NMSU Board of Regents

Meeting of December 10, 2004

Las Cruces

            All regents attended this meeting, in the Regents Room on the NMSU campus. It required only an hour, taken up primarily by reports, the only notable ones of which were noted adequately in the press. Nothing was added to the agenda, nothing pulled, no change made in the Consent Calendar.... Almost no questions were asked about anything, nor was anything brought up which prompted debate or substantive discussion. It was something of a love-feast, in short, highlighted by the glowing tributes paid to the two members (Manatt and Ybarra) for whom this was the last meeting.

            Citizens wondering if the regents had any concern over charges that university policy has been applied inequitably as regards staff or faculty interested in organizing a union (by whatever name) must conclude that the regents do not care, or have complete confidence in the administration. I heard no mention of, much less any expression of concern about, the binge-drinking death of a student a few days earlier.

            The minutes of these meetings are available for public view by due process. They are valuable records revealing the transaction of business by the regents. Minutes of executive sessions need to be consulted, presumably, for any understanding of how decisions are really reached. These minutes are also public records, of course, and ultimately do become available. I will try to find out when and how.

John Porter Bloom

For Southern New Mexico Chapter

Common Cause