Daily Lobo spotlight

Siobhan May

Junior

History

Daily Lobo: What brings you to UNM?

Siobhan May: I wanted to study German, and it's not offered at CNM. You can't even get a bachelor's from CNM.

DL: What were your studies like before coming here?

SM: I dropped out of high school at 16. Technically, I withdrew. I waited until the end of the year, took all of my finals, and then over the summer, I got my GED. The next semester, I started at CNM and took two years, then came here.

DL: How do you like the classes and what you've experienced on campus so far?

SM: I feel like I'm getting screwed.

DL: Why is that?

SM: (I paid) 112 bucks for parking several miles away. There's like, what, $400 or $500 worth of random fees that are being put toward landscaping and real estate? I know the teachers aren't getting paid all that much. So, I don't mind paying high tuition if my money is going to the teachers, but the teachers aren't getting paid that well. And I'm getting charged a huge amount for parking several miles across the city, and I think that's crap. A hundred bucks for a used book? Just different financial things that make me feel like I'm getting screwed. I've eaten at the SUB sometimes and paid like $5 for a salad that, once you get to the bottom, is moldy. Frankly, I'm not impressed.

DL: Do you live far away?

SM: Yes. I live in Tijeras. So, it's about a 30-mile drive. It's not like I can just ride the city bus over here. I have no other option but to drive.

DL: Do you like your classes so far?

SM: I do. I like the wide variety of teachers. Most of my teachers are female and from another country, and I appreciate that. Being a womanist myself, it's pretty cool to have a lot of female teachers and foreign teachers. I appreciate that. I like all of my classes except for math, but then again, I've never liked math.

DL: Where do you work?

SM: Village Inn. I'm a waitress.

DL: Are you working night shifts?

SM: Night shifts at Village Inn on Mondays and Sundays.

DL: Is it hard to keep up with your studies working the graveyard shift?

SM: Well, I'm not quite graveyard, because I get out at midnight or 1 (a.m.), depending on how quickly I get my side work done. The last semester I took at CNM, I was taking honors classes and over a full schedule. So, that was a lot of work compared to what I'm doing now. I've got about 200 percent of my homework done at this point. So, I don't think it's too hard. On average, teachers here assign more homework than anywhere else I've been to. But, with that previous experience with the honors courses and taking another 13 credit hours on top of that, it's pretty easy.

DL: If you were president of UNM, what would you change?

SM: I would provide better services for the teachers.

DL: How would you do that?

SM: Well, I'd pay them a decent amount and give them decent health benefits. I'm not too sure what the health benefits are like here, but I would want my teachers to have full health coverage and good pay. You can't expect a teacher to come into class and give a (expletive) if they aren't getting paid worth a (expletive).

DL: What are your plans after graduation?

SM: I'm going to go to grad school.

DL: Do you want to become a professor after your graduate studies?

SM: Probably. With history, it's work outside of your field, teach or be a politician.

DL: Would you ever want to be a politician?

SM: No.

DL: Why not?

SM: Because I'm slimy enough already, thank you very much. No. I just don't want to get involved in too much (expletive). I don't mind people knowing who I am. I just don't want a lot of publicity. Plus, I'm not competitive, and I don't like to lie.

~ Bryan Gibel