On Thursday, Oct. 17, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents held its second open session of the semester on South Campus, after which protesters chalked the sidewalks and delayed two officials from driving off the premises.
Prior to the meeting, some people who had signed up to speak at public comment received rejection emails from the Regents office. The emails informed them that public comment was allowed from seven speakers per topic, and that the seven slots were already filled.
Following public comment, UNM students, faculty members and community members held a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Science and Technology Park Rotunda. The demonstration was organized by UNM Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine, among other groups, according to the UNM Solidarity Encampment.
Since February, Regents meetings have been met with protests regarding UNM’s investments in Israeli companies.
A resolution submitted to the Regents by the UNM Divestment Coalition in May called for UNM to disclose its investments to the public and divest from Israel.
During public comment at the meeting, Andre Montoya-Barthelemy — a UNM School of Medicine faculty member — asked the Regents about the reason for the apparent public comment rule change. He lodged a complaint in May about last-minute rule changes imposed by the Regents, he said.
“I'm here to do it again,” Montoya-Barthelemy said.
During the Regents meeting on May 16, public comment was limited to 30 minutes, with 15 minutes allotted to each side on the issue of divestment.
Board of Regents Chair Kim Sanchez Rael initially responded to Montoya-Barthelemy by thanking him and concluding public comment.
When Montoya-Barthelemy refused to leave the podium, Sanchez Rael addressed his question.
“I'm sincerely looking for the right approach to this,” Sanchez Rael said. ”But I don't think it's helpful to the institution to have three hours of public comment where every two minutes is essentially the same thing.”
During the discussion, Montoya-Barthelemy also asked Sanchez Rael whether UNM is a democratic institution.
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“No, it is not," Sanchez Rael replied.
Multiple speakers were not yet present when their names were called to speak during public comment.
“I think they ran through their agenda items pretty quickly,” Montoya-Barthelemy told the Daily Lobo. “It was sooner than we expected.”
Montoya-Barthlemey and Sanchez Rael ultimately agreed to arrange a meeting to discuss how public comment will work in the future.
“We will be contacting Chair Sanchez Rael to arrange that meeting,” Montoya-Barthelemy said. ”I hope this gives (the Regents) an opportunity to embody their requests for respectful, collaborative dialogue, and I can guarantee the activists will take this as an opportunity to build that relationship.”
In a statement to the Daily Lobo, UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair wrote that the agenda for the meeting had been published three days prior, per the Open Meetings Act.
“The meeting began on time at 9 a.m. and followed the agenda items, none of which were scheduled for a particular time,” the statement reads. “At the time public comment not related to agenda times was addressed, speakers who had signed up were called upon to make their comments.”
Hinde Sahmoud, a first-year law student, was among those who indicated to the Regents that she wanted to speak at public comment. She received a rejection email informing her that the slots for the topic she had signed up for had been filled.
“I wanted to share my thoughts about the University's obligations and commitments to Indigenous people here in New Mexico and across the world as a whole, and that's what I included in my email,” Sahmoud said.
After public comment, the regents took a lunch recess and protesters chalked the Rotunda with pro-Palestine messages directed to the Regents.
“UNM belongs to the people, not you,” one message read.
As regents left the area, some students, faculty members and community members formed a line in front of the car that Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Teresa Constantinidis and Provost James Holloway were in, blocking them from leaving the parking lot.
Members of the UNM Police Department arrived shortly after, ordering the group to move away from the car.
“I’m really proud to be a student here. It's wonderful to see so many people supporting the struggle in Gaza,” Sahmoud said. “I was disappointed that the Board of Regents chose to not be as open-minded as I expected.”
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
