Your tax dollars at work

Let's be honest, we thought Dr. Daniel Lopez and the upper administration at NM Tech couldn't do anything more dubious than the fibs they fed the public about the proposed EMRTC drop zone and the supposed involvement of the Air Force. Yet just when we thought they had learned a lesson from the EMRTC drop zone fiasco, they go and do something even more silly. This time, it's giving big fat bonuses to the VP's during a time when the budget is tight and students (and parents) are having to swallow a significant tuition increase. I suppose it's easy to be freewheeling with other people's money. Apparently they think we're not paying attention and wouldn't notice this little nugget slipped in at the end of the last board of regents meeting. Well, here at Socorro News, we always pay attention!

Here we go again

New Mexico Tech President, Dr. Daniel Lopez, at the last NM Tech board of regents meeting, proposed a one hundred thousand dollar expenditure for "vice president retention." The board of regents, like they frequently do, rubber-stamped it. So, I guess the NM Tech vice presidents (Dr. Van Romero, Dr. Ricardo Maestas, Mr. Lonnie G. Marquez, and Dr. Peter Gerity) will be getting $25,000 each - a nice little chunk of change during tough economic times for both the university and the country. Or, perhaps one of the VP's will get the full $100,000 while the other three get nothing? We're not sure how it will be divided up, as the regents and Dr. Lopez didn't disclose that during their recent meeting. Our take? Well, you've probably figured it out already: if NM Tech is having to raise tuition, the country is in a recession, and the town of Socorro is losing confidence in at least some of the VP's due to the EMRTC drop zone scandal, then it is NOT the time to be giving the vice presidents hefty bonuses.