News Stories from Scholes Hall Occupation, Spring 1989; Access Rally; Staff Rally; Tuition Rally; Governor Caruthers Tuition

A year ago at this time, an organization called the All Campus Committee for Educational Survival or Access was formed to address a planned tuition increase and other campus issues. Last year, about 100 students armed with a bullhorn packed the Board of Regents meeting, and although they succeeded in disrupting the meeting, the board still passed its planned tuition increase. This year, the same scenario was being played out. Today, a rally was held on campus, where student leaders urged students to resist plans by the university administration to fund pay raises for faculty and staff by raising tuition. Charles Penny is the newly elected president of the undergraduate student body at UNM. This university needs to re-evaluate its priorities, not raise tuition. Yes, we are here today to say we've had enough, and if you've had enough, I encourage you to be at the Regents meeting tomorrow. Let them know. The Regents meeting, I want to see you pack Pope Joy Hall tomorrow. We've had enough of tuition increases.

Thank you. Tomorrow's Regents meeting has been moved from the Roberts Room, where it's normally held with the seating capacity of about 50 to the much larger Pope Joy Hall, which can accommodate over 1,000 people. Student leaders say the meeting was moved to Pope Joy in order to make the expected crowd of concerned students look small. The technology will be difficult to pack Pope Joy Hall. Students and workers at UNM argue that pay raises for faculty should not come from the pockets of students. Basan Romero is a groundskeeper at UNM. What the administration right now is trying to do is pit the two strongest groups on the University of New Mexico campus, and that is the staff and the students. What they're doing or what they're attempting to do is divide us. Two years ago, the state legislature allowed UNM and other universities in the state to set their own tuition increase level and decide for themselves how to spend the money. Administrators have used the increased revenue from tuition hikes to fund faculty and staff

salary raises. Lila Bird is the newly elected president of the Graduate Student Association at UNM. She sees this recent development as part of a trend that most affects minority and low-income students. I think we need to make sure that we need to keep tuition down so that we can continue to come here and get an education, that our children and get grandchildren can come here and get that education. Because I know if it goes up another hundred dollars, you know, what's the percentage of people that can't come into the university anymore? First they close general college and that kept out an entire section of minority and poor students. Now they're going to raise tuition again, another hundred dollars, you know, how many more people are going to be forced out of the university. Bird and other student leaders at UNM have come up with specific proposals for avoiding any tuition increase and still giving faculty and staff a minimum of 5% pay raise. Other sources include a freeze on the administrative salaries, salaries above $42,000, elimination of President May's living allowance, which is $12,000, using $450,000 of the $2 million

global basketball profit and using 100,000 of the land and permanent fund. So that's basically what the plan is and that would make up the entire tuition increase they're proposing. One member of the UNM administration who was present at today's rally was interim vice president for student affairs Fred Christ. He says it's unfortunate but a fact of life that tuition will go up this year as it has in past years. Anytime we have to increase prices for anything, whether it be for the groceries or rent or utilities or tuition, it's difficult and I think we all face that situation. It's unfortunate that we have to increase tuition. We hope that the new policy will limit those increases. But it is hard when we have to face increased prices and all. We hope that the corresponding increases in student assistance at the financial aid level will help those who have the least amount of ability to pay.

That's our intention. Student leaders argue that increased financial aid has not kept pace with tuition hikes and that low income students are being pushed out of the university. Graduate student president Lyla Bird says it's likely the regents will approve the increased tomorrow that will add $100 per semester to the cost of attending UNM. She says students have not had an impact on the process partly because the administration did not include students in discussions that led to the tuition increase and partly due to a lack of organization among students and faculty. This is Marcos Martinez reporting. Following a news conference this afternoon, Governor Gary Carothers said he hasn't studied the UNM situation, although he had spoken with one region to ask what was going on and how he saw the conflict. They saw the situation progressing and it was the general attitude of this particular region that the university was continuing on with work and that the students were sitting

in and that since that time, I went to Minneapolis to the ECS meeting, the regents have now considered rehearing the issue at least and allowing the students to make alternative proposals to how everything might come together. The Governor said he thinks the regents have gone the extra mile in opening up those discussions and listening to the students viewpoint. The Governor said he hasn't studied the situation and is not quite sure what their complaint is. It seems to be one of two things, $100 a year extra seems to be the real issue, I think having to pay more to go to university in New Mexico is a real issue. The other one apparently has to do with what they are able to adequately and their terms express their views to the board of regents. I thought the regents held a pretty long session and allowed the students to speak, the Governor said.

It might have been for a matter of hours. I was told that the regents listened for a long period of time. I'm not sure whether they thought that was an adequate amount of time to present their views or whether the regents didn't listen to their views. I got the impression that the regents had listened to them but not taken their advice. Mary Donum at the Capitol. As I'm sure most of you are familiar with Regent Ken John's has several auto dealerships around here and I'm sure he would not like to see enough people with picket signs out front. I'm sure most of you know President Sanchez, President of the Board of Regents, he owns several drug informiums I believe throughout Albuquerque and I'm sure Regent Sanchez would not like seeing individuals out front of his business with picket signs.

So that's what we're looking at. You know it's frustrating that they're not willing to talk with us, they haven't even given us a date on the Regent's meeting so I guess it's time to step up, go to that next step. Like Tony said, you know we've been setting up stairs negotiating with the administration of UNM and it gets a little weird when you haven't heard your Board of Regents said a final date for when they're going to hear our three proposals. As far as we know all our proposals are being worked on and are accepted by the administration. However, I think you know we got to put pressure on that Board of Regents one way or another. We're the final decision making body at this university and we have to hold them responsible. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! And a growing portion of the UNM administration building shows hall. Beginning on Saturday, three UNM staff members began participating and the negotiations taking place aimed at resolving the conflict. Among those is Nancy Montaño, a worker at the UNM Office of Graduate Studies. We must not allow the administration and the Regents to put us in conflict with the students. We are here to serve the students. Теперь mirrored. We are paid because the students are here studying at the University and many of us are taking the opportunity ourselves to study here. That is why it is so important that we show the support to come out with a comprehensive plan on tuition increases so it does not hamper the access to education that all of us have the right to at the University of New Mexico. We spoke with several staff members in attendance at today's rally. We hear for the students because I have students working for me and I understand their

plights and I just feel, I mean I remember when I was going to school how hard it was and I just, I'm here to support them mostly. They're talking about salary increases for faculty and staff until that directly affects me and I don't think it should be taken out of tuition. I don't think students should be affected by it but I do think we deserve increases. A resolution in support of the student protest was read at today's staff rally. As the staff of the University of New Mexico we provide the vital services that keep this institution running on a day-to-day basis. We feel that it is our duty to express our concerns over the current situation at Shoals Hall whereas the students of the University of New Mexico have attempted to express their concerns in a professional matter whereas the administration and the Board of Regents have failed to listen to the concerns of these students whereas the students have shown their support for the University of New Mexico faculty and staff whereas they have presented reasonable demands on the administration and the Board of Regents.

Therefore we the staff of the University of New Mexico commend their actions and offer them our support. Pet Lopez and what were you working on campus? I'm in the office of admissions and records student advisor. It's my understanding that enough Regents cannot be there until April 26th. That is my understanding right now which is next Wednesday. That is what I've heard and what's your reaction to that? Well I've pretty much expressed the way I feel on that and that is that this is an important situation to the University and if the Regents are appointed they become the University and they should be accountable and accessible when a situation like this arises at an immediate without just on notification they should be here. They should be here. They should not be anywhere else even if they have prior commitments. This is their job. They were appointed and they need to be accountable and accessible to the University.

Staff Member Pat Lopez also involved in negotiations at UNM. After 14 days of occupying the president's office, University of New Mexico students today vacated what had become known as solidarity hall. Several pickup truckloads of furniture and computer equipment were transported to student government offices where students say they will continue preparing for the Board of Regents meeting this Thursday. At that meeting the Regents will reconsider the 7.9% tuition increase past April 11th which sparked the student sit in at school's hall. With the consent of President May, students left behind a plaque to commemorate their sit-in. As students prepared to leave school's hall, student Glenn Smith read the plaque. It says solidarity room. This room shall forever remain the property of the student's faculty, staff and community who fought to keep UNM open to all.

April 11th, 1989. Student Senator Antonio Anaya also read a statement. Throughout leaving school's hall the same way we entered on our own terms. We have kept the protest on a high moral ground and have acted in a peaceful, responsible and respectful manner. We have forced the administration and the Board of Regents to respond to us in a frank and open manner. For two weeks we occupied school's hall, meeting with administration, hashing out our demands and forcing the Board of Regents to meet again. Now we shift our focus on the Board of Regents. University President Gerald May says he is relieved. Students have ended their occupation of his offices and complimented students on their conduct. Still, May says he does not know how the regents will vote when they reconsider the tuition increase this Thursday. All I know is that the Board of Regents is committed to hearing all the information, all the alternatives to look at them carefully. They certainly heard the specific needs that were expressed by the students, and I'm

assured of that. Do you think in the future we'll see more involvement by students, faculty, and staff in the budget making process here? Yes indeed. And I have to say that we have opened up that process tremendously in the last couple years. But we have to find new ways to communicate much earlier. And we've tried to do that. We certainly have worked very closely with the faculty Senate. And I hope that next year the students will be more aware of it and more willing to participate early. I think that's a good sign for all of us. May says an ad hoc committee composed of students, faculty, staff, and administrators will present a set of proposals to the Board of Regents, including an alternative to the tuition increase approved by the Regents April 11th. May added he might have an additional proposal of his own. In Senator Antonio Anaya acknowledges there is no assurance the Regents will scale back the tuition increase, but he says the students are making a good faith gesture by pulling out of the president's office.

And the Regents did agree to reconvene on the 27th, and that's a very important factor. And our choice to leave school's hall was more one of a gesture of good faith that we're continuing to be cooperative. And we hope that the Regents meeting on Thursday does culminate with something beneficial or we might have to be back here, you know, that possibility is always there. But you know throughout the process, throughout the negotiations would be an extremely cooperative and I think this is another sign of that. Do you have any assurance that the Regents will in fact scale back the 7.9 percent increase? No insurance whatsoever. Anaya and other students say the pull out from schools hall will also give them a better opportunity to plan and organize for this Thursday's Regents meeting. Students are leaving open the possibility of another action. If the Regents reject the proposed reduction in next year's tuition increase. This is Marcos Martinez reporting.