The UNM Spirit Marching Band will not be going with the football team to Las Cruces for Saturday’s rivalry game against New Mexico State because of budget cuts.
Chad Simons, director of the Spirit Marching Band, said the marching band’s budget has been cut by about $25,000.
“Financially, we have some real challenges. Unfortunately, the travel budget has to be the first thing to go,” he said.
Kristina Austell, a junior in the Spirit Marching Band, said it was a letdown to not be able to support the football team this year.
“I know I am and I think everybody is pretty disappointed that we don’t get to go, and I know we really wanted to and were looking forward to it. It’s something we really enjoy doing. We really want to be there to support the team,” she said.
Simons said the band has faced budget cuts in the last few years, while membership in the ensemble has grown.
The roundtrip cost of sending the band down to Las Cruces is more than $8,000, Simons said.
“I think that surprises most people. The costs come to buses and equipment trucks. Feeding them is not a huge expense,” he said. “We’ve tried to raise the money privately, but we did not have enough luck with that to cover the cost.”
Austell said the band turned to private donors and started a text messaging campaign to raise funds.
“We tried to find some private donors to help us get down there, but it kind of fell through. We also have the Text-to-Give campaign, but it’s just getting off the ground right now,” she said.
Because of budget reductions, the marching band has been forced to make decisions about how to spend remaining funds, Simons said.
“Our financial challenges are pretty rigorous right now. We needed to protect the students’ stipends and scholarships. We’re currently obligated to,” he said. “We have a need for approximately $400,000 in instruments right now. The stuff that we have is literally falling apart.”
Simons said he expects next year to be more financially tenuous.
“I think everyone needs to be prepared because it could get very difficult next year,” he said. “What I’m really worried about is that budget decreases very often equal service decreases. In other words, if we get hit with a large amount of cuts again, the marching band may not have enough equipment to put everyone out there. It’s got everybody pretty anxious right now.”
Thomas Morgan, a sophomore, said he is troubled by the band’s upcoming absence.
“UNM is devoted to getting a reputation over an education. This is one more example of that. We spend millions on a coach who can’t get (his team to score) more than a couple of touchdowns a game, not to say that it’s all the coach’s fault,” he said. “If we can’t get professors tenured or send the marching band down to the state game against our biggest rival, we’re spending money in places we don’t need to spend it.”
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Regardless of the football team’s success, Simons said, the marching band should be there to show its support.
“For the record, our students want to go, I want them to go. There’s no issue about not wanting to make the trip. We’re down. That’s what we do,” he said. “We want to support those guys win, lose or draw. I think it’s important for the readers to understand that. This is a consequence of budget rescission.”
