UNM will not move forward with tuition hikes - Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal
The University of New Mexico will not move forward with a 1% tuition increase after the Board of Regents decided not to vote on the measure Tuesday.
The cost hike would have raised prices by about $86 per undergraduate student per year, yielding $1.4 million for the university, according to UNM spokesperson Ben Cloutier.
Regents voted Tuesday to advance a draft of the upcoming budget without an increase in tuition and mandatory student fees for UNM’s main campus and Health Sciences Center, nor a 3% increase in student fees at UNM’s Taos campus.
Regent Victor Reyes said he was not in support of the increase because the revenue the university would have received from a tuition hike was relatively insignificant.
“I think it’s a little bit disingenuous to say that this would put us in a precarious financial position when we are financially healthy,” Reyes said.
Leaders from the graduate and undergraduate student associations addressed the board and urged them to reject the tuition hikes, telling the regents the cost increases would be unpopular with the student body.
“Many students live below the poverty line,” said Travis Broadhurst, president of the UNM Graduate and Professional Student Association. “Graduate students are receiving far less than the living wage … these are not trivial expenses.”
New Mexico Higher Education Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez also said she was against the tuition hikes in a statement Tuesday morning.
“These increases impact students, families and the state as a whole,” Rodriguez said. “With New Mexico’s investment in higher education, there is no justification for shifting additional costs onto the students we serve.”
Regent Bill Payne said Tuesday he supported the tuition increase — even though it was unpopular — so students could avoid sticker shock in the form of a large cost hike several years from now.
“It’s better to have at least some modest increases so two, three, four years down the road, you don’t have to come up against a brick wall,” Payne said.
The regents also opted not to proceed with a bond package that would have paid for a new humanities building at UNM’s main campus and technology needs at UNM-Taos. The package would have raised fees for students who receive two state scholarships that often cover tuition completely. Regents asked university officials to consider other sources of funding for the projects that would not increase students’ out-of-pocket costs.
As part of the upcoming budget, the regents approved 1% raises for university employees, as decided upon by lawmakers as part of the state budget last month.
Tuition will also go up next year at the School of Medicine’s occupational therapy graduate program after the Board of Regents voted in favor of raising the cost from $143 to about $163 per credit.
University budgets must be finalized by the state Higher Education Department before the upcoming fiscal year.
Unspecified allegations against labor rights icon Cesar Chavez lead to cancellation of celebrations - By Fernanda Figueroa, Associated Press
The United Farm Workers union has distanced itself from annual celebrations of its founder, Cesar Chavez, amid what it said were troubling but unspecified allegations.
In a statement Tuesday, the union said allegations of "abuse of young women or minors" were concerning enough to urge people around the country to participate in immigration justice events or acts of service instead of the typical events in March to commemorate Chavez's legacy.
The union said it has not received any direct reports of abuse and does not have any firsthand knowledge of the allegations. Neither the union nor the Cesar Chavez Foundation responded to requests from The Associated Press for further comment.
"Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on," the union said in its statement.
Several Cesar Chavez celebrations in San Francisco, Texas and Chavez's home state of Arizona were canceled at the request of the foundation, which also said it's become aware of disturbing allegations about Chavez during his time as president of the union. Organizers of canceled events did not immediately respond to the AP's requests for comment.
Both groups said they'd be working to establish ways for anyone who might have been harmed by Chavez to share experiences confidentially.
"These allegations have been profoundly shocking," the union statement said. "We need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it."
California became the first state to establish March 31, Chavez's birthday, as a day commemorating the labor leader. Others followed. In 2014, then-President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as national Cesar Chavez Day, urging Americans to honor his legacy.
Streets, schools and parks bear Chavez's name. Born in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez grew up in a Mexican-American family that traveled around California picking lettuce, grapes, cotton and other seasonal crops. He died in California in 1993 at age 66.
Chavez is known nationally for his early organizing in the fields, a hunger strike, a grape boycott and eventual victory in getting growers to negotiate with farmworkers for better wages and working conditions.
In 1962, Chavez and Dolores Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers of America.
Farmworkers are crucial to agribusiness in California, which grows nearly half the nation's fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Chavez protested against poor pay and often-miserable work conditions. There were no toilets in the fields for workers, who weeded fields with short-handled hoes that forced them to bend over for hours at a time.
Bosses frequently ignored the health and wages of their workers, many of whom were Spanish-speakers in the country temporarily or illegally and had little political or legal clout to prevent abuses.
First rabies case of 2026 found in bobcat that attacked dogs — Daniel Montaño, KUNM News
Rabies has made its first appearance in New Mexico this year. The New Mexico Department of Health announced Monday a rabid bobcat in Sierra County was euthanized after attacking several dogs.
Two people who were also exposed to the virus received a post-exposure vaccine. The dogs involved, which were all up to date on their rabies vaccines, received a booster and will be monitored for 45 days.
Erin Phipps, NMDOH State Public Health Veterinarian, said although rabies is deadly, it is preventable. She said vaccinating your pets not only protects them, but it’s also required by law.
Any unvaccinated animals that are exposed to rabies, she said, must be euthanized or isolated for four months to prevent human exposure.
Wild animals, especially bats, skunks and foxes are the most common cause of rabies in New Mexico, but any mammal could carry the virus. NMDOH always recommends keeping wild animals at a distance. Do not approach, touch or attempt to feed any wild animal — alive or dead.
If a wild animal is acting abnormally, aggressively, or seems sick, report it to local animal control or the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
The state confirmed 13 cases of rabies in 2025 — one each from a bobcat and a dog, two each from skunks and coyotes, and seven cases from bats.
The news comes just three days after the department announced a dog in Santa Fe County was found with the plague, the cause of the black death in the 1300s. Not to be confused with hantavirus, a deadly respiratory virus, in animals the plague is caused by a bacterial infection usually from a flea bite.
For more information visit the NMDOH’s website about rabies or plague, or call the helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (833-796-8773.)
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Western New Mexico University hires new president after national search - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
Regents at Western New Mexico University unanimously hired a new president Tuesday morning, more than a year after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham cleaned house and appointed five new regents to oversee the Silver City university.
At the meeting, regents struck an optimistic tone for the future as they signed a deal with Western Oregon University’s Provost and VP of Academic Affairs Jose Coll.
“I’m deeply honored and thrilled,” Coll told the regents. “As we make this transition, I’m eager to roll up my sleeves and work alongside our dedicated community.”
Coll’s contract carries an annual salary of $310,000 — down from his predecessor’s salary of $365,000. Currently, it’s a three-year contract, but if Coll makes it more than a year into the role, it will automatically renew for an additional two years.
Former university President Joseph Shepard resigned in late 2024 following news reports and state investigations regarding how he and other university officials used taxpayer and university foundation dollars on luxury furniture, international travel and five-star resort stays. The New Mexico Higher Education Department and Office of the State Auditor investigated university leaders and reported “improper” and “wasteful” spending, including a WNMU trip to a California Ritz-Carlton.
The board of regents in late 2024 accepted Shepard’s resignation and awarded him a $1.9 million severance payment and a five-year teaching contract. Lujan Grisham subsequently demanded the regents’ resignations and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Shepard and the regents over the terms of his departure. Torrez’s suit and one from the New Mexico State Ethics Commission — which accuses Shepard of using money meant for ADA-compliant projects on campus to build a patio for his daughter’s wedding reception — remain pending in court.
J. Dean Reed, the board of regents’ treasurer, told Source NM that in the “lovely last year we’ve had,” the newly appointed regents “learned a lot of lessons from our last president’s contract” and wrote Coll’s specifically to protect the university. Since the governor appointed the new board of regents about a year ago, Reed said their job has been to “earn back the trust of everyone.”
He said he was confident in Coll’s ability to lead WNMU because of his time at Western Oregon University, which was the state’s first four-year public university to attain Hispanic-Serving Institution designation. Coll immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba as a child and later served in the U.S. Marine Corps before going into social work and academia.
“One of the statements he made that really stuck with me — he said a lot of university presidents can sometimes ask the community: ‘What can you do for my university?’” Reed recounted. “He said, ‘I don’t believe in that philosophy. We should ask our community how can we better serve you?’”
During the search process, which initially drew more than 20 applicants, Reed said Coll’s knowledge of the university’s inner workings impressed the regents. Before interviewing for the job, Reed said, Coll contacted the Office of the State Auditor and reviewed WNMU’s budget to get a better sense of the challenges facing the university.
“I think his authenticity, sincerity and humility are really going to serve this campus well,” Reed said.
Other finalists for the job included Carlos Rey Romero, associate vice president of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; Sharon Jones, vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of engineering at the University of Washington Bothell; and Mario Martinez, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Fort Lewis College in Colorado.
Another finalist — Cameron Braxton Wesson, provost and vice president of academic affairs at La Salle University in Pennsylvania — withdrew from the candidate pool in February.
New Mexico lawmaker urges probe into Otero County emergency ICE detention contract - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
A southern New Mexico lawmaker is asking the state attorney general to investigate Otero County commissioners’ recent emergency approval of a five-year detention contract with federal immigration officials, and to determine if it violated a new state law.
Rep. Sarah Silva (D-Las Cruces), whose district encompasses portions of Otero and Doña Ana counties, wrote in a March 16 letter to Attorney General Raúl Torrez that she believed the Otero County commissioners’ actions violated the recently adopted Immigrant Safety Act.
House Bill 9, signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after its passage in the 2026 legislative session, bans public entities from signing detention contracts with federal immigration officials and requires public bodies to terminate existing agreements “upon the earliest date permissible.” The law goes into effect May 20.
At a 12-minute emergency meeting on March 13, Otero County Commissioners unanimously adopted a new five-year contract, effective Monday, March 16. The contract, obtained by Source NM, allows for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to end services with 60-days notice, but states Otero County “shall not have the right to terminate this agreement.” Additionally, the contract says the federal government will not have to pay for any further costs if the contract is terminated.
In her March 16 letter, Silva asked the New Mexico Department of Justice to issue an opinion on the contract’s validity, saying she suspected it was “an attempt to circumvent HB9,” and determine if commissioners’ lack of discussion on the contract violated state transparency laws.
“Otero County’s three commissioners raised no questions and engaged in no discussion during the emergency meeting, which lasted only a few minutes,” Silva wrote. “I cannot fathom how they could have no questions before voting to approve an agreement that potentially put them at odds with the State of New Mexico and could lead to litigation. The circumstances cast doubt on whether this body conducted all of its business in full view of the public, and I suspect an illegal rolling quorum may have occurred.”
A call to Commission Chair Vickie Marquardt seeking comment regarding Silva’s concerns was not immediately returned on Tuesday.
NMDOJ Chief of Staff Lauren Rodriguez told Source NM in a statement Tuesday that the agency was aware of the board’s actions and was “reviewing the matter.”
If the agency weighs in on the issue, it won’t be the first time. NMDOJ in a January letter said the commission’s extension at the end of last year of what was then an expired contract between the county, ICE and private prison operator CoreCivic was “likely improper and invalid.”
At the Friday meeting, Otero County Attorney R.B. Nichols told commissioners the original contract with ICE would expire on Sunday, March 15, necessitating an emergency meeting, without the three-days notice required by state law. He also told commissioners that without the $5.2 million annually in revenue from immigrant detention, the county would be unable to pay the $5.3 million in debt due on April 1. Moreover, the county owes $19 million in bonds issued in 2007 for the construction of the $68 million detention center.
“There’s a lot at stake here,” Nichols told commissioners, adding the inability to pay could mean the foreclosure of the detention center and harm Otero County’s ability to borrow in the future.
Lawmakers earmarked nearly $6 million to pay Otero County to offset the impacts of HB9, but the funding would be insufficient and not arrive in time for the April 1 debt payment, Nichols said.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the new contract.
Additionally, the emergency motion also allowed Nichols to file litigation in state or federal court over the contract and approval to spend up to $350,000 to hire additional attorneys.
Rep. Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces), one of the sponsors of HB9, criticized the Otero County Commission’s approval of the new contract in a statement to Source NM Tuesday.
“The economic argument lacks vision, and frankly it’s disappointing,” she wrote. “Our communities deserve leaders who share our values. You don’t build a future for New Mexico on the backs of your neighbors. Instead of doing the hard work of finding real economic opportunities for their communities…they’re choosing contracts that will cost them — legally and morally. They’ll need to find another way.”
Bernalillo County Republicans call for New Mexico state Chair Barela to step down - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
Republican Party of New Mexico Chair Amy Barela’s decision to seek re-election for her Otero County Commission seat in a contested primary has set off GOP infighting as some state leaders accuse her of violating party rules.
Barela sits on the Otero County Commission and filed to run for re-election this year. A challenger, longtime Otero County Sheriff’s Office deputy Jonathan Emery, filed to run against her in the June 2 Republican primary. The party’s uniform state rules say that when the state’s party chair “files as a candidate for public office and there is another Republican who has filed for the same office, the state officer shall immediately vacate the party office.”
Mark Murton, the first vice chair of the Republican Party of Bernalillo County, said the case couldn’t be more “cut and dry.”
“The issue is very simple. The speed limit is 65 mph and you’re going 85,” he told Source NM. “Our position is that…she’s already vacated the position. She’s no longer a legitimate chair.”
When reached by phone Monday, Barela said was “not ready” to answer the question of whether she’d step down and declined to answer further questions.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico in a statement said Barela “appears to be blatantly violating RPNM rules by running for public office in a contested primary election.”
Barela’s continued presence as party chair has generated a partywide falling out on social media. In a lengthy public Facebook post, state Sen. James Townsend (R-Artesia) shamed Barela’s critics and appeared to argue that the heart of the matter comes down to the way the party’s rules are written. The rules state that the chair must resign if they filed for office “and there is another Republican who has filed for the same office.” Since Barela is an incumbent, Townsend wrote, she isn’t challenging anyone for the Otero County Commission seat.
“She (AMY) is and has been a County Commissioner. She has been for a full term. The person is running against her, she did not challenge him. What you want is the right to weaponize the rule for your own purpose which is absurd,” Townsend wrote. He added that Bernalillo County Republicans seem to believe “they are the ‘Sanhedrin,’” a reference to ancient Israel’s high court, and said they are “more interested in showing everyone how smart and powerful they are instead of winning elections.”
Former Alamogordo Mayor Susan Payne, who is also a Republican, told Source NM that those arguments seem like an effort to circumvent the rules, she said.
“They’re trying to get around it with…‘She’s not running against anybody — he’s running against her,’” Payne said. “That’s pretty juvenile, don’t you think?”
In his Facebook post, Townsend said that he was advocating for the good of the party and that the rules might need to change if they want to get more Republicans on the ballot across the state. Murton, though, said he thinks Barela’s alleged willingness to play fast and loose with the rules is bound to hurt the party on Election Day.
“Good luck getting people to get off the couch and come out to support your party,” he said.