Albuquerque Journal

UNM Grad Students Meet With Faculty
By Martin Salazar, Journal Staff Writer

With state revenues falling and budget cuts on the horizon, University of New Mexico graduate students confronted school officials Wednesday about growth in administrative positions and suggested looking at cutting those to help deal with tough economic times.
    University officials discussed the state's potential $500 million revenue shortfall and its impact on UNM at a meeting of about 55 graduate students Wednesday.
    The university has frozen hiring and taken other measures to deal with a possible midyear budget cut and has asked departments to begin planning for even deeper cuts. Still, officials sought to assure students that top priorities remain students and preserving the current work force.
    The students volleyed back with tough questions and criticism of administrative growth.
    "We need to put the emphasis back on students instead of having 15 vice presidents and having administrative expansion in this time of crisis," history graduate student Rebecca Vanucci said.
    Ilse Biel, an anthropology graduate student, said, "The problem is that a lot of the unease and discontent from the students (and) the faculty precedes this financial crisis. This financial crisis has basically just brought it to a head."
    Jeremy LaFaver, a project specialist in the president's office, said President David Schmidly was upfront when he was hired about the positions he would add.
    "He looks at them as investments in the growth and the betterment of this university over the long term," he said.
    Andrew Cullen, a UNM associate vice president, emphasized that the deficit wasn't UNM's doing. "This is an epidemic that's crossing the nation," he said.