The ASUA Senate discussed its future relationship with the Office of the President, in addition to the stipend amount for incoming senators at its meeting on Wednesday.
Jacqueline Mok, senior vice president of Academic Affairs and provost, came to the meeting to share her appreciation for the Senate’s involvement in the UA community. She also told them how grateful she is to be part of the team working with the Associated Students of the University of Arizona to help better the campus for students, faculty, staff and administrators.
With a new UA president arriving in July, Sen. Erik Lundstrom asked Mok what to expect of the transition from one president to another. Mok said that the transition should “barely be noticeable” because students have been so instrumental in helping welcome president-elect Ann Weaver Hart.
Because so many students were on the presidential search committee that eventually picked Hart, the student voice was represented, Mok said. This, she said, should allow for a smooth transition.
Hart is a great listener and will “listen with her ears, brain and eyes,” Mok said. Hart will be “deeply involved” with the concerns of students as well as do her best to make their voices heard, Mok added.
In addition to having students fully represented in the university’s administration, the newly elected senators discussed stipend decreases with the current senators.
Sen. Chad Travis said he wanted to lower senator stipends by $100 next year because the money should fund underrepresented positions with lower stipends in the ASUA office.
ASUA President James Allen disagreed and said there is no need to lower the stipends.
Although he said he understands Travis’ argument, lowering stipends would hurt the Senate as a whole in the future. The stipends have already been lowered quite significantly over the past few years, Allen said, and if the motion were to pass, there would be no reason that future senators wouldn’t feel the same pressure to keep lowering them.
Allen said it is unlikely that any of the senators would vote to raise the stipends, and the amount Travis proposed to take away from the stipends is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
The Senate voted not to lower the stipends, and set them at $1,400 per senator next year.
