Women's studies majors, opposite-sex dorm guests and perverted Internet surfers alike have been the happiest groups of people on campus this week. Their source of jubilation? Jean McGrath will not be back in office next year.
But they shouldn't be alone in their celebration, as all students and faculty members ought to be relieved that the Glendale Republican was politely shown the door by her constituents. In the on-going war between the Arizona Legislature and the University of Arizona, McGrath was behind many of the issues that the two institutions butted heads over.
McGrath was the "brains" behind a 1999 plan to eliminate the UA's women's studies department. Why? Because she felt some of the material being taught in one of its classes - English 418, Women in Literature - was inappropriate, and that the readings did not match those presented on the course syllabus.
In January, McGrath again introduced legislation in an attempt to shift control of the university from the local level to the state. First, she wanted to prohibit students living in residence halls from having opposite-sex guests past midnight. This bill, scary as it might seem, actually made it out of her Public Institutions and Universities committee before being shot down by the full House. Also, she wanted to block UA Internet sites from all non-educational sites, therefore controlling which areas of the Web students and faculty members had access to.
Not only were these pieces of legislation a direct slap in the face to the Arizona Board of Regents, the state entity responsible for setting most UA policy, but they were completely offensive to students mature enough to decide what's in their best interest.
But now, in the ultimate means of restitution for all students at Arizona's three universities, McGrath will find herself facing a new challenge as the legislature opens its session in January. McGrath will be looking for a job.
Earlier this week, it was announced that McGrath lost her September primary race for re-election to the House. Going up against three other candidates for two slots in November's general election, McGrath finished about 235 votes behind District 17's second-place vote getter, Phil Hanson.
Considering McGrath's track record, many university officials were neither surprised nor saddened by her defeat.
"I have to believe that when you take all the different beliefs she was outspoken about, and compare them to the beliefs in her district, you have to believe she was out of step in her district," Regent Judy Gignac said yesterday.
Gignac, who has dealt with legislators for six years, said although McGrath was always up front with her opposition to universities, she did not understand many of the issues facing college students.
"I appreciate people in the legislature who attempt to understand what higher education is all about," she said.
Now that McGrath and her outdated agenda have been given the boot, UA administrators and lobbyists can concentrate on aiming for a productive relationship with state lawmakers. Issues like funding for building maintenance and faculty salaries will now receive the due attention they deserve, instead of grabbing back-page headlines because of McGrath's antics.
