Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 19 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
Mill levy puts ENMU-R’s programs in the spotlight JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
The special mill levy election for Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell calls for property owners to pay to keep the school operating. Some say the added tax is too steep. But others say the extra money to keep the quality of programs and students in the community is worth the extra money. “The Roswell campus is unique in our state,” said former state Sen. Tim Jennings. “They offer the most complex programs — more complex than any other university or any other community college in our state.” Chaves County voters will be asked at a special election Feb. 4 to decide whether to establish a mill levy tax rate at $3 for each $1,000 of net taxable value of all property within the district. The tax would be indefinite. Early voting has started. Voters can cast ballots at the county complex, 1 St. Mary’s Place, or the ENMU-R campus. Absentee voters can write to the Chaves County Clerk’s
Office for a ballot. ENMU-R President John Madden will hold public meetings before the election. He said there was no way to predict how many voters will turnout. But, the result will determine the fate of whether the college can continue to offer its vast array of programs. “This is really a referendum on, ‘Do you want all of these programs, or don’t you?’” Madden said. “We’re not going to go away, we simply aren’t going to do everything we’re doing.” If passed, the mill levy is expected to bring in $2.1 million per year for the college. For a homeowner of a $100,000 home, once the current building construction bond retires this year, the proposed mill levy would add $66.67 next year. The total paid to ENMU-R would be $96.57. This money would pay to keep the school running at current levels, Madden said. “We think that in order to preserve these programs and stabilize this institution, that’s a bargain,” Madden said. The majority of the programs in question are
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
January 22, 2014
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WEDNESDAY
Steve Stone Graphic
health-related. Of all classes at ENMU-R, 44 percent are complex classes, such as the nursing program. In Hobbs, New Mexico Junior College offers 33 percent of its total classes as complex courses. In Carlsbad, that total is 28 percent. Clovis students are only offered 21 percent complex courses. “They’ve been able to put together a program by looking outside the box of the needs of the people in the state and try to solve them,” Jennings said. “Our college is top notch. We need to recognize their See LEVY, Page A3
Enrollment, funding drops at ENMU-R JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell has seen a decline in enrollment in the past year as administrators deal with declining budget and staff cuts; however, students pay the most tuition to attend compared to other regional state colleges. A full-time student taking 12 credit hours pays $696.00 per semester, or $1,392 per year.
Residents who live outside of the district pay $732 in tuition for 12 semester hours. Nonresidents would pay $1,896 per semester for a 12-hour full-time schedule. Some programs also charge extra fees. If enrolled in the Associate of Science Degree in the Nursing program, an in-district resident would pay $696 in tuition for 12 semester hours, plus $76 in fees. The nursing program
also requires several additional fees that include drug screenings, health background checks, testing fees and technology fees. Books are estimated at $1,500 and supplies may cost up to $500, according to a 2012 schedule. ENMU-R’s tuition rates are the highest regionally. In comparison, New Mexico State UniversityCarlsbad students pay
See ENROLLMENT, Page A3
Gov. urges legislative focus on schools, jobs Accident leaves nearly 1,000 homes powerless
SANTA FE (AP) — Republican Gov. Susana Martinez urged the Democratic-controlled Legislature on Tuesday to put aside political differences during an election year and focus their work on economic development and improving education. Martinez outlined her legislative priorities in her State of the State address after lawmakers convened for a 30-day session that’s limited to the budget, taxes and proposals placed on the agenda by the governor. The session opened against a tragic backdrop, a week after a shooting at a Roswell school. A seventh-grader opened fire in a crowded gym, wounding a 12-year -old boy and a 13-year-old girl. During her speech, the gover nor introduced a Roswell social studies teacher, John Masterson, who talked the shooter into dropping his weapon, and Kevin Hayes, a security guard who was injured but helped care for the wound-
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
AP Photo
Gov. Susana Martinez, center, greets people on her way out after delivering the State of the State address at the State Capitol on Tuesday.
ed boy. The school workers received a standing ovation.
“No human being is gifted with the knowledge of why such tragedy occurs. But, we are thankful that
in the face of it, people like both of you display the courage required to help all of us get through,” Martinez said. Several lawmakers want the Legislature to consider
United Way, Wells Fargo among those accepting donations for shooting victims JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
In the wake of last week’s shooting incident at Berrendo Middle School, charitable works and donation funds to benefit the victims abound — leaving many people confused.
Chaves County United Way is working in cooperation with Wells Fargo Bank to collect funds. United Way Executive Director Sherry Mumford said 100 percent of all donations are going to the families of victims. Checks sent to the organization should be
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TODAY’S FORECAST
gun restrictions, but Martinez hasn’t signaled whether the potentially divisive issue will be added to the legislative agenda. See LEGISLATURE, Page A3
Nearly 1,000 homes were without electricity, Tuesday morning, after a 17-year-old driver rammed into a utility pole at the intersection of East Country Club Road and North Garden Avenue. Around 12:20 a.m. residents up and down Country Club, along Garden and into the Briar Ridge subdivision saw lights flicker. Police reported that the driver was traveling southbound on Garden when the vehicle drifted over the center line into the northbound lane. It left the roadway and struck a utility pole on the southeast corner of Country Club and Garden. The collision caused the utility pole to snap. The vehicle continued south, on the grass until it hit a second utility pole. The vehicle came to a stop in a front yard. Xcel Energy responded to make repairs, during which
time power was cut. The power outage continued until around 4:37 a.m. People driving along Country Club discovered the road blocked at Goddard High School and traffic detoured to Mesa Road. Garden was barricaded all the way through 23rd Street while repair crews replaced the pole. The repairs were completed and the barricades were removed by 10 a.m. One of the two juvenile passengers received minor injuries. A 16-year-old was treated at the scene and then taken to a local hospital. According to the police, the contributing factors to the accident included excessive speed and driver inattention. The juvenile driver was cited for failure to give immediate notice of accident, careless driving and accident involving personal injury. She was given an arrest citation and released to her mother’s custody.
Maurices on the move
Renovation work continues at the new Maurices, located in the old Rex Audio, Video, and Appliances store at 4531 N. Main, Tuesday morning. The store, which specializes in women's apparel, is relocating to its new location from the mall and will open its doors Feb. 14 according to store manager Risa Hernandez.
made out to United Way, but Berrendo Fund should be written on the description line. “We are not keeping any of the money,” Mumford said. Checks can be sent or taken in to United Way See DONATIONS, Page A3
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6 • DONALD (DON) “PAPAW” • JIM R. HARMAN • CHARLES LEROY ATWOOD WAYNE PRINCE • WALTER “BUD” HARRIS • BARBARA DUNLAP • GLADYS SHIRLEY • AUDREY JEWELL (GAMBLE) PAYNE
Mark Wilson Photo
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOCAL...................A5 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8