UCAM's News clips for Monday, April 7, 2008
1. Medicaid Budget Short (Albuquerque Journal)
By Winthrop Quigley; Journal Staff WriterWeeks after asking legislators to provide health care coverage for everyone, the Richardson administration is trying to overcome a multimillion-dollar Medicaid budget deficit by slowing enrollment growth.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07medicaid.htm2. Coalition Has Health Plan Idea (Albuquerque Journal)
By Winthrop Quigley; Journal Staff WriterBusiness opponents of Gov. Bill Richardson's health coverage plan have this advice for legislators attending the special session planned for this summer: Spread the pain around.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07coalition.htm3. Schools Have to Write a Formula for Success (Albuquerque Journal Editorial)
New Mexico schoolchildren may grow up believing "Thank God for Mississippi" is the state motto. Too bad 83 percent of them would have trouble writing it. The U.S. Department of Education puts New Mexico's eighth graders in a four-way tie for last place with Hawaii, Nevada and Mississippi when it comes to writing skills. Reading and math skills also recently ranked near the bottom of the U.S. pack.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07schools.htm4. High-paying jobs are city's greatest need (Las Cruces Sun News Editorial)
Sun-News reportA recent report by the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research, which has been featured in a series of stories Sunday and today in the Sun-News, highlights both the challenges and the opportunities Las Cruces faces in trying to build a vibrant and sound economic base.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/opinion/ci_88349155. Study: Las Cruces has the jobs, but not qualified workers (Las Cruces Sun News)
By Brook Stockberger Sun-News Business EditorIf you are looking for work, Las Cruces is the place to be right now. Southern New Mexico's largest city has maintain very low unemployment rates since last year and a recent study the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research shows that there are actually more jobs available than qualified workers.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_88350396. Physician a role model for staying active (Daily Lobo)
By: Jennifer OlsonUNM sports physician Chris McGrew sets an example for his patients.
He treats people from ages 7 to 70 who want to stay active.
On his 50th birthday, McGrew ran Florida's Grayton Beach Seaside Half Marathon with no advance preparation, finishing in sixth place for his age group and 77th overall.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07physician.htm7. Pearce speaks about benefits of education
By: Amanda SkotchdopoleRep. Steve Pearce met with students in the National Society of Black Engineers pre-college program Saturday.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07pearce.htm8. Jerusalem Post reporter to address conflict in Mideast (Daily Lobo)
By: Xochitl CamposJerusalem Post correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh will speak to UNM students about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today.
Toameh is an Arab-Israeli journalist who reports from the West Bank and Gaza. He was invited to speak on the conflict by Stand With Us, a nonprofit.
He will speak at 6 p.m. in Woodward Hall.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07reporter.htm9. UNM housing department treats students like ATMs (Daily Lobo Letter to the Editor)
Editor,
The housing department of UNM has been holding students hostage instead of treating them like customers.
UNM has begun a policy that does not allow residents to opt out of their housing contract at the end of the first semester, forcing them to live on campus for an entire academic year.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07letter.htmNews clips from Sunday, April 6
10. UNM Student Chosen To Lead Pharmacists Group (Albuquerque Journal)
By Liz Otero/Of the JournalAROUND TOWN: Adriane Irwin, a second-year University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy student, was elected national president-elect of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) at the APhA 2008 annual meeting in San Diego.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07irwin.htm11. Letters to the Editor (Albuquerque Journal)
Swamped at Work? Let's Barhop
WHILE THE REST of us drag ourselves out of bed to go to work at the office, hospital, Wal-Mart or wherever, Marc Saavedra is dropping serious coin in various bars to "create goodwill and build relationships on behalf of" the University of New Mexico. Is UNM such a hard sell that it is necessary to ply various New Mexico officials with substantial amounts of alcohol at university expense before they will feel the necessary goodwill and want to have a good relationship with the University? Is UNM's only hope of survival dependent upon the blood-alcohol level of various government officials, business owners and legislators? I guess we should be appreciative that, while many of us were at home on the day after Thanksgiving, Saavedra was at the Q Bar discussing the agenda for the Association of Commerce and Industry, uncompensated health care and government relations compensation. ... Let's set the table here and give this the perspective it deserves. After 12 Grey Goose vodkas, two Ketel Citron vodkas, four Patron Silver tequilas, three Corona beers and five Stella Artois beers, Saavedra's Friday night Q Bar Think Tank got down to work on serious business. I am so glad that they stayed up late that night solving that "uncompensated health care" mess and that they did it through what appears to be an extended bout of self-medication. Kudos to all. Call me naive in the "workings" of government and lobbying, but if I'm trying to get some work done, my mind doesn't come up with "Q Bar on Friday night" as a first choice for a venue where I'm likely to get any work done. ...GUY DICHARRY/Los Lunas
UNM Must Sober Up, Open Up
UNIVERSITY OF New Mexico officials suffer from blurry vision. A Journal article focuses on one serious problem giving a lobbyist employee with a known drinking problem "carte blanche" to purchase liquor for lobbying purposes at UNM expense. The article brings to light yet another very serious problem. Spokeswoman Susan McKinsey explains the problem away by arguing that no public monies were used. That "no public monies" were used seems to be the standard tactic at the university to keep information away from the public. The same line was made when basketball coach Ritchie McKay received a performance bonus at the time of his dismissal. It's time for UNM to stop hiding behind such disingenuous explanations and to be fully accountable for its actions. To do otherwise is nothing more than drunken, blurry vision at the top.
JORGE LANE/Albuquerque
Lobbyist Lunch Was Productive
I ATTENDED the meeting and lunch at the Alley Cantina in Taos with Marc Saavedra that was mentioned in the Journal article. I remember the event vividly because I had expected very little to come from it. I had read about Saavedra's DWI and knew he had been put on administrative leave by the university. I had never met him but was suspicious he was just another expedient political appointee. Nothing could have been further from the truth. When he arrived at the meeting held at the Harwood Museum of Art, he was well prepared, had done research on the museum and its capital outlay request, and had a plan for us to follow to make our case to the Legislature. We then went to lunch at the Alley Cantina. Others in the group suggested the location, and no alcohol was ordered at the lunch. ... I have worked closely with Saavedra and his office the past two years and have always been impressed with his dedication, professionalism and knowledge of the legislative process. If the Albuquerque Journal is so concerned about lobbying activities, it should work for change in the Legislature, not target those who operate legally and ethically within the system as it is today.
LINDA WARNING Chairwoman, Harwood Museum of Art Board Taos
Booze and Business Don't Mix
So public business is routinely conducted under the influence of alcohol? If so, this certainly explains a lot of pervasive problems in our state. Lobbyists and legislators cannot discuss critical issues of public importance without alcohol present? Are we supposed to believe that Marc Saavedra didn't drink? No one is buying this load of bull. Because of his DWI conviction, it is clear that Saavedra has a drinking problem that cannot be denied. If he is truly trying to stay dry, he should stay away from alcohol and he knows it. If UNM wants to keep him on staff, it should find another job for him that does not require driving or alcohol. It is outrageous that UNM would keep him in a job that requires this kind of temptation. No taxpayer money is spent on booze? It may not have come from taxpayers, but it is still our money. ... I know that alcohol is common while conducting government relations business, but that does not make it right, and the practice should be stopped. Alcohol consumption has no place in the conducting of public business, and public funds should in no way pay for it. ...
LARRY A. WALSH/Albuquerque
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12. Eric Thomas Was a Special Lobo (Albuquerque Journal)
By Rick Wright Of the JournalWhen it comes to membership in the Lobo Club not the booster organization, but the brotherhood of UNM men's basketball don't judge Eric Thomas by his career statistics. Judge him, instead, by all the things he shared with his more celebrated teammates:
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07thomas.htm13. Neal a Candidate at Toledo (Albuquerque Journal)
By Mark Smith Journal Staff WriterUniversity of New Mexico associate head men's basketball coach Craig Neal is being listed as a candidate for the coaching vacancy at the University of Toledo, but says he won't interview for the job. It's the second time in less than two weeks a school has listed Neal as being one of its candidates.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07neal.htm14. SFCC: With phase one complete, focus of foundation shifts (Santa Fe New Mexican)
John Sena | The New MexicanWhen Santa Fe Community College reached a settlement with its former foundation board to transfer $3.5 million to the school's new GROW foundation, a couple of requirements were included.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07sfcc.htmNews clips from Saturday, April 5
15. UNM Officers Claim Discrimination (Albuquerque Journal)
By Martin Salazar; Journal Staff WriterTwo University of New Mexico police officers have filed complaints with the state alleging they have been discriminated against because they are male and straight.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07police.htm16. Giddens Dunking, Dancing (Albuquerque Journal)
Journal Staff ReportsJ.R. Giddens can throw down a mean slam dunk. He does a mean Carlton Banks, too. Giddens, who wrapped up his Lobo men's basketball career last month with a spectacular senior season, made the semifinals of Thursday night's College Slam Dunk Contest in San Antonio, Texas.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07giddens.htm17. News from Inside Higher Education:
* College Isn’t Worth A Million Dollars
Blasting College Board, former Spellings Commission chair disputes figure used to justify value of higher education. Board officials say his point is taken, but math is way off.
http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/04/07/miller18. News from the Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://libproxy.unm.edu/login?url=http://chronicle.com* For Catholic Educators, Eagerness And Angst Attend Pope's Visit
Next week's visit to the United States by Pope Benedict XVI has his audience wondering what kind of analysis he might give of Roman Catholic higher education in this country. In interviews, four leaders in that area offer their impressions.* Scholars See Need To Redefine And Protect Academic Freedom
A conference focused on threats to that freedom in "an age of permanent warfare" was the inaugural public event at a new center at New York University.* Spellings Plans Strategy Session On Lender-Of-Last-Resort Provisions
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings plans to gather lending-agency representatives together on Friday to prepare emergency measures in the event that too many private lenders quit the government-backed student-loan system.19. National News:
* No student loan crunch -- yet
ECONOMIC DOOMSAYERS are stoking fears that the nation's credit crunch could spill from mortgages into other sectors, and students won't be able to get federal college loans. These fears are premature. But a handful of lenders have limited or stopped college loans, and vigilance is still in order.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2008/04/07/no_student_loan_crunch____yet?p1=email_to_a_friend* Tight credit won't end student loans
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is seeking to ease worries that tight credit markets might make it hard for students to get college loans.
http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2008/04/05/tight_credit_wont_end_student_loans?p1=email_to_a_friend* In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined
When a fellow student at Rutgers University urged Didi Onejeme to try Philosophy 101 two years ago, Ms. Onejeme, who was a pre-med sophomore, dismissed it as “frou-frou.” “People sitting under trees and talking about stupid stuff — I mean, who cares?” Ms. Onejeme recalled thinking at the time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/education/06philosophy.html?ex=1208232000&en=77938556ef676098&ei=5070&emc=eta1* A Dose of Libertarian Paternalism
About 25 years ago, Cass Sunstein opened a retirement account that had two portfolios. One was mostly bonds, the other mostly stocks. Like many academics who use the TIAA-CREF investment program, Sunstein divided his money equally between stocks and bonds.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/06/AR2008040601717.html?referrer=emailarticle* MIT's burgeoning role in the green movement
BOSTON MAGAZINE has ranked MIT's work on energy and the environment as No. 2 on its list of "61 Best New Things About Boston." It's unusual praise for MIT; our research is more often noticed in academic journals. But the magazine's listing says something important: people beyond the university research community and the green movement are eager for answers to our energy and environmental challenges.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/04/07/mits_burgeoning_role_in_the_green_movement?p1=email_to_a_friend* At Georgetown, Ambition Steps to Center Stage
Clark Young, 21, is playing George W. Bush in David Hare's "Stuff Happens." "I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain," Young, as Bush, says during rehearsals at Georgetown University, where the new and up-and-coming theater program has landed the D.C. premiere of Hare's hot-potato play. Part verbatim public statements, part surmise, "Stuff Happens" puts key figures of the Bush administration onstage and examines the run-up to war in Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040303364.html?referrer=emailarticle* Emerson lands a role in Hollywood
Hollywood is famous for flashes in the pan and overnight sensations, and Tinseltown dreams are often fleeting. But Emerson College, building on a two-decade presence on the left coast, is setting down roots in the entertainment capital.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/06/emerson_lands_a_role_in_hollywood?p1=email_to_a_friend* Degrees of Matriculation
The already crazed competition for admission to the nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges became even more intense this year, with many logging record low acceptance rates. Harvard College, for example, offered admission to only 7.1 percent of the 27,462 high school seniors who applied.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/opinion/05borowitz.html?ex=1208059200&en=f6b5f47f681cadf8&ei=5070&emc=eta1* Meehan is inaugurated at UMass-Lowell
Nine months after taking over, Martin T. Meehan was inaugurated yesterday as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, pledging to boost student enrollment, diversity, and the number of students living on campus.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/05/meehan_is_inaugurated_at_umass_lowell?p1=email_to_a_friend* Skilled students can stay longer in US
Foreign students in the United States studying science, math, engineering, and technology can stay in the country 17 months longer if their future employers comply with an immigration verification program of the Homeland Security Department.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/04/05/skilled_students_can_stay_longer_in_us?p1=email_to_a_friend20. News from Diverse Issues from Higher Education:
* Community College no longer?
Community colleges have long been the destination of choice for immigrants seeking English-language skills, older nontraditional students seeking flexible class schedules and students needing remediation to fill the gaps left by substandard K-12 schools. Nevertheless, many community colleges have expanded transfer-focused offerings in recent years, attracting students in other states and even across the globe with classes equivalent to courses offered by top-ranked universities.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10943.shtml*Ohio Plan Would Allow Adult Learners to Convert Certificates Into a Degree
The cost to attend an Ohio university would be among the lowest in the nation in 10 years under goals outlined Monday to reverse the state’s trend of high tuition and lower-than-average college attendance.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10957.shtml* Tennessee Higher Education Officials Deny Honor For `Freedom Riders’
The rejection by Tennessee higher education officials of a proposal to award honorary degrees to 13 former Tennessee State University students expelled from the college in 1961 because of the students’ participation in the historic freedom rides has stirred criticism of the action from the college’s president, alumni and some state lawmakers.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10962.shtml* Diversifying Faculty in Illinois
After more than a decade of working in the Illinois corrections systems, LaMetra Curry in 2003 enrolled part time in the Adult and Higher Education program in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. For Curry, a busy mother of two teenage sons, the move in 2004 by the Illinois Legislature and state education officials to restructure the minority graduate student support programs made it possible for her to become a full-time student.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10945.shtml21. Albuquerque Media Monitoring
News clips from Friday – Sunday, April 4 – 6 include stories about* KKOB Gives Away American Flags and Info on Flag Etiquette
* UNM Tuition Going Up
* UNM Co-sponsors Martin Luther King Memorial
* Students Come to UNM to Participate in “Geography Bee”
* Lobo Baseball Team Wins at San Diego
* UNM Considers Smoking Ban
* Allegations Filed Against UNM Police
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/07media.htm
Susan McKinsey
Director of University Communication
Scholes Hall 160, Suite 152C
MSC05 3300
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-1989