MATT CAPOWSKI

Studio art freshman Derek Miller, left, and computer programming sophomore Andy Mannheim sign a petition to keep the Arizona International College open, in front of the Administration building Friday afternoon. Seventy AIC students collected 647 signatures on Friday, and more than 100 members of the AIC community have launched a letter-writing campaign.

Monday October 22, 2001

Petitions, letters to go to Likins, ABOR

A small group of students stood on the UA Mall Friday collecting signatures for petitions against UA President Peter Likins' recommendation to close the Arizona International College due to state-mandated budget cuts.

The petitioning event came in response to the Oct. 11 announcement that closing AIC - a liberal arts college that was intended to become a free-standing campus - would help offset an estimated $13.8 million in state-mandated budget cuts.

"The goal of the petition is to show the Legislature that the community supports AIC completely and, hopefully, to convince them to allocate more funds to AIC and to higher education in general," said AIC sophomore Jessica Lopez.

AIC students said that in private talks with Likins, he reaffirmed that he will ask for Regents' approval to close the college at the next Arizona Board of Regents meeting Nov. 29 and 30.

Approximately 70 of the 417 students who attend AIC are collecting signatures and attending meetings about the AIC closure, AIC junior Melissa Andrews said. Students collected 647 signatures between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Mall on Friday alone.

More than 100 students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents have also launched a letter-writing campaign.

Those in the AIC community trying to keep the college open are attempting to enlist the support of Tucson businesses where AIC students intern.

Likins has already appointed a task force to close the college, which one AIC student said she thought was a mistake.

"Some of the steps to closing the AIC have been taken before the decision (to close the college) has gone through," Andrews said.

Lopez added that the AIC is valuable to all UA students, because anyone can take classes in the college. Also, she said AIC classes offer a more diverse and international focus than other UA classes, and AIC has become a home for many non-traditional, older students.

Likins' decision to try to close AIC goes against the intent of a memo he issued earlier this year in support of increased international education, said Kara Melmed, an AIC freshman.

While AIC is a worthwhile institution academically, it is "not working well financially," Likins said.

"AIC students get attention that students don't get on the main campus," Likins said. "AIC students are protected from large courses ... and of course they love that. Anyone would love that. But I can't justify (the cost of) providing AIC students with a richer, more nurturing experience."

AIC's survival was also contingent on the college becoming financially self-sufficient, which has not happened as ABOR planned.

"I don't think anyone told these students when they came (into AIC) that they were in a program that was on trial, but in fact, that's what it is," Likins said.

Funding which would have gone to AIC could be used to cover budget cuts or could go to a planned UA institution that would provide junior and senior level classes at another campus, Likins said.

It would share a location with Pima Community College and would accommodate 12,000 students. Students would take two years of classes at PCC and then transfer into the UA institution.

The northwest campus, at North Shannon and West Magee roads, would be a place where students in the Arizona university system would be channeled if enrollment exceeded capacity at Arizona's three public universities.

This is the same location where AIC would have been moved.

However, no solid plans have been made regarding the new campus, nor will plans be made until Gov. Jane Dee Hull and the Arizona Legislature announce what the final budget cuts will be for all state agencies, Likins said.