ASUA primary elections, March 2 and 3
This Tuesday and Wednesday are the primary elections for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. Voters can cast their ballots at www.asua.arizona.edu from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Anyone enrolled as a student at the UA may cast one vote for each of the executive offices — president, administrative vice president and executive vice president. Each voter may vote for up to ten of the senatorial candidates.
The 2010 election features fewer candidates than in the last few years, with only sixteen candidates for senate, one candidate for the office of president, one candidate for executive vice president, and two candidates for administrative vice president.
Whatever the relative importance of this primary election, students should take the five minutes to cast their ballots for 10 senate candidates, one administrative vice presidential candidate and consider whether or not to cast a vote for the unopposed presidential and executive vice presidential candidates. Regardless of the strengths and weaknesses of ASUA, the body serves as the representative voice of the student body. These elected officials a represent the students on more serious topics, like recommendations regarding whether professors should carry guns on campus and how much money UA undergraduate and graduate students should pay in fees.
If you want to be represented within your student governmental body, take a few minutes to vote either day. The system may not be perfect, but not casting a vote only makes it represent students less.
The results of the general election will be announced at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Kiva Room of the Student Union Memorial Center. Senate debates will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the Rincon room of SUMC and executive office debates will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Monday in the Ventana room of SUMC. General elections are from 8 a.m. Tuesday, March 9, to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 10. The results of the election and your elected student officials for 2011-12 will be announced at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, in the Kiva room of the Student Union.
ABOR tuition hearing today
According to the Arizona Board of Regents’ Notice of Public Hearing, “”The Awill conduct a public, interactive hearing to hear testimony and comments from the public, students, and other interested parties regarding the level of tuition and mandatory student fees to be charged for resident and nonresident students at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona for academic year 2010-2011. Comments at the tuition hearing will be heard on a first come, first served basis, rotating through participant sites.”” Locations for the UA include the main campus in Harvill building room 211, at the Sierra Vista Campus in Public Meeting Room 203 and at the UA Science and Technology Park in building 9040, room 2270. All hearings will be held today from 5 to 7 p.m.
In a Friday editorial, the Arizona Daily Star posed the question, “”How much is a college education worth? That’s a question both the leaders of our state and the students who attend our three public universities need to answer.”” These tuition hearings are in preparation for the ABOR meeting to approve tuition and fee prices for the upcoming academic year, which will take place next Monday, March 8, here at the UA.
The state legislature, the administration of the UA and ABOR all have a difficult task in deciding how much of the recent budget shortfalls must be passed on to the students and families of students who attend Arizona universities. A 31 percent increase in tuition, like the one President Robert Shelton has recommended for in-state UA students, is a large increase to bear. But at least this hearing gives students and families a chance to present their opinions before the regents make their final tuition decisions one week from today.
