The Associated Students of the University of Arizona voted on the College of Education Initiative and discussed ethical purchasing concerns among other agenda items at its weekly meeting March 20.  

Supporting future educators

The ASUA Senate unanimously passed the College of Education Initiative, allotting $1000 of funding to be awarded towards transportation for mandatory off-campus, in-classroom fieldwork. Students of the College of Education are required to work four semesters off-campus and are currently solely reliant on self-transport to get to their fieldwork sites. The COE also requires 60 hours of classroom volunteering before acceptance. 

“We are calling on institutional funding at a higher level, to recognize that transportation inequities are evident in other colleges beyond the College of Education. This pilot within COE could be the catalyst for something greater to hopefully take swing in the coming years” said College of Education Senator Tina Giallanza.

Practice (and pay) what you preach

At-large Senator Maya Kostov introduced a resolution for ethical purchasing practices with ASUA funding regarding the Arizona Board of Regents, urging the board to “undertake practices of corporate social responsibility and to divest from corporations that aid in occupation and legal settlements, violating both international humanitarian law and international human rights,”Kostov said. 

“These guidelines shall include consideration of the human rights records of corporations and entities with which the university conducts business particularly in relation to human rights violations against Palestinians. The student government shall maintain a list of corporations and entities identified as complicit in human rights,” Kostov said. 

ASUA will actively implement ethical purchasing guidelines by reviewing existing contracts and purchasing settlements, making sure it adheres to these standards. While this process is effective immediately, the senate expressed that this resolution shall be subject to periodic review and evaluation to assess its effectiveness and relevance. Senate members made their complete support clear and are urging the Board of Regents to implement these processes immediately. 

Basic Needs at the UA

The Basic Needs Center gave a presentation about Campus Pantry and Campus Closet, mentioning that 59% of students attending the University of Arizona said they experience basic needs insecurity. In 2023-2024, Campus Pantry reached 50,000 visits, handing out 366,456 pounds of food totaling $557,000. Campus Closet had 5,605 visits, distributing 10,713 items of clothing.

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