UNM's Graduate and Professional Student Association doesn't have big plans for this year's legislative session, but intends to use it to plant the seed for future programs, said president Aaron Kugler.
Kugler said the association understands the past year has made for a tight legislative budget and stiff competition. He said the group decided to focus its energy on supporting the University's goals rather than furthering any of its own.
Still, he said the association's leaders plan on attending the legislative session's UNM Day in Santa Fe Monday to introduce future GPSA endeavors.
"We are going to use this opportunity to put a bug in the legislators' ears about our ideas so they will remember us later on," Kugler said.
Anne Murray, chairwoman of GPSA's lobbying committee, said UNM Day is also an important opportunity for the association to educate state legislators about its existence.
"There are a lot of graduate students on this campus who don't know we exist, so it's fair to assume there are leaders of this state who don't know much about us," she said. "The more people we can inform about our benefits and how we help the University community, the brighter our future is going to be."
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Murray said GPSA is supportive of increasing faculty salaries, as well as getting the Health Science Center all the money it needs to complete expansion programs over the coming years.
"A strong, well-paid salary and a competitive health care system are two essential components to this University and this state having a healthy future," she said. "We are going to focus our efforts at the Legislature on doing our part to make sure those things happen."
Murray said GPSA plans on sending 10 delegates to Santa Fe to make a strong appearance for the association.
Murray admitted GPSA would have liked to try to further some of its own goals at this year's legislative session, but said because of the amount of competition they would face, they opted not to.
"We understand and accept the financial restrictions New Mexico is facing," she said.
Murray said as long as there is no erosion of the University's programs at the legislators' hands or the University is not deprived of its necessities, GPSA will be content - at least for the time being.
