Teachers should not be worried about their pay

Editor:

I am a second-year student at University of New Mexico, and my faculty’s well-being is important to me.

I have seen professors who had to leave UNM due to their pay or lack thereof, and it is frustrating that I am not longer able to take a class with them. I believe this proposed union impacts me because faculty working conditions are student learning conditions.

When faculty members are not as worried about job security and pay, they have the agency to be more creative and involved with their students and in their coursework development. This union allows faculty to have the freedom to be able to focus entirely on their students to help them grow as learners and individuals.

When an instructor is not able to take parental leave or have the benefits they deserve, their class is severely affected. Their ability to give me time, attention and guidance will affect me moving forward after UNM.

Being an educator, and therefore a community builder, is an invaluable job; there should be an incentive for us as students to pursue this career path. What we see our faculty members go through at their workplace sets the standard for our expectations as professionals in the world.

I’m looking forward to this election, and I desire it to be a fair one. I hope the faculty members are successful in their efforts to form their union.

Julia Flores

Rio Rancho