Between 500 and 700 graduate students are considering dropping out if financial aid is eliminated under Focused Excellence, according to preliminary results of a survey still underway in the graduate college.

Financial woes increase as proposals add additional fees of $1,250 to $1,500 per year to tuition, as well as newly proposed program fees. In addition to worries that low remission will not help their pocket books, students also have concerns about the proposal's failure to include need-based financial aid for graduate students.

The Arizona Board of Regents is considering a resolution to give 14 percent of all tuition to financial aid, as opposed to the 8 percent now in effect. This proposal goes to vote in March.

Although graduate financial aid is not currently included in Focused Excellence, graduate students will still be required to give the 14 percent to undergraduates.

This is a big concern for the Graduate and Professional Student Council, according to its members.

"Use graduate tuition for graduate students," said Pete Morris, GPSC president, at the last GPSC meeting.

He added that the money should be given to the students who are "telling us they're going to drop out."

Although the proposal does not include plans for financial aid, Morris, after meeting with President Pete Likins on Friday, said he is "positive about the prospects of need-based aid" although a "concrete commitment" has not yet been made.

Graduate students are also concerned with the amount of tuition remission or reimbursement graduate assistants will receive if Likins and Provost George Davis' Focused Excellence becomes a reality.

Currently, the tuition remission for full-time teaching assistants is set at 25 percent and 12.5 percent for research assistants and less than full-time TAs. In the administration's proposal, the remission would increase to 50 percent for full-time, and 25 percent for RAs.

Members of GPSC are looking for ways to increase these numbers. They hope to get full-time TA tuition remission above the 50 percent target and 40 percent for RAs and less than full-time TAs.

These higher goals would still fall below many institutions. For the first time, ASU's quality is leading UA's in this area, Morris said. Tuition remission for GAs at ASU is projected to be as high as 60 percent.

During this period of refocusing, graduate students also face the elimination of the dean of the Graduate College.

Morris doesn't agree with the administrative decision "to remove the most critically involved person at a time like this."

Dean Gary Pivo has filled the position up for elimination since 1998. Under Focused Excellence, responsibilities of the position will be added to those of Thomas Hixon, the associate vice president of Research and Graduate Studies.

"I'm not sure getting rid of the position is the right thing to do," said Thomas Kinney, a graduate student in English. "Somebody's got to be in there running graduate council."

"There are no good reasons to get rid of him, and only good reasons to keep him," said Jim Collins, a lunar and planetary laboratory graduate.

The GPSC will release a letter to the administration today, asking for reconsideration of the position elimination.

"We just want what's best for the Graduate College," said Morris, who is looking for an option that is not "profoundly backwards."

He added that two years ago there was not a thought of removing the dean of the Graduate College, but in two years the administration might say they are going to cut the college altogether. This thought has graduate students worried that "the Graduate College could be in the firing line."

The Graduate College is hosting a Town Hall this afternoon from 4 ÷ 6 p.m. in Modern Languages building, room 350.