The 68th Senate of the Associated Students of New Mexico State University met on March 27. Of the bills and resolutions presented, Resolution 27 and Resolution 30 both received a favorable recommendation from the senate, with Resolution 30 earning a standing ovation.
Resolution 27, presented by Sen. Price, called attention to the need for renovation in Clara Belle Williams Hall, which serves as the English building. Sen. Price said the resolution would make sure the building properly reflected Dr. Clara Belle Williams, the first African American to graduate from NMSU in 1937, “through appropriate historical and cultural recognition.”
“The current state of the building does not reflect the legacy of Dr. Clara Belle Williams or provide an efficient learning environment for students,” Sen. Price said. “And whereas current faculty and staff have provided their own efforts and money to help contribute to renovations, this stress should be alleviated so they can focus on classroom efficiency.”
Vice President-elect Kolby Graham Taylor said he hopes the renovations will create a more comfortable learning environment and better reflect Clara Belle Williams as a person.
“Some renovations need to be done,” Vice President-elect Taylor said. “I mean, renovations and being in a more modern and well-kept space is what boosts morale around campus. It makes you actually proud to be here, so, I mean, we got to keep it looking pretty.”
Sen. Price also presented Resolution 30 to the senate. Resolution 30 concerns the need to ensure the First Amendment rights of NMSU students are protected. Sen. Price said it is important for ASNMSU to support its fellow students and that this issue affects everybody.
“ASNMSU supports all students, regardless of their background or living situation, as it is our mission to provide support for the students and ensure that all needs are met and voices are respectfully heard and represented,” Sen. Price said.
Students and faculty have been increasingly concerned about their autonomy and rights on campus, said Sen. Price.
“Those attending New Mexico State University have expressed concern for personal well-being, and whereas everyone deserves to feel support and safety within their academic institution of their choice,” Sen. Price said.
Sen. Price stated that NMSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution, as well as an International Serving Institution that benefits “economically, agriculturally, historically, culturally, scientifically, and ultimately academically” from having relations with institutions abroad.
While the Las Cruces Police Department has agreed, in a statement from January, not to aid ICE in raids, students, faculty, and staff still express concern for their rights.
“At this point, 48 people are missing from our own state for recent raids,” Sen. Price said. “There is a concern to know that they, the students, can attend school without fear of retaliation.”
President-elect Wyatt Ziehe said he supports students’ freedom of speech, and that this resolution is a call to action showing NMSU administration what the student body wants.
“I think that’s something that, once you start messing with the free speech, and like, ‘this person shouldn’t be able to say this’ or ‘this person shouldn’t be able to say this’ that’s where you lose all of that, and that pushes people further apart,” Ziehe said.
President-elect Ziehe said he has faith that action will be taken to ensure student rights on campus.
“So it’s like, basically unanimous,” Ziehe said. “If I was in administration and I saw a bill like that I’d say, ‘Wow this is something that has a lot of support from the students.’ I mean, I can tell you from firsthand the opinions of people in the senate vary, and we hardly agree on anything and go on circular debates all the time.”
Sen. Price said that, just as NMSU expects other academies to uphold its students’ civil liberties, NMSU should be held to the same standards for international students that it hosts.
As of April 10, an NMSU spokesperson has confirmed six international students at NMSU have had their visas revoked. President-elect Ziehe said he will work to prevent further international student visas revocations from happening when he moves into his role as president.
“Everyone comes to school to, you know, get better job opportunities, get themselves out of bad situations, improve their lives in some way,” President-elect Ziehe said. “Whether that be achieving a degree or getting access to better jobs. And I am a representative for people at this school. And if the students . . . are having these issues, that’s unacceptable.”
After Sen. Price thanked the senate for letting her explain her resolution, the senate gave her a round of applause ending in a standing ovation.
