Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 13

METROPOLITAN BEST AVAILABLE COPY Wednesday, February 12, 1986 Albuquerque Journal Page 1, Section Three New Fire Trucks Riddled With Defects, Chief Grimm Declares By Joe Cassidy The three gleaming white vehicles arrived by the end of January and are being tested by mechanics in the department's maintenance shed in the city's Fourth Street yards, the chief said. "But the more we check, the more things we find wrong with them," he said. "They've got a myriad of problems." Not the least of them was the fire that broke out under the hood of one of the pumpers when mechanics turned the ignition key for the first time. Other problems range from unsatisfactory paint jobs to improper installation of electronic lighting equipment, said Assistant Chief Jake Perea. "The specifications call for the electronic equipment operating the strobe lights to be in weather-protecting housing," he said.

"We found it exposed in the wheel well where all the mud and dirt from the road would hit it." Grimm said he is awaiting a final report from the department's mechanics. He said he expects he will recommend to the City Attorney's Office that the trucks be returned to the manufacturer. The city has not paid out any money for the trucks, he JOURNAL STAFF, WRITER Fire Chief Gerald Grimm says he probably will not accept three new replacement fire trucks because they are riddled with defects including an engine that caught fire when the ignition key was turned and ladders that bounced into the street because of weak brackets. The city more than a year ago agreed to purchase the three pumpers for $331,000 jrom a local manufacturer, the Montessa doing business as Fire Service, the chief said. The pumpers were meant to replace aging trucks in the department fleet.

Grimm said the sales contract called for the new trucks to be delivered Dec. 5. But when had difficulties in meeting the deadline, he said, the city agreed to allow the manufacturers to make delivery by Jan. 31 without penalty. Assistant City Attorney Malcolm de Vesty said the company has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S.

Bankruptcy Code. rr L-t department's maintenance garage. 98th Street SW. Fire Lt. Joseph Jones said that truck has logged more than 23,000 "hard, hard miles," since it went into journal photo mark poulsen Jones said that when Station 14 firefight- ers recently attempted to respond to a truck fire on Nine Mile Hill, the pumper SCi VICC 111 17 j.

UNM Faculty Prepared To Take 'Job Action' For Improved Salaries SiSV. By Stacy Green journal staff writer The University of New Mexico Faculty Senate warned the Legislature Tuesday that the faculty is prepared to take "some form of job action" if the Legislature does not improve salaries. The senate, by a 15 9 vote, also adopted a statement opposing the Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars defense system, and urged the university community to "refrain from participation in this ill-conceived venture." The message to the Legislature regarding salaries was adopted on a nearly unanimous voice vote. In part, it says, "The faculty senate wishes to make clear that should the state not take steps to improve our dismal financial situation, we are prepared to take some form of job action." History Professor Richard Berthold, who wrote the message, said job actions could include measures other than going on strike or breaking contracts. "There are things we can do like refusing to turn our grades in," he said.

"But that might implicitly violate our contract, so that might not fly. "Refusing to grant degrees is not in violation as far as I know," he said. The faculty senate votes on all degree candidates. Berthold conceded that in the event of a boycott by the senate, the Board of Regents would probably grant the candidates their degrees anyway. He called the adoption of the measure "incredible." "In the 14 years I've been here, the faculty senate has not even come close to saying something like that," he said.

The senate is elected by the faculty at large. Berthold, who said he was "humiliated" to be working at the university under present conditions, said the message was largely journal photo mark poulsen University of Albuquerque students Barbara Segura, left, Dominick Foster and Suzanne Shinker voice their grief. Students Hope for Miracle Unique School's Situation Desperate, Not Hopeless, They Believe Two of three new fire trucks in the said. Among the aging equipment that needs to be replaced is the pumper now serving the vv vsigaiv aita aiiu uuuou in uiaiiuii J. a Faculty members also knew.

"I had an idea it was going to happen days ago," said Warren Lee, who has taught history and political science at the UofA for 27 years. But Lee said he thinks the decision is premature. "We have a tradition here. We have a good staff, a good faculty. Why throw it all away?" the former dean of students asked.

Lee said, if necessary, he would like to see the faculty take control of the school's finances. "If the president doesn't think they can and if the archbishop would give us the go ahead, I think the faculty could make a go of it," he said. Jack Cranston, former acting president of the UofA, said Lee's ideas were good but probably not reahsric. "Anything that would happen along that line I would get involved with," said Cranston, who has been at the UofA for 10 years. Years Ago UofA enjoyed a modest budget surplus.

KJeinhenz's 1973 resignation signaled a stretch of instability for the college. The period from 1973 to 1981 saw a procession of presidents and mounting deficits. In the late 1970s, the Sisters of St. Francis threatened to close the school, but kept it open when students and the Albuquerque community protested. The sisters made moves to transfer the school to a lay board of directors.

Frank Welch was hired as president in 1981 to turn the school around financially, but his 18-month tenure led to bitter confrontations with faculty and students. In 1982, the Vatican denied the Sisters' request to sell the school. After a fruitless search to find another religious order to sponsor it, the UofA fell once again to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Welch resigned, and the Rev. Alfred McBride was named president in 1983.

couldn't go faster than 10 mph. symbolic, because "if we do anything to violate our contract, I'm sure they would just fire us." Senate President Michael Conniff said he had been told that this was the year of public schools, and next year would be the year of higher education in the Legislature. The General Appropriations Act, as it now stands, does not provide for college faculty pay raises, although a bill to raise public school teachers' base salaries by $2,500 was adopted by the Senate last week. Faculty salaries have increased 3 percent in the past three years. Berthold, known for his irreverent campus newspaper column, "View from the Bottom," drew support even from those who usually oppose him.

Math Professor Walter Kyner told Berth-old, "Well, hell froze over I agree with you." Physics Professor Seymour Alpert said of the SDI statement, which received less decisive senate support, "We have the absolute right, perhaps the moral necessity, to speak out on this issue." Other faculty thought the statement inappropriate for senate action. "This is a really inappropriate thing for up, to pass. It's appropriate for us to discuss," said engineering Professor Harold Southward, who moved to table the measure. The statement, written by Alpert, does not expressly prohibit professors from accepting SDI research funds but asks faculty not to participate in research for the defensive space shield. Computer science Professor Henry Shapiro said that he supported the statement.

"It's necessary to send a message that no large group of people outside of the government feels SDI is going to work," he said. the application for the waiver must have been made before Oct. 1 of last year. The only building that qualifies is the 500 Marquette building, a 15-story structure owned by Cavan Associates Ltd. of Phoenix.

Officials in the city's zoning enforcement and building permits offices said the construction and height provisions eliminate any other building in Albuquerque, including the neighboring Western Bank Building. None of the sponsoring senators could be reached for comment Tuesday evening. Bardacke said the constitutionality of the amendment could only be determined if someone filed a court suit opposing it. A further issue, Bardacke said, is that if the law is passed "other applicants whose proposed licensed premises fall within 300 feet of a church or school, but who do not meet the requirements of the proposed amendment may be able to raise an equal protection argument." Because the property line of 500 Marquette is within 300 Teet of St. Mary's School, the owners cannot legally obtain a liquor license, city hearing officer Albert Chavez said.

By Johanna King journal staff writer The University of Albuquerque campus was deserted and quiet Tuesday night a scene that will become all too familiar in a few months. But it wasn't quiet in Madonna Hall, where dormitory students expressed anger and grief at Tuesday's announcement that the school as it currently exists will close at the end of the spring semester. Suzanne Schinker, a second semester sophomore studying criminology, said she was sad and outraged at the news. "There's not many schools left like this one," said the New York native. "You're not just a number here.

You're a face, a name." While Ms. Schinker said it would probably take a miracle to keep the school open, some of her classmates disagreed. "I've seen so many phases of the Liquor Law Bill Benefits One Building, AG Says University of Albuquerque," said Dominick Foster, a senior and former student body president. "It's been this bad before and we're still here. We managed to pull ourselves out.

"People exaggerate things. They blow them out of proportion." Current Student President Edward Meggett said that, although he knew the school was suffering from financial difficulties, he did not expect them to lead to closure. Meggett, a senior, said he will meet with President Alfred McBride and Chancellor Frank Kleinhenz today to discuss the students' role in the final decision. As of Tuesday, students had not formally been told of the school's plans to shut down. But they knew.

"There have been rumors floating around since I first got here in August," said Ms. Schinker. "It's a very small place here. News travels fast." offers four-year degrees in 31 fields, and occupies 17 buildings on a 68-acre campus. Its beginning were humble.

Its first classes were held at the St. Anthony Home for Boys, then located on Indian School Road. Then it moved to south Second Street. In 1950, several prominent Albuquerqueans donated 60 acres of land on a West Mesa bluff overlooking the Rio Grande, and St. Joseph's College was born.

Later, it was called St. Joseph's on the Rio Grande, and, in 1966, the University of Albuquerque. In its infancy, the school was briefly affiliated with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. But that affiliation was dropped, and, until 1983, its sponsors were the Colorado-based Sisters of St. Francis.

In 1970, Frank Kleinhenz became the UofA's first lay president. The Fine Arts Learning Center was built, enrollment peaked at 1,500 full-time students and the UofA History Began 66 By Anthony DellaFlora JOURNAL STAFF WRITER A bill before the state Legislature to amend the state's liquor laws would benefit only one building in New Mexico the "500 Marquette" office building in downtown Albuquerque. Because of that, Attorney General Paul Bardacke said Tuesday, it is probably unconstitutional. The bill is scheduled to be heard this morning by the state Senate. "It appears that this is a special law made for an individual case," Bardacke said Tuesday.

"That is in violation of article 4, section 24 of the New Mexico Constitution." That section states that in a case where a general law is applicable, no special law can be enacted. The amendment, introduced last week by Sen. Tito Chavez, D-Bernalillo, Sen. Dennis Chavez, D-Sandoval-McKinley, and Sen. Michael Alarid, D-Bernalillo, would allow a liquor license to be granted for the top floor of a building 15 stories or higher in a Class A county.

Bernalillo County is the only one in the state. It also states that construction work on the building must have begun, but not been completed, by Feb. 1, 1985, and that By Mary Engel journal staff writer A chapter in the often-rocky history of the University of Albuquerque came to a close Tuesday with the announcement that the school as it currently exists will close at the end of the spring semester because of continuing financial problems and dwindling enrollment. In many ways, the UofA has come full circle since its beginnings in 1920 as the St. Francis Summer College, a summer institute for Catholic sisters teaching in missions of the Southwest.

In the 66 years since then, the school had two more names and two more homes. It flirted with a more secular image and increased its vocational offerings before returning to its roots as a Catholic liberal arts college. Now if it remains open at all it will be considerably scaled back. Currently, it.