See if these ideas make the grade
Many decry modern politics as a pursuit riven with unprecedented political polarization, but it’s heartening to know that every once in a while, voters manage to rally and defeat an exceptionally awful idea. Tucson voters crushed the disastrous Proposition 200 on Tuesday, slamming the ballot measure 72 to 28 percent in city elections. Prop. 200 could have had devastating and long-lasting consequences for the UA, Tucson and Southern Arizona at large. Although the vigor of the debate over the measure is a clear indication that it’s time for a discussion about growth and water resources, the wise Tucsonans who turned out to shoot it down deserve an appreciative Pass.
Earlier this year, President Robert Shelton expressed hope that his annual tuition increase proposal would be less than a 10 percent price increase. In his 2008 tuition proposal, released yesterday, Shelton barely squeaked by on that promise, raising tuition almost as high as possible while narrowly keeping it out of double-digits. Resident undergraduate tuition is set to be hiked by a hefty $450, or slightly over 9 percent. But wait – there’s more! In addition to that increase, a new $40 “”student services”” fee is likely to be snuck onto the bill. The grand total? $5,531 – a 9.8 percent increase on the year before. And nonresident students won’t escape the price hikes, either – their tuition is set to jump a whopping 14 percent. Just be happy you’re not attending another Arizona university – new Sun Devils and all Lumberjacks could face a 12 percent jump in tuition. The state of Arizona may be in an unfortunate fiscal situation, but tuition increases should be a last resort in a state that mandates university education to be “”as nearly free as possible.”” Cranking it as high as honestly possible, when it’s already shot up 90 percent over the past six years, merits a Fail.
As soon as the UA’s new Homecoming alcohol policy was announced, we knew it would result in long lines and angry alumni. But last weekend’s festivities gave rise to one other unexpected result: 176 citations for liquor violations, issued by agents from the Arizona State Department of Liquor Licenses and Control. According to the Arizona Daily Star, several of the citations were slapped on the UA Alumni Association, the group given carte blanche to monopolize alcohol distribution at Homecoming for the first time this year. The number of citations – and the throngs of annoyed students – make it clear that the new policy earned itself a Fail.
This week, the Faculty Senate approved new guidelines on UA’s Grade Appeal Policy, an academic code well-known to skilled slackers across campus. The new rules disqualify athletic participation, differences between course sections, or a grade’s impact on your academic progress as valid reasons to contest a course grade – all of whichÿ were already pretty lame excuses. But it also codifies a few no-brainers. If an instructor ignores the policies outlined in his or her course syllabus or proves to be a wildly inconsistent grader, students have the right to challenge their grades. For clarifying and strengthening an important policy, the Faculty Senate has earned a Pass.
OPINIONS BOARD: Editorials are determined by the Wildcat Opinions Board and written by one of its members. They are Justyn Dillingham, Allison Hornick, Sarah Keeler, Connor Mendenhall and Jeremiah Simmons.
