By
The Wildcat Opinions Board
While the presidential race is still up in the air, the Arizona Legislature tallies are in. And all the evidence from this year's state election has left us with one glaring conclusion - UA needs to lobby like mad.
Several candidates who ran for the state legislature had ties to the University of Arizona and could have served as effective advocates for UA causes. Unfortunately, many of them lost.
Demitri Downing, a Democrat running for the House of Representatives in District 14, actively campaigned on the UA campus but still lost his race. Considering that Downing is a UA law school graduate, our university would have had a direct advocate within the state legislature.
Jonathan Paton, a Republican and also a UA graduate, lost his race for state House District 13 as well. And Ted Downing, another candidate for the House or Representatives from District 13 and also a UA research professor, unfortunately lost his race.
Whether you supported the Downings or Paton, they each have direct ties to the UA and would have been able to provide other state lawmakers with an understanding of the issues college students are facing.
Clearly, the UA student body, and its own elected leaders, need to lobby hard for UA interests. The state is not known for being generous with funding or other resources for education. Even with the passage of Proposition 301, which provides more funding to the state's public education across the board, the UA and public schools around the state still need assistance.
The responsibility to fight rests on the shoulders of all students and members of our community. Lobbying needs to happen, and it is not only the responsibility of Associated Students of the University of Arizona, or the Arizona Students Association. ASUA and ASA already lead lobbying efforts. ASA is the preeminent student lobbying organization on campus, and it has proven its commitment to making the UA community's voice heard. Saturday, ASA sponsored a Day of Action, which informed UA students and the community about Proposition 301. Tuesday, ASUA drove UA students to their polling places, proving their own commitment to getting out the vote.
But there is plenty more that can be done. ASA and ASUA can always use input and ideas from the students. The leaders within ASA and ASUA can then use this input when they lobby the state legislature and the Arizona Board of Regents.
Furthermore, organizations on campus can become lobbyists themselves. Non-traditional students, for example, ought to begin lobbying the state for things that ASUA can't give them. Non-traditional students are those do no live on campus or work full time, and need better attention and services from the UA to meet their needs. There are many non-traditional students at the UA. Just like other groups on campus, they should organize, energize and pressure the state to fund programs that serve their needs. It is up to students to take advantage of our new state lawmakers to pressure them to better understand uniersity-related issues.
The elections are over. Now the activism needs to begin.
