Dear Lobo Colleagues,
Somehow October has snuck up on us, bringing wonderfully blustery fall evenings and the anticipation of snow. As fall break ends and the semester picks up again, we would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement during the first half of the semester. Although we are less than halfway through the school year, we are excited to have already had the opportunity to work on a number of projects aimed at improving student life at UNM.
Bursar’s Website
Among our recent efforts, GPSA and ASUNM recently presented ideas for improving the functionality of the Bursar’s Account website. As many students are aware, the current system is inadequate: There is no hierarchy of charges, descriptions are unclear, and there is little explanation of what charges cover. It is our goal to make the site more user-friendly and clear for students and their parents.
Among the changes we propose are expanded descriptions of tuition and fees, organizing charges by category, explaining different charges and how they are calculated and providing links to further resources for students who are interested in learning more.
We would like to thank Provost Chaouki Abdallah and Executive Vice President David Harris for their support in implementing these changes. We hope to work closely with their offices in the coming weeks to ensure the bursar’s website is updated by next semester.
Spanish Grants
We have also been working hard to offer our grants in Spanish. We feel that providing Spanish-speaking students the opportunity to apply in their native language will give them a better chance to secure grants and gain valuable grant writing experience. It also reflects the diverse, bilingual culture here in New Mexico and at UNM. If you are interested in helping us with this project, please contact us.
Wellness Center
It is common knowledge that both Johnson Center and the Student Health and Counseling Center building are antiquated. There has been ongoing talk of a new wellness center for the University’s students and GPSA has been collaborating closely with the planning committee to ensure that students’ best interests are at the forefront of the planning process. It is important to us that the new facility serves students and reflects their needs.
One option currently being explored is to combine the Student Health and Counseling Center and Johnson Center facilities in a new wellness center that would provide a valuable location for students to work out, take classes, play and seek health care. Moving forward, we would like to see more student involvement in this process and welcome your ideas on what kind of facility you would like to see.
Office Renovations
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Finally, we would like to thank Vice President of Student Life Walt Miller for helping us renovate the GPSA office. In the coming weeks, we hope to make the space more warm and inviting by repainting several walls, replacing antiquated furniture and expanding our computer lab. Drop by soon to see all the exciting changes!
All the best,
Priscila, Matt, James, and Maria Elena
