By
Daniel Scarpinato
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Tuition and advising will remain top priorities
When Ray Quintero first walked into the ASUA offices above the old bookstore, he knew about as much about the organization as most UA students, which wasn't a lot.
Quintero, a freshman at the time, was responding to a call for Associated Students Senate candidates.
"What made me more interested (in running) was talking to students who knew as little about ASUA as I did," Quintero remembered.
He was, in his own words, "clueless," but ready to learn.
Now, three years later, Quintero - recently elected student body president - sits in his new office ready to jump into his diverse role.
Quintero, a political science senior, served on the ASUA Senate his sophomore year and then lost a run for vice president. Losing the election did not end Quintero's involvement - he served as an Arizona Student Association director this year before being elected to his current position in March.
"Since I was 9 years old, I have always been involved in student council," he said.
One of Quintero's goals, and perhaps his biggest challenge, will be convincing students that ASUA is more than the student council they remember from high school.
"Every student should realize that we are a resource," Quintero said. "They should not have to come to us - we should be going out to them."
Quintero and ASUA executive vice president Sam Chang plan to visit greek houses, residence halls and UA clubs one week per month to find out what students are concerned about.
Quintero would also like to develop more relationships with businesses in hopes of spreading ASUA's name while seeing an update of the dormant ASUA suggestion boxes scattered around campus.
"They haven't been used for the past few years," he said. "We want to have an online suggestion box."
Quintero, who will meet once a month with University of Arizona President Peter Likins, plans to continue making academic advising reform a top priority.
That will include allocating more funds for advising and setting up an online advising manual that will allow students to make appointments with their advisors over the internet.
Another key issue will be capping tuition increases.
This year saw a large, record-breaking tuition increase that both ASUA and ASA fought to reduce.
"We didn't want a tuition increase," Quintero said. "But the universities didn't get the funding they needed. So they looked toward the students."
Quintero realized during the election last March that he had an important dual role in representing the entire UA student population about campus issues like the tuition increase.
"One of the interesting parts of my job is that I represent undergraduate and graduate students," Quintero said.
Quintero, who wants to see new family housing built, pointed out that although a new graduate-student dorm is being constructed between Coronado Residence Hall and Tyndall Garage, it will not accommodate students with families.
"There is nothing in the works for family housing," he said.
Quintero also wants to work towards improving the work conditions for graduate teaching assistants.
"The pay that they get is so minimal and the work load is enormous," he said.
With most other ASUA members taking a break for the summer, Quintero - who has worked alongside two previous presidents - has already gotten comfortable in his new role.
"It's what I expected," he said
One thing he did not expect, however, the endless number of committees that he would be asked to join.
"I have seen student body presidents who have literally tried to serve on every committee they have been asked to join," Quintero said.
Quintero plans to pick and choose which committees he will serve on, and appoint others to join the rest and report to him.
"I want to be involved to all of them, and I realize they are all important," he said. "But there is no way I can serve on every single one."
Quintero is currently planning CatFest, ASUA's way of welcoming the new school year with concerts and special events, which will take place during the first week of the Fall semester.
