Presenters from all over campus let ASUA Senate know about the future of the UA’s accreditation, the Women’s Resource Center’s self-esteem programming and the funding of clubs on Wednesday night.
Randy Richardson, a geosciences professor, and Beth Mitchnick, associate dean in the Colleges of Letters, Arts and Science, conducted a self study, stating that the UA is a student-centered research university, with a higher level of graduation and retention rates over the last 10 years.
Faculty diversity, budget planning, decision support and community engagement remain to be to be tackled, according to the pair.
“”Things that used to be considered for the common good are now being paid for by those who receive the benefits,”” Richardson said of the fees situation on campus and in the community. “”And I think it’s sad really.””
The presentation told the effective strategies for improving student retention, further engaging the Tucson community outside of campus and changing the UA’s relationship with its local and state government leadership.
“”There is no necessary tradeoff between diversity and quality,”” Mitchnick said. The diversity they were stressing lies in backgrounds and perspectives, rather than an ethnic indicator. No “”quotas or checklists,”” Richardson said, would be necessary.
Eva Izhieman, a Women’s Resource Center student co-director, presented a week of events for next March. The events would focus around the center’s effort to work tangentially with the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty and promote positive body image on campus.
Although some concerns were expressed, Sen. Dominick San Angelo felt that this request fell into the precedent set by Pride Alliance of ASUA groups asking for senate funds. But because the Women’s Resource Center budget had no yearly increase and this request wasn’t annual, the senate could pass it.
Sen. Jeff Adams abstained, but all other senators voted to give the center $300.
Sen. Taylor Bilby struck her funds request for Tanzbödeli, the April 1, 2011, arts and culture festival, from discussion at the meeting for a later date.
Other things ASUA is up to…
— Sen. Scott Rising is meeting with ASUA President Emily Fritze to discuss a senate grant program, where sections of ASUA could apply for out of the senate’s budget.
— Rising and Sen. Mary Myles, who sit on curriculum and administration councils around campus, announced the possible abolishment of the INDV, NATS and TRAD prefixes on general education classes. Instead they would be labeled by department.
— ASUA members past and present are meeting with prospective candidates on Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. in the Tucson Room of the Student Union Memorial Center to explain campaigning, elections and what exactly ASUA does for the student body.
— Another free FAFSA forum for students is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 13, 2011.
