 90 minutes on Monday morning.
In an email, the anonymous donor said he feels fortunate to have the funds now and then to donate to what he considers to be a worthy cause. “I have always believed that public media is one of the cornerstones of freedom. I was particularly motivated this go-round because of the effect of selfish interests in Washington on the delivery of service to the people of New Mexico,” he said. “The people at KUNM work hard for the people of New Mexico and the people of New Mexico deserve KUNM’s best effort.” Towne said he was optimistic the station would reach its goal of $290,000. However, it fell short with a total of $269,659.25. “The 25 cents thing is pretty funny,” Towne said in an email. The station now has until June to
KUNM struggles under sequester by Alexandra Swanberg
Federal sequestration brings budget cuts for research and other government-funded endeavors here at UNM, and northern New Mexico’s public radio station is feeling some major effects. KUNM lost $12,000 as a result of sequestration — across-the-board federal budget cuts that went into effect March 1. Listener donations helped to make up the difference, though now that the semiannual fundraising week is finished, the station realized it has further to go. According to a message from the Congressionally funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting to all its funding recipients, including KUNM, the sequester that took effect March 1 would cut an estimated 5 percent of KUNM’s funding. KUNM general manager Richard
SabakuCon
Race to justice
see Page 6
see Page 4
Daily Lobo volume 117
In this April 1 photo, a chalkboard that is part of an interactive public art project dubbed “Before I Die” stands in front of an old house on the corner of Hadley Avenue and Tornillo Street in Las Cruces.
news@dailylobo.com
Total student fee increase
$508.80
Shari Vialpando-Hill / The Las Cruces Sun-News
see KUNM PAGE 3
TODAY
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