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Issue 10, VOL 98 March 31 - April 6, 2011
State of ASNAU
‘23’ fee promises unfulfilled, executive misuse of power BY KEVIN BERTRAM & GARY SUNDT
A
s the first year of the recently approved “23” fee comes to a close, some measures have stirred controversy, such as bringing pop singer Ke$ha and Dirt Nasty to campus. Others, including “Snowjack Express,” have been late to start. And at least one — student legal aid — has not been implemented. This past spring, ASNAU received approval from the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) to place a new student fee, known as the “23” fee, on those enrolled at the Flagstaff Mountain Campus. The fee was to be charged per semester — $46 for the year for each student — and was to fund eight mandated, promoted initiatives: student legal aid, student organization funding, study abroad scholarships, the “Spring Fling Carnival,” the “Snowjack Express,” extended Cline Library hours, increased funding for speakers and performers and a new club headquarters. However, according to public record and a highranking ASNAU insider, problems circle the use of the “23” fee, and there are concerns regarding how the organization has been run during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Only half of ‘23’ fee funds eight original initiatives According to Kathleen Templin, chief of staff and former ASNAU president, all of ASNAU’s total budget of $716,000 originates in the student fee. “All money for this organization comes from the ‘23’ fee,” Templin said. However, in a current ASNAU budget, titled “Budget Accounts,” the eight mandatory items — those advertised as being the main benefits of the fee for students — comprise a little over half of the total budget. Since all of ASNAU has become solely funded through “23,” the government has used the rest of the funds for operating expenses — such as staff salaries, capital improvements, maintenance and office supplies — and senate bills, legislation passed by the ASNAU senate to fund various projects. Prior to imposing the “23” fee, ASNAU was partly financed by the president’s office and managed a budget of $252,769 — nearly a third of the current operating budget. “We used to be funded by President Haeger’s office,” Templin said. “He used to give us a big chunk of money.”
see ASNAU page 6
Protesters stand in front of the University Union to demonstrate their disagreement with the proposed cuts to Arizona universities’ state aid. (Photos by Talia Green)
Growing dissatisfaction with cuts, tuition rises NAU students protest budget cuts to higher education BY MIRANDA CAIN
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AU students gathered outside of the University Union last Wednesday to protest the proposed budget cuts to Arizona state universities. The proposed cuts would decrease the amount of state aid to all three schools by $235 million. NAU would lose $36 million as a result of the cuts. Kate Murphy, a member of the Associated Students of Arizona (ASA) at NAU, said the protest was about unity. “The overall goal of this rally is to empower students,” Murphy said. “All of the things that happened with the budget cuts happened
over spring break, so what we’re hoping to do is get students together so they understand what exactly is happening at the state legislature.” Wes Enns, media coordinator for ASNAU, said the current budget cuts are similar to the ones the university faced two years — cuts ASA protested. “I think [the cuts] are very harsh, and they should not be happening,” Enns said. “I think there are a lot better things that can be cut. Education is very important.” Enns said if the cuts are approved, the university and its programs will be affected. “[We] might have to cut whole departsee ASA PROTEST page 9
ABOR meeting portrays student pleas BY MARIA DICOSOLA
T
he three Arizona state universities participated in an Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) tuition hearing via video conference Monday evening. Students, faculty and parents received a chance to express their opinions about the looming budget cuts and tuition increases. The meeting was the last chance for the public to vocally persuade legislators to reconsider the proposed budget cuts, as ABOR is meeting April 7 at UA to set tuition rates for the 2011–12 academic year. Anne Mariucci, chair of ABOR, hosted the tuition hearing conference call — which was the 19th of its kind — from ASU’s Tempe see ABOR page 4
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