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Letter of Concern To NMSU Athletic Director 2023.05.19
Letter of Concern To NMSU Athletic Director 2023.05.19
Chairwoman Ammu Devasthali and Board of Regents Dr. Jay Gogue, Interim Chancellor
New Mexico State University New Mexico State University
P.O. Box 30001 P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003 Las Cruces, NM 88003
Dear Chairwoman Devasthali, Members of the Board of Regents, and Interim Chancellor Gogue,
Thank you for your responsiveness to the concerns and requests outlined in our previous letter, and for
coordinating a full independent investigation of athletics programs at New Mexico State University
(NMSU). We are hopeful that the investigation will shed further light on the situation and indicate a path
forward for rectifying the systemic issues within the university’s athletic program for the benefit of current
and future students and members of the Las Cruces community.
Unfortunately, the decision to prematurely extend current Athletic Director Mario Moccia’s contract for
another five years despite failure of program leadership to identify, address, and prevent misconduct is
counter-productive to achieving needed reforms within the athletic program. Although we acknowledge
that this decision was made during Chancellor Dan Arvizu’s tenure, we are nevertheless disappointed that
a contract extension of multiple years and an annual pay increase of more than $70,000 was approved for
Director Moccia despite the fact that all recent incidents of hazing, sexual assault, and misconduct
occurred under his leadership, including the shooting that took place at the University of New Mexico last
year. We echo the sentiments of the NMSU Faculty Senate in calling on the university’s leadership to
restore the integrity of the athletics program and ensure the safety and wellbeing of all current and future
students.
It is the position of the New Mexico Higher Education Department and Governor Lujan Grisham that, given
the heinous nature of the incidents that occurred under Director Moccia’s tenure, state funds should not
be applied toward his salary or compensation until and unless a thorough independent investigation has
cleared him of any culpability or wrongdoing.
In response to this letter, we request that you provide the following by May 26, 2023:
1. Detailed information about the current source of Director Moccia’s compensation.
2. Potential alternative funding sources or alternative courses of action the university may
consider regarding Director Moccia’s compensation and continued employment.
We look forward to your response and thank you in advance for your cooperation regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Stephanie M. Rodriguez
Cabinet Secretary
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