The 65th Senate of the Associated Students of New Mexico State University met on Nov. 4 where they held an open forum to hear about NMSU Graduate Workers United and passed legislation which included: having no confidence in NMSU leaders and $90,000 in funding to the NMSU Wind Symphony to attend the Fringe Festival in the Czech Republic.  

ASNMSU Senate approves Resolution 12, A Vote of No Confidence in the NMSU President and Provost  

Resolution 12, a vote of no confidence in NMSU President John Floros and Provost Carol Parker, was unanimously given a do pass. With all the senators giving their approval via roll call voting, the legislation also contained the names of about over 100 NMSU students that showed their support.  

“I feel this is just the beginning of a bigger change,” ASNMSU President Pro Tempore David De La Cruz said, who also introduced the resolution. “We [ASNMSU] want more investment in our students and faculty rather than just administrators, but it’s also just the first step and we need to continue fighting for it.”  

The legislation’s passage happened the same day when NMSU Faculty Senate passed Proposition 4-21/22. The Round Up covered that topic in another article.  

To further their message there will be a protest held on Nov. 16 at the Corbett Center outdoor stage at 12 p.m.  

Graduate student speaks during open forum about NMSU Graduate Workers United 

Bryson Stemock, a graduate student, spoke during open forum on the unfair treatment of NMSU graduates and the formation of the NMSU Graduate Workers United union. He stated there are issues such as having to pay tuition even though graduate students come to NMSU as state employees.  

“It is frustrating, infuriating and heartbreaking to hear the same stories over and over where graduates are unable to provide for their families or themselves,” Stemock said. 

Stemock explained due to these issues and NMSU administration “refusing to work with them”, NMSU Graduates formed the union. The issues Stemock said graduates are facing consist of: 

• Needing to pay tuition while needing to pay for food or housing on a “standard” 20-hour weekly stipend. “Our pay falls below the federal poverty line,” Stemock said.  
• Not being provided with health insurance even though graduates are considered employees. “Around 60% of domestic graduate students do not have health insurance because they’re not able to find sufficient plans,” Stemock said. 

Stemock stated the union wants more people to be knowledgeable of the situation while applying pressure on the administration to know “their actions will not be tolerated.”  

For those interested in showing their support, there is a petition to have administration recognize the union.  

ASNMSU Senate approves Bill 24, funding about $90,000 for NMSU Wind Symphony to attend Fringe Festival in the Czech Republic  

The approval of Bill 24 will fund 75 students from the NMSU Wind Symphony to present at the Fringe Festival in Prague, Czech Republic. The bill initially would have appropriated about $80,000, but discussions led Senate to increase the funding in a total of $90,000.  

“To see senators, that I’ve never met before, speak on behalf of our students and the experiences that come is wonderful and showcases our student leadership and government,” Michael Mapp said. “They [ASNMSU Senate] are really considering the broader sense of what it means to be a student in NMSU.” 

Laura Laemmle, an arts and sciences senator who introduced the bill, said she was satisfied the other ASNMSU senators looked at the legislation as a “big deal” and added extra funding. 

“The [NMSU] music programs don’t ask for money every year. We figured it was fair to fund them at the maximum for multiple years,” Laemmle said.  

The event will take place during the month of July 2022.