Regents converge on capital

SANTA FE — Eastern New Mexico University Regents were in Santa Fe for their regular board meeting Wednesday to coincide with the opening of the 30-day legislative session.

According to ENMU President Steve Gamble, regents were able to meet with various legislative contacts during the morning and hold their meeting during the afternoon.

Gamble said he took the opportunity in his report to the board to commend area legislators for their help. In particular he noted the help from Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales.

“Stuart’s the one who’s in the position to do the most for us and he always comes through,” Gamble said.

Gamble also told regents that with the regular registration for the spring semester complete things are looking good for enrollment at the university. He said that the administration won’t know for sure for awhile yet, but it appears that enrollment will be above that of the previous spring semester.

Regents only took action on two items affecting the Portales campus while they dealt with a lengthy agenda involving several building projects on the Roswell and Ruidoso campuses.

Regents approved installing a fire safety sprinkler system at Bernalillo Hall in Portales at an estimated cost of $750,000, which will be taken from university reserves.

Gamble said the seven-story building, which is now the freshman hall, never had a sprinkler system and one is needed to provide the maximum safety for students.

The project would be completed during the summer of 2008.

Regents also passed a resolution allowing administration officials to dispose of surplus property. Gamble said the list includes a variety of things from outdated computer monitors to furniture, which is of little or no value.