Plea from Davidson prompts resolution revote

The move comes after Associated Students President Gilbert Davidson, who also serves on the Arizona Students Association's board of directors, said he opposes the wording of the resolution and took issue with the vote in which he was unable to participate.

The resolution, which passed during a conference call meeting, states that ASA opposes mandatory student fees because they "create de facto and unacceptable differential tuition among Arizona universities."

The resolution takes issue with lack of "any financial aid set-aside."

Students continue to vote today on whether to impose a $40 per semester fee on themselves. The fee would finance $31.5 million of a proposed $70 million in Memorial Student Union renovations. Davidson said a 2 p.m. test Monday stopped him from taking part in the 1 p.m. conference call.

"They went ahead and did it without me - I am a student first," said Davidson, who supports the Student Union fee referendum.

"I had asked to wait until December so that we could come up with more meaningful words," he added.

However, ASA executive director Christine Thompson said the conference call is always at the same time and the resolution's wording was based on prior statements by the group.

"That wording was drafted based on historical stances from previous years," Thompson said.

She added ASA opposed a similar UA fee in 1993.

Thompson said only one of the four UA board members, Brook Rosenbaum, attended the meeting. Rosenbaum voted for the resolution.

Thompson said ASA bylaws state any student body president can ask for a revote and therefore a new discussion next Monday is appropriate.

"Student fees need to be used in very rare circumstances," Thompson said, explaining the resolution was intended to send a message to powers that be throughout the state.

When asked if Davidson opposes the resolution because he supports the Student Union referendum Thompson struggled to find the right words.

"I'm going to have to say no comment on that one," she said.