The College of Fine Arts Library and the Center for Creative Photography Library may be saved after all.
Facing a $4.2 million cut due to statewide budget concerns, UA Library officials originally thought that they may be forced to close down their two lesser-used libraries.
Now, a newly-devised additional fee of $95 more per year than the current $35 fee could be on the horizon for students, starting next academic year, said Robyn Huff-Eibl, team leader of the Access and Information
Services Team for the UA Library.
At the Associated Students of the University of Arizona weekly Senate meeting last night in the Student Union Memorial Center, Huff-Eibl did her best to ease the concerns of Sen. Emily Fritze, who expressed concern that students may not be so willing to accept another fee on top of their already-growing list of expenses.
“”We’re at the very bottom of our peers in terms of the library fee,”” Huff-Eibl said. “”Originally we proposed a $150 increase … We scaled that back to a $95 increase.””
The library officials presented to the senate as a means of updating students on the future plans of the UA Libraries and fees, because ASUA could pass on the understanding of the fee to the student body, said Executive Vice President Jessica Anderson.
The total cost of the three-year fee would still put the UA below the amount of money used for library fees of the university’s peer institutions, whose average hovers around $270 per year.
Senators threw their support behind the fee, most saying the cost was necessary in order to keep parts of the library intact.
Impeachment bylaws finally pass
Following over a month of writing, re-writing, friendly amendments and countless tablings, ASUA has revised their impeachment bylaws.
Slightly altering the bylaws is not in reaction to any current situations within the student government – just an item that the Senate has been looking to update over the past several years, Anderson said.
“”There were certainly quite a few changes to be made,””
Anderson said. “”It was written for the president and didn’t reflect the other roles that could be under impeachment or under investigation.””
The changes were mostly cosmetic and involved changes in wording, such as replacing the phrase “”ASUA President”” with “”the ASUA elected official under investigation.””
Such impeachment bylaw discussions gained attention in the 2005-06 school year when then-ASUA President Cade Bernsen was the subject of accusations ranging from office misconduct to sexual harassment. While charges of indecent exposure and sexual assault were thrown out, Bernsen was found guilty of sexually harassing four students while in office.
Shortly after the accusations, Bernsen fired three ASUA directors and two cabinet members for “”spreading lies”” about him, according to a May 2006 report by the Daily Wildcat.
Senate plugs Town Hall Forum
Fritze took time during her individual Senate Report to read absent Sen. Gabby
Ziccarelli’s proxy, which encouraged students to show up to ASUA’s Town Hall Forum today at 5 p.m. in the SUMC Kiva Room.
“”There will be many advisors and faculty present, but we’re hoping for an exceptional student turnout as well,”” Ziccarelli wrote. “”The forum will be a way for students, faculty and staff to engage in conversation about issues we are currently facing … as well as provide suggestions to one another and ask questions in the process.””
The forum will focus on the UA transformation, as well as potential structural changes in advising, course content, course availability and class sizes. The event will be headed by Advising Resource Center Director Roxie Catts and Vice President for Instruction Juan Garcia.
The forum will start out with a small presentation, followed by an open discussion between audience members and forum leaders.
