JACOB KONST/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sara Birnbaum, ASUA executive vice president-elect, established the constituent councils, which will give over 400 campus clubs a voice to express their views and concerns on current issues. The constituent councils will be implemented during the fall semester along with many changes Birnbaum created.

Student leaders have created a new council they say will improve communication between clubs and ASUA, but club representatives question how effective the new initiative will be.

Sara Birnbaum, Associated Students of the University of Arizona executive vice president -elect, created the constituent councils for next year, which she says will help increase club representation on campus.

The councils will consist of a senator, a club advocate and an Appropriations Board member who meet monthly with approximately 40 club representatives.

Each senator will oversee a council to ensure that more than 400 campus clubs are represented.

"It's a way to get representation to clubs," Birnbaum said. "It will give clubs access to express their concerns."

And club leaders said that is exactly what they plan to do at the council meetings.

Mike Harnden, Mock Trial treasurer, said his club has had a rough year getting funding from ASUA.

He said he has worked with two to three club advocates at a time, and the club advocates never knew what had been said previously.

He said this lack of communication caused all the club's paperwork to be lost and for the checks to be delayed.

"Constituent councils would help because there would be one constant person representing us," Harnden said. "We would all be on the same footing."

Birnbaum said Harnden's concerns are exactly what she wants to hear from clubs at the council meetings.

"I absolutely want them to focus on their issues," she said. "The best thing to do is listen."

But Dan McGuire, Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity president, said he is not confident that the constituent councils will be effective.

"It's a good idea, but it's more club relations than anything else," he said. "It has very little to do with actually changing anything."

He said clubs will feel as if they are being heard but that nothing will change.

"Ideally, senators would like to make changes and help clubs, but what can ASUA do to really help club funding?" he said.

He said he will send a representative to complain if there is a serious problem, but he won't expect some sort of remedy.

"There are not too many ASUA can offer," he said.

Andrew Desautels, president of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, said he also doesn't feel he will benefit from the council.

"I wouldn't say we feel really involved with ASUA," Desautels said. "But I don't feel the need to be."

Jeff Stapleton, Alpha Phi Omega president, said ASUA could do more to represent clubs.

"It is a difficult task for ASUA because there are varying goals and interests for clubs," he said. "I think ASUA needs to find common needs for clubs on this campus, and the council would be a step in the right direction."

He said Alpha Phi Omega hasn't had a problem with ASUA since many members are staffers in ASUA, but he added that the council will still benefit his club.

"I think the advantage of the council will be allowing our members to better discover what ASUA can do for our organization," he said.

Yamuna Kanazawa, Alpha Phi Gamma president, said she wants the sorority to be more involved with ASUA.

"I want people to know we are not segregating ourselves from the rest of the student body," she said. "We are here more to promote diversity."