In recent news, New Mexico gubernatorial candidates Diane Denish and Susana Martinez were no-shows at a higher-education forum at the University of New Mexico on Wednesday. UNM's student government said both were invited early this summer. Students and faculty said they feel like they were snubbed. "For the candidates not to show was kind of a slap in the face," said student Jakob Schiller."We were very disappointed," said undergraduate student and Associated Students of UNM chief of staff Michael Thorning.
It wasn't just the state legislators who attended or Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Brian Colon students had wanted to speak with.Professor Rich Wood said it was gubernatorial candidates Denish and Martinez who students, faculty, staff and even the UNM Board of Regents wanted to see at Wednesday's higher-education forum.
Wood is also the Faculty Senate President. He said he helped plan the event, along with students in the ASUNM and faculty council."To say to the students, (and) also the citizens of New Mexico, that higher education is not a priority for us to attend and talk about is the wrong message to send," Wood said.
UNM has undergone five budget cuts, a professor shortage, graduate students filling in the teaching gaps and an increase in tuition. With higher education being a large issue this political season, students were left scratching their heads and wondering why neither candidate attended. "For them to sort of shrug us off the way they did, it sort of makes me feel that neither candidate is paying attention to education they way they need to," Schiller said."I think both gubernatorial candidates owe the citizens of this state an explanation of what their real plans for higher education," Thorning said.
What are your thoughts on this situation? Being that in a couple of years, you will be in the same boat, what would you expect from these candidates? Remember that both candidates discussed how education is crucial to their campaign. Please write a short paragraph describing your view on this situation.
-Noriega
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I think that the candidates missing the higher education forum was a bad move. It is obvious they don't really care about the situation since they blew it off or at least didn't have an excuse for not going. I'd expect them to try to be their and envolved since it envolves so many people, especially young people which is our future generations that will soon be taking care of them. Plus with the econemy, you need a degree to get a good job, in some cases just a job. If education is so crucial to thier campaignes they would probably be interested in this but by thier actitions thats not what they are doing. I think this situations shows how both candidates aren't as into thier campaignes as they seem.
ReplyDelete*Kaylee Lind 4period
I say that what both candidates did was pure rudeness. I think that if they really did care about education like they said they did they would have attended the UNM higher education forum. So there was no reason for them to not have been there. I know that in the future i would want candidates to actually care about what they say they are going to do for whats best for New Mexico.
ReplyDeleteBy:Cecilia Ortega 4th per.
I think that what the canidates did was wrong. If they wanted to show peopled that they cared about educatioin, this doesnt show it at all. educations is an important part in campaigning, so this doesnt help them at all. i would want someone to show that they cared about our education.
ReplyDeleteCassandra Tapia 4th period
There are several possibilities for the candidates' absences, but I believe the most likely reason is their outlook on New Mexico like so many others. Most of the residents in New Mexico don't have privilege of being concerned over their educational status and their dream future because their too busy concerning themselves with providing with enough food and warmth to survive another day. Though, there are some, like us, lucky enough to have the luxury of access to a surplus of food, knowledge, and comfortable dwellings.
ReplyDeleteIn saying this, I support the need to be aware of the poor and, more importantly, taking action to prevent their major problems so we can promote the population to learning. Starvation and other ways of dying could be prevented if only our leaders could reverse their opinionated views of the past and current state of New Mexico to the possible future of New Mexico (and other places as well). I expect this to have already taken place two years a decade from now, not for governors to be sitting ducks.
--Ting Ting
I think that it was really unprofessional of both Diane Denish, And Susana Martinez. To not show up to a higher-education Meeting with both pledged that they were for higher-education. I hope that when i am at UNM the higher-education tuition and administration problems will be resolved.
ReplyDeleteIthink that is wrong for them to do that.I think that is not professional and shows how much that education is important to them.I hope that whem i am at UNM it wont be like that.
ReplyDeleteBy:NIcole Roemro 4th period