After facing delays over inconsistent language, the senate majority unanimously approved the Associated Students of the University of Arizona budget for the 2025-2026 academic year.
On Aug. 26, the UA declared a balanced budget for the 2026 fiscal year, following the 2023 financial status report that disclosed a $177 million deficit via a miscalculation of available funds. During this time, many budgets for clubs and organizations, including ASUA, remained in limbo. The proposed budget for ASUA was not submitted until more than a month after the July 1 deadline outlined in the ASUA constitution.
Executive Vice President Benjamin Huffman outlined some of the changes made to the budget this year, mostly in the form of student stipends and additional ASUA positions. “ [New] positions have been created, so seeing how much we want divvy out there as well as senators or other students serving on the executive committees. We want to make sure that they are more fairly compensated if they’re doing extra work,” Huffman said.
ASUA supports over 450 clubs on campus through funds allocated to them in the budget. To access these funds, clubs must be recognized by Sept. 12, and then apply to meet with the appropriations board where they will advocate their requests for denial, approval or amendment.
In updates from both Senator Tommy Gutierrez with the Elections and Policy committee and Senator Elizabeth Ghartey with the Outreach committee, the senate brainstormed ideas to get students more involved with ASUA by increasing voter turnout and general recognition. Ghartey announced she is preparing accessible presentations to utilize while speaking to various clubs across campus. “ Our goal is to increase how many students know about ASUA and are able to access the resources that we provide,” Ghartey said.
Gutierrez additionally encouraged senators to contact the deans of their respective colleges to gain access to mailing lists — in hopes of expanding communication with students and ASUA directly for information on events and elections.
College of Medicine Senator Alexander Jauregui Galarza reported updates from the Pre-Health Club Fair on Sept. 15, stating record attendance of over 60 clubs and 520 students present. “ We had double the attendance than the previous year […] and everyone was really happy,” Jauregui Galarza said. “A lot of the clubs got a bunch of sign-ups and we are looking forward to next year to have a bigger space.”
The senate was reminded of the upcoming listening session with Provost Patricia Prelock on Sept. 22, where the Cabinet and ASUA Student Body President Adriana Grijalva will host a discussion over different student concerns regarding renaming student success centers, lack of student involvement and ensuring continued support for counseling, academics and clubs in the new engagement hub spaces.
Huffman called attention to the upcoming impact series session about making smart financial decisions on Sept. 23 at 5 p.m. At this event, students will engage in interactive sessions with members of ASUA to build financial literacy and responsibility. As all other sessions, this event will take place in the ASUA Classroom at the Student Union Memorial Center Suite 325.
Grijalva advocated for the adoption and promotion of a new safety app — Safe Cats — which combines services from Blue Light Mobile, 911 and emergency services on campus, allowing students to have access to a wider and more effective range of safety resources.
