Mayor Martin Ch†vez said he loves leaders, and that's one of the reasons he enjoyed speaking to ASUNM on Wednesday.
"As trite as it might sound, a big percentage of tomorrow's leaders are in there," Ch†vez said. "I do whatever I can to encourage leaders."
Ch†vez started by saying he accepted the invitation to speak to the Associated Students of UNM because he knew that at some level he was speaking to future politicians, and also because UNM is the heart of Albuquerque.
Amanda Sims, ASUNM vice president, invited the mayor to speak because she said it's important to bring someone in with a different outlook.
"It's good for the future senators to know that the mayor was here and wants to support UNM," Sims said. "It's a good start of a relationship between ASUNM and the mayor."
The Lottery Scholarship and the tuition increase were two main issues Ch†vez focused on.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Ch†vez said he wanted to see how the Lottery Scholarship could be expanded.
"I'd like to see it taken to the next level," Ch†vez said. "I want everyone to have the opportunity to have a free education."
Ch†vez said if students takes a year off or if they fail to succeed during their first year of college, they shouldn't lose scholarship funds. He said he would also like to see more adults return as students.
"It's good for Albuquerque to have as many people go to college as possible," Ch†vez said.
He also said a 12 percent tuition increase is too high.
"Twelve percent at one time is a lot," Ch†vez said, "but I'm on the outside looking in. I haven't been there doing the number crunching."
Senators brought up questions about the sports arena, UNM's image, parking issues, construction and the safety and appearance of Central Avenue.
Sen. Jacque Garcia asked Ch†vez about students between the ages of 18 to 20 receiving minor in possession citations even when they are not drinking, while legal-age drinkers are told to leave and are not given breathalyzer tests. Ch†vez said he would make sure legal drinkers were tested before sent driving home.
Chavez also spoke about transportation issues and the implementation of the rapid transit system and said it should be up and running by December. He also said that although the police department's staff is increasing, he would like to see that number reach 1,000 by Feb. 1.
He said the best way to improve Albuquerque's image was to create amenities for creative people.
ASUNM President Jennifer Onuska was impressed with the questions the senators asked and said she was glad that ASUNM had such a great opportunity to hear the mayor speak.
"It's always good when community leaders come to campus," Onuska said. "They can relate to the student community and create partnerships."
Ch†vez said this was the first time he has been invited to speak at UNM, and he enjoyed the tuition and transportation conversation.
"All their concerns were natural," Ch†vez said.
The message he said he hoped to get across to ASUNM was to stay involved.
