Advise me?

The advisement system at UNM was implemented to keep students on track for degree completion requirements and provide information to students when needed. Although some schools and colleges at UNM have attempted to streamline the process, making it easier for both the advisement department and students may not have completely been accomplished.

Since Fall of 2005 I have been passed around to advisor after advisor and, of course, each gives me different advice. For those completing a major or minor in the Department of Arts and Sciences advisement tactics are changing! It looks to be at least this far a change for the better. Instead of advisors taking students by last name they will now take you by degree or program. What a concept!

You will now be able to speak to one person who knows not only you but your academic situation. The advisor will be able to concentrate on just a few programs instead several. The quality of advisement in Arts and Sciences should improve, at least we can all hope.

I know those who have to deal with Anderson’s advisement system have very mixed feelings. But overall I have to say that I have had great experience there. Turn around is exceptionally quick, information given is accurately and overall they are very helpful. But the size is much smaller in comparison to A&S, which is gigantic.

The Advisement Department at Arts & Sciences can be accessed via this link: http://www.unm.edu/~artsci/advise/advise.html and has tons of information. It provides something called The Electronic Advisor (a newer feature) which gives you information about common issues you may need to see an advisor about. It also provides a GPA Calculator that you can use to calculate what grades you need to reach a desired grade point average.

Also anyone who needs to see an advisor in any college should offer any suggestions that could possibly make the process more successful. A few weeks ago while in an appointment with my advisor I asked her about the accuracy of the degree auditing system that is being used. The one we students use is the Registration and Records sections of LoboWeb. Yep, that one. Well the advisors use the same program and have had several issues with it. For example, the system sometimes does not report an application for graduation has been submitted when it actually has.

I suggested to her that maybe advisors can mention these types of unexplainable errors to students to minimize panic. Informing students that a fault in the system could reduce miscommunication and misunderstandings among staff and students tremendously. I don’t know or have any way to know if it will happen but she took my recommendation with good reception.

So, overall we know that an improvement needs to be made. Some departments are implementing new systems, which is a very good start to begin finding a solution to the problem. As students we need to make suggestions or even take action to make advisement more successful, since we are the reason advisement was implemented to start with.

-Ashley

Big University, Little Class Selection

UNM is big. It is the states largest employer. I would guesstimate to say there are more than 20,000 students. To me a big University is a big attraction to students because it provides for alot of opportunity. Opportunity to join clubs, meet new people, and step outside your normal ways. Now these were definitely reasons I chose to transfer to UNM, but the biggest reason was frankly because it is big... Huge by New Mexico standards. Naturally I thought I would have a wide vairety of classes to choose from and a wide selection of time slots. Boy was I ever wrong!!!!!

It is nearly impossible to make a school and work schedule.. well work. For the past 4 semesters I have been burdened with the daunting task of making a school schedule that will fit with my work schedule. It is nearly impossible! I know what some are thinking.. Get a job that works with your school schedule.. Yeah I could do that... And make peanuts! I have tried arranging and rearranging a schedule that will work and I always come up on the short side of hours. Maybe this is UNM's way of keeping me longer so they can make more money off me. If that is the case, maybe they can use some of that money to hire more teachers, or give the existing teachers a raise so that they can focus on teaching and not have to scrounge just like me for a way to make a living.

The University seriously needs to refocus on students needs... Gone are the days where a student can work part time and still be able to support himself. Having a schedule that is not flexible is very hard to work with. I would hope that a University the size of UNM would be able to accomadate more students and realize that school is not the only thing we do!

Here is just an example of wha I am talking about: There is a class that I have wanted to take since about 3 years ago. Since then it has kept the same time slot. The reason I couldn't take that class is because I had to work at that time! The only other time it has been offered is guess what? A little bit later in the day; when I am working. I wish that whoever sets the schedule would realize that an early time slot would be nice too. Not just two afternoon time slots! Anyhow, trying to setup a schedule at UNM has got to be the hardest assignment I have received here!!!!

Guns on Campus?

In the wake of school shootings on college campuses over the past few years there has been a heightened concern over the safety on college campuses. Schools have created new emergency action plans, beefed up security on campuses and started training professors on better recognizing problem students. University and college presidents want to do everything in their power to make sure their campus is safe for all. There is one area though that people are split over; whether or not anyone should be allowed to carry a gun onto campus.

This has been a very hot topic over the past couple of years, and it’s one that I am still unsure how I feel about. As of right now according to UNM’s campus safety and security policy weapons of any kind, including guns, are prohibited on campus. Would allowing guns on UNM’s campus really make it safer or would it make it easier for someone to come on campus and start a shooting spree? If someone decided to start shooting on campus would someone with a gun be able to stop them, or would more people get hurt in the crossfire? These are the major questions that legislators are debating.

Some bills are already in the works for campuses across the country which would allow any person 21 or older who has a license and the correct registration and training to carry a concealed gun on campus. And many argue that if any attacks were to happen in the future that even having just one or two people near by with a gun could prevent catastrophes like the one at Virginia Tech. There have even been accounts such as the shooting at the Appalachian School of Law where a gunman was brought down by students that had guns, even though they did not have to fire their guns they were prepared to do so to save lives.

But the question that I come back to is, would I feel safe knowing that the people around me, my fellow classmates, maybe professors are carrying guns? Is allowing guns on campus really the answer to this very big problem? Does UNM need to consider changing its policy toward concealed weapons on campus for the greater good of all on campus?

But I don't wanna carry a tray...

So far in this life I have found it nearly impossible to do both work and school full-time. I find it amazing that people manage to do both AND raise kids at the same time. I can barely keep my own self fed and bathed while taking classes and working. I would much rather just do school full time but, as it turns out, I'm not independently wealthy and I have to work. So I work part-time. The problem with working part-time is that there are very limited options for someone who wants to work part-time but also wants a "grown-up" job (by "grown-up" job I mean a job in which one has some benefits, a reasonable wage, and there is a significant amount of sitting involved-- I'm not criticizing anyone's maturity level.) There are only a few industries that seem to really want a large number of part-time employees with restaurants and retail being two of the major ones. So, because of all this I'm a waitress with a college degree. I'd like to do something else, but everything I find either pays next to nothing or they would not be at all cool with me not showing up until about 4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I've known quite a few people who also have an education and (/or) some marketable skills, but end up at restaurants because of the schedule flexibility. It definitely helps restaurants to be one of the only venues where decent money can be made and the schedules are flexible; they often get higher caliber employees than one would expect for the kind of work it is. So I don't understand why more employers aren't open to hiring part-time employees at "grown-up" jobs. Indeed there is an extra initial expense at hiring two people part-time vs. 1 full-time, and it's certainly more of a headache for the kids in HR, but ultimately such an arrangement could benefit employers. If the part-time employees would be willing to make a couple dollars less per hour, and if the benefits were more expensive for a part-time employee, it would be cost effective for an employer. Also, there would be less time wasted on the job, it would boost morale, and it would increase employee loyalty. It would do all these things with me, anyway. Also with everyone not working the exact same hours as everyone else, it would ease traffic congestion.

I also know that I'm not the only person in the world who wants a part-time job that does not require one to come home with aching feet and smelling of garlic (the person, not the feet -- well maybe both). Generation X and Y are both known for wanting a job and not wanting their job to be their life. I found a couple of articles from USA Today and other publications about my generation's value of work/life balance. They all talked about how it's a generation that wants to have time in their life to spend on the things that matter to them AND they want a career, not just a job. That's definitely me and it's most of my friends. These articles talked about the expectations young employees have, and it also made it sound like the expectations are being met. I don't think they are, to a large extent. I sure can't find an employer who wants to hire someone who wants a professional career but doesn't mind them working 25-30 hours a week. People want time for school and relationships and family and keeping the house clean and -- well, just other stuff. Yet whenever I look for part-time jobs on, say, hotjobs.com, all I find are jobs in retail and pyramid schemes. Why are those the only options? As the baby boomers retire there is bound to be a huge shortage of employees and maybe that will finally force employers to offer other options than 8-5 M-F workweek. Maybe we can all get together and demand something better. At least I hope so.

-Mandy

The Million Dollar Man

Nearly one year has passed since the University of New Mexico announced that, then head coach, Richtie McKay would not return as head coach. Nearly one year has also passed since the University of New Mexico announced it had hired former Indiana basketball sensation and Iowa head coach Steve Alford to the same position McKay once held.

The hire, at the time, was met with mixed reviews. Some believed Alford was using the school as a means to catapult his name back into the lime light and perhaps chase a "big school" position while others believed that Alford would come to New Mexico and either bring a wealth of success the program had yet to experience, or further set the program back and possibly leave it behind in ruins (a la Dave Bliss).

But the constant in all of the reviews of the hiring of Coach Alford was his salary. Whether or not you liked the hire, the seven figure salary that came with it was nothing short of shocking.

Now one year later, irregardless of what happens from here on out in postseason play, many writers, critics and so called experts are eating their words.

(Critics that include the writer of this handy dandy blog entry by the way)

It's hard to say a basketball coach deserves to be paid 10-times more than a police officer or high school teacher, but given the market of sports and the notoriously high salaries for their coaches and professional athletes - the $1-million dollar a year salary for Steve Alford seems like a coup for the University of New Mexico. For the first time in years, fans and passive watchers in the state of New Mexico are once again interested in the basketball program. For the first time in years (12 to be exact) the Pit posted back to back sellouts and with the surprising success of the program this season, the arena should inch closer to its legacy of being one of the loudest venues in the country.

And to me, if that provides interest in the school by residents and non-residents in the state - the salary was worth it.

Even if it only lasts a few more weeks.

Spring Break - Life’s a Beach? or Life’s a Bitch?

By Father O’KC

Woo-hoo! Spring Break is almost here. If you are unencumbered by life’s little burdens (and you have saved a little or have an unexhausted credit card), Spring Break means sun, sand, and irresponsible consumption of alcoholic beverages (just kidding). Or perhaps the slopes beckon. You might even get lucky, right?

But for other UNM folks, Spring Break isn’t so much fun, as it is a chance to catch up. This year Spring Break is my chance to get a few things done around the house, clean out the garage, and work a little on my extension course. Weather permitting, I may even go riding once or twice.

The week after Spring Break is a real bummer, right? The sunburn is starting to peel. All those assignments you neglected during break are now coming due. If you were imprudent, you may be having a hard time remembering who or where you are. If you traveled, the credit card bills are going to show up soon.

For me, as for other UNM students, faculty, and staff who have children in Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) or private schools that follow the APS schedule, the week after Spring Break will mainly be full of inconvenience and logistical headaches. Why? Because UNM and APS don’t observe Spring Break at the same time! This is a major pain, and I don’t understand why it has to happen.

It would seem that the two largest public institutions in Albuquerque could check with each other. Do the two administrations even bother to look at each other’s schedules? Wouldn’t it benefit the University’s administration, faculty, staff, and students to coordinate the two schedules? Wouldn’t it benefit the community? Wouldn’t it benefit the kids? Parents and children might even be able to spend some time together, maybe take a trip and spend a little money stimulating our flagging economy, or the kids could just help clean out the garage.

So I did a little Googling, to see if I could find any support for my idea that UNM and APS should, like, cooperate. I went looking on the University website for statements of community support. Surprisingly I had to dig deeper than I expected; usually big institutions link to their guiding principles right on the home page - not UNM. I did find the UNM Faculty Handbook fairly quickly (http://www.unm.edu/~handbook/A20.html) which contains Mission, Vision, and Value Statements approved by the Board of Regents in 2001. Here’s a sample, from the Mission Statement:

"The University will engage students, faculty, and staff in its comprehensive educational, research, and service programs. UNM will provide students the values, habits of mind, knowledge, and skills that they need to be enlightened citizens, to contribute to the state and national economies, and to lead satisfying lives. Faculty, staff, and students create, apply, and disseminate new knowledge and creative works; they provide services that enhance New Mexicans’ quality of life and promote economic development;..."

…and so on.
So let’s do a little deconstructing: “to contribute to the state and local economies” - well, that’s my idea about taking trips and spending money, just like our bachelor student comrades do. “To lead satisfying lives”, well my life would be a lot more satisfying if I had the knowledge that my kids would have my company every year when Spring Break comes up (by the way, the same issues arise around various holidays that UNM and APS have deemed somehow …incompatible). Anyway, let’s continue: “They provide services that enhance New Mexicans’ quality of life…” - this one is easy; do you know how many families need babysitters because one or more parents can’t take off during their kids’ Spring Break? Impoverished university students who like kids could make a bundle meeting the market demand for sitters during the week the kids are off.

So there I’ve supported my idea that UNM and APS should coordinate Spring Break schedules, and I didn’t even have to dust off the Vision or Values Statements. So why hasn’t it happened already? Surely, I’m not the first to propose such a radical concept. Or maybe they are doing it on purpose? Maybe the two institutions get a real power buzz knowing they can inconvenience a significant percentage of the city’s population in one easy step. Maybe they just don’t like their kids, and look for every excuse to not spend quality time with them. Maybe it just never occurred to them.

Honestly, this is the kind of thing I have come to expect from APS (ask me about the parking lot at my kid’s school some time), and it doesn’t surprise me coming from UNM either. So where do we go from here? Are there any ombuds-persons in either organization whose job it is to take suggestions from the little people, evaluate them for merit, and then implement them if found worthy? Is there anyone out there who understands why the status quo deserves to be perpetuated? If so, please share your understanding with me by posting your comments, so that the week after next, when I’m spending half my valuable time and all of my valuable money driving my kids to daycare instead of the zoo, I’ll know it’s all part of a larger plan.

By the way, all you bachelor students, party responsibly - OK?

ITS Absurd Password Change

With all the computer technology that we have today, one would think computer security, which protects our everyday e-mails and online accounts, would be set and permanent. For most UNM students, setting up a UNM e-mail account and a NetID is almost a right of passage. For each incoming student who goes through Lobo Orientation, it seems to be one of the most exciting parts for most to have their own legitimate campus e-mail, where most of us will send out a resume' or two to a future employer, use as a learning and communication tool with teachers, or to get the weekly Monday message from our UNM President. Although all of these little actions are something we do on a daily basis and rarely think twice about, something we do have to think twice about, is which password goes to what account.

Now for a moment, try and think about all the numbers you have stored away in your memory. Not just the online information, but information you have for you bank accounts, your parent's birthdays, or even your address. This is all information that we have to keep track of in order to keep up with our daily activities. I know personally I have several numbers that I have to keep track of in order to do simple tasks, such as check all three of my e-mail accounts in the morning, to sending letters to friends, to going to home my parents' house and having to know the alarm code, to checking my bank account online. It's the little things that we do everyday that require security information, which if you do not have a cheat sheet with every password you will ever use written on it, which I would highly recommend, it can be easy to simply get passwords confused. 

Narrowing it down to the passwords and e-mail accounts attached to them, the numerous online sites people have is staggering. Even listening to free online radio, listeners have to set up an account with a password to use the site. Recently, UNM's Informaiton Technology Services sent out several e-mails to faculty and students to change their UNM user id, or NetID password, which we use for WebCT, and our UNM e-mail accounts. This new password rule requires users to change their passwords every 180 days or every six months, and users will not be allowed to use a previous password. With all the passwords and e-mail account I have, it tends to get complicated remembering which password to use for which account, much less having to change a password I have memorized and used daily for three years. My hands are nearly trained to type the password, so having to re-train hands and memories, seems so Y2K and outdated. I feel requiring all UNM faculty and students who have a UNM NetID should not have to re-learn a new password just to ITS can claim it is keeping our information safe. My question is, how come ITS now feel like it is necessary for users to change for security reasons? And does this mean our information has not been safe all along?

While it seems nothing can be done unless users want their e-mail accounts to be inaccessible, I will be thinking of a new password similar to my current one so I can hopefully remember it along with the other passwords I have stored away. And maybe by the next six months I can re-learn and get used to this new password before I have to change it all over again. 

Wanted: Strong, Knowledgable Person to Teach Me a Lesson.

Like the annual returning of the ducks on campus, all UNM students face another event during their collegeic careers. It’s inevitable and every year it happens to hundreds of students. It may not have happened to you yet, but no doubt it has already happened to a friend of yours. What I’m talking about is the “bad” professor that every student seems to encounter at least once in their UNM lifespan.

It’s not that UNM has bad professors left and right. Far be it from that actually, instead it all depends on the student and his/her definition on what makes a bad professor. All people learn and respond to people in many different ways and while some academic relationships work out for the best, others crash and burn. Some students complain that it was the only professor available or that they didn’t know what to expect. And for the most part most students don’t know what to expect from their professors. They could end up with the hardest grader out there for all they know, or someone who’s not challenging enough for them. So are we as students powerless in our right pick of professors?

Some would say, “Just grin and bear it, it’s only a semester”, but I say “No”. I’m not paying hundreds of dollars a year for some person to teach me in a fashion I cannot grasp, or don’t like. I’d rather succeed in the class easily, than struggle to get a grade I won’t like in the end. So what hope is there in knowing a professor before taking the class? It’s not like they have myspace profiles that tell us all about them. Really, when it comes down to it, how much control do we really have in our education? The truth is that we have total control, but we need tools to help us implement that control.

One of those tools, in controlling our educational experience, lies in websites like RateMyProfessor.com or MySpace’s Grade My Professor Tool. It is one of the easiest ways to research a professor at UNM, before taking the class. Comments made by previous students on the professor’s teaching style, grading methods, and other aspects are all there for you to see. These sites serve as an invaluable tool in choosing what professor is right for you. For example say you need a class for just the credit, but don’t care too much about he subject. That’s when you use the sites to find the easiest grader perhaps. Or say you really want to understand a class, geared toward you intended major. That’s when you use the sites to find the professor that has good abilities to explain the subject thoroughly. Basically it all depends on you and what you want out of the class and the professor.

Yet, there are still obstacles. Some of the newer professors at UNM have yet to earn ratings and it’s true that the sites are still developing, as far as UNM professors go. You also must take some of the comments with a grain of salt and consider the student who made the comment also. Perhaps they failed because they were lazy, and the professor had nothing to do with it. It basically comes down to being smart about the comments. The sites however are still an invaluable tool in getting the best out of UNM, academically. So I say to you, if the internet has been able to help thousands to find love, why not utilize it to find that special relationship that works for you also.

Attendance Policies Arbitrary

I'm sure that everyone has sat down for the first day of class and heard some policy on class attendance. Usually this policy is something along the lines of,

"You are allowed to miss two classes with no penalty, after which your final grade will be reduced for each absence, and if you miss more than four classes throughout the course of the semester you will be dropped."

Now I know that not every class is the same, but this outlines the basic Arts and Sciences' policy on class attendance. We've all heard or read this so many times that we probably really don't pay much attention anymore, but I must admit that this policy is one of the things that i have never understood or agreed with.

Throughout my four year college experience I have been told by many professors in a variety of contexts that I am an adult and that as an adult I am old enough and mature enough to make decisions on my own, study and take notes on my own, do my class work and home work on my own, and that it is my responsibility to ensure that I get the most out of college. It's not the professors' job to make sure I learn, and I absolutely agree with this. However, I am simultaneously told that while I can make all these other decisions I cannot make the decision to come to class or not.

Now I understand the need to come to class in order to learn the material and succeed in the course, and I am not one to skip class a lot. Also, being involved with leadership myself, leading out with several group studies, I understand the frustration and disappointment that can occur for professors if students do not show up. I am not saying that we should all be able to never come to class and pass with flying colors. I simply do not understand why there are such strict policies on attendance in place.

One of the primary reasons that I view this policy as arbitrary and demeaning is that, as students, we are paying a lot of money to attend these classes. That should be reason enough to make us want to attend, but if it is not, and we choose to skip out, isn't that our prerogative? If we pay for the class we should be able to come and go as we please.

Imagine paying to go see a new movie that has come out. You buy your popcorn and soda and go sit down in the theater. Throughout the course of the movie you get up several times. Perhaps you are bored with the movie and are simply getting up to go outside and call a friend or maybe there is some reason. Imagine that you get up and go to the bathroom then a while later you have to take your child to the bathroom. By this time your get popcorn is empty so you get up to refill it and when you come back an attendant stops you and says that you have exceeded the number of time you can leave without penalty, so he takes your popcorn. A little later you get up to refill your soda and this time when you come back the attendant takes your soda. You're confused and upset, but you go sit down. Finally, close to the end of the movie you have to get up again for some other reason, maybe you really have to go to the bathroom or you received a text from a friend that needed to ask you a question right away. This time when you come back the attendant says that you cannot go back in and finish the movie. If you want to know how it ends you will have to pay to watch it again at another time, and there is no way you are getting your money back for the movie. We would all be outraged if this happened because we payed for the movie and should be able to leave and come back with no penalty or expulsion, yet this is exactly what happens in the classroom.

Now I understand that every professor is different and some are more accepting of absences than others, but I have had my fair share of professors who coldly assume that once someone has missed 3 or 4 classes they don't deserve to be there and drop them unquestionably. I have even had a professor who said that if you are more than 5 minutes late you shouldn't even come to class at all because you will be counted as absent, and 4 absence will drop your final grade by at least a full letter. This is ridiculous!

Students do need to attend class in order to succeed, but that success should be left up to them rather than placing arbitrary limitations that restrict a student to having no more than one reason in any given month that requires them to miss a class. Perhaps more emphasis should be placed on the work done that can potentially be made up if necessary than on the arbitrary physical presence in a classroom.