Chief Chat

Welcome to UNM! I am thrilled to be the police liaison to the Parent Association. I would like to use this column as a forum for two-way communication. Please do not hesitate to email me at kguimo@unm.edu or call me at 505-277-1933 if you have questions or concerns.

By now, you have heard, probably multiple times, that your son or daughter is an adult. The truth is that you still worry about them; you live for their successes and you are deeply concerned about their day-to-day progress. You have instilled in them their attitudes, values and belief systems. This is a time in their life when all things are possible. You have helped to create those possibilities. In addition to academics, college is a time when the responsibility for your son or daughter shifts from the parent to the student. I talk to hundreds of students every year and there is one thing that resonates through those conversations - they value your opinion and they need your support. So it is with UNM. We value your opinions and your ideas; and we need your on-going support.

There are a few issues that I want to discuss with you before your son or daughter comes to campus. The UNM Police Department works very hard to maintain low crime statistics. UNM's crime statistics are among the lowest, if not the lowest in the city. Most of the crimes on campus are property crimes of opportunity. It takes only eight seconds to steal something from an unlocked residence hall room. Please talk to your son/daughter about locking doors and being attentive to their property.

Every year a number of our campus community members, including students, contract the flu. UNM has been engaged in planning for H1N1 for months. As vaccine becomes available, please encourage your daughter/son to get the vaccine. The best precautions for any flu are frequent hand-washing and covering one's mouth when sneezing or coughing. It is likely that the campus community will experience H1N1 flu in the same proportion as everyone else.

Finally, I need your assistance in talking to your son/daughter about UNM's emergency notification systems. UNM has four different notification systems: a web page alert, a text alert, an email alert and campus sirens. Of these, two systems are available to parents - the text alert (your daughter/son can register up to two cell phone numbers for the text alert) and the UNM's main web page alert www.unm.edu. Please encourage your son/daughter to register for the text alert system. From the UNM home page, they should click on "Emergency Notification System" and follow the instructions. Our sirens are tested three times annually. These tests/drills are well publicized. For safety reasons, we ask people to immediately seek shelter in the nearest building whenever they hear the sirens. From there, people should seek additional information via text alert, email alert or the UNM home page.

I would be remiss if I did not emphasize that the UNM Police Department does everything possible to ensure that everyone on our campus goes home safely every night. The last sentiment that I want to leave you with is that I recognize that no matter how old your sons and daughters will always be your sons and daughters. On this campus, your sons and daughters are also my students. Together, we can do everything possible to make sure that nothing bad happens to them.

Until next time,
Kathy Guimond, UNM Chief of Police