Editor,
I doubt, as some critics have voiced, that the members of the ASUNM Senate - and this is in regard to distributing funds - are partial to student organizations. When deciding how funds should be distributed, senate members have UNM's best interest in mind.
As a result, I believe the Senate's decision to favor student organizations over the Daily Lobo, in terms of funding, is an act of good faith. They are aware of the poor funding available for student organizations, and they feel that reducing funding to the Daily Lobo, though not the ideal solution, is the best solution given the circumstances.
But given the context of this decision, the context external to the University, is reducing funding to the Daily Lobo the best solution?
I believe it is not.
The radical, frightening changes taking place around the world as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are of the utmost interest to UNM's student body. We wonder when the impact of the attacks will be felt, locally. We wonder how world-politics will change, and we fear the negative impacts of a suffering economy on our future. We go about our normative routines, sometimes escaping the seriousness of what's taking place around the world, but always with a partial awareness and deep concern for "what will happen next," and it's not surprising that we look to the Daily Lobo for our answers.
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The Daily Lobo provides a free, often impartial take on what's going on, along with student opinions, polls and comic relief. Thousands of students rely on the Lobo for their news. It has become increasingly important that the Daily Lobo not suffer any cut in funding, for information, communication and global awareness are far more significant today than the well-being of a few student organizations, organizations that do not represent, or influence the student body as a whole.
For this reason alone, we must re-evaluate the ASUNM Senate's proposed budget changes, which reduce funding to the Daily Lobo. The Lobo, because of the context external to the University, is more important for UNM's "best interests" than the needed reform of student organizations.
It's important to note that I voice this opinion as a member of a student organization, Phi Sigma Tau, which is having difficulty retaining and recruiting members. Our organization was recently denied funding for the minimal amount: we were denied funding for food catered at our meetings. I feel strongly, however, that not providing catering services for our members is a small price to pay for a free, quality source of information that is vital during such times of political and economic unrest.
With this in mind, I urge students to vote against the budget change that the Senate has proposed, despite their good intentions. It's a vote for information, a vote for the entire student body, not just a few organizations, and most of all, it's a vote for our collective awareness.
Zachary Norwood
Psychology and English student
