UA graduate students want the $1 fee they pay each semester to fund the Arizona Students Association back because they say student lobbyists aren't representing them.
"We are requesting our money back because we just don't feel like the representation is here this year," said Jani Radebaugh, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council. "We are not being represented."
There are four positions on ASA open to UA students. One is reserved for the student body president, and the other three are open to graduates and undergraduates.
This year, all the student lobbyists are undergraduates.
The GPSC feels ASA needs to have a representative who is well informed on graduate issues and is a graduate student, Radebaugh said.
But Alistair Chapman, ASA director, said graduate students showed little interest in the position.
"Graduate students are welcome to apply for any appointed position," Chapman said. "We want to increase graduate representation, but we just never got any response from them."
The ASA is a statewide, student-run lobbyist group that works with the Arizona Board of Regents and advises students on financial and academic issues.
Each semester, the ASA collects $1 from all students to facilitate the cost of lobbying.
Radebaugh said there have been problems advertising the positions to graduate students.
"It is hard to get information to grad students," she said. "We just never heard about it. We didn't know we needed to send a representative."
ASA positions are open to all students, and everyone is given an equal opportunity to join, Chapman said.
"All of our positions are marketed equally to grads and undergrads," Chapman said, adding the board has even advertised in the Wildcat.
There are 16 representatives for ASA statewide, and they work with a budget of $270,000 per year. "Giving the money back is a small drop in the bucket," said Alexis Coury, an ASA director. "We are more concerned with the fact that students are unhappy."
About 500 graduate students statewide have requested their dollar back so far, Radebaugh said.
"Our plans are to continue the way we are; until they take interest, they will continue to be unhappy," Coury said.
But Radebaugh said ASA should have a seat on the board reserved for a graduate student.
"ASA is the best way for student voices to be heard statewide, but I hope they will consider to put a permanent spot for a grad student on the board," she said.
The grad students could gain representation if they show interest in the organization, said Nick Green, an ASA director.
"They want us to secure a spot, but they haven't shown an interest in applying like everyone else," Green said.
All students can request their dollar back by contacting the ASA directly anytime before Feb. 12.
"I got my dollar back because I want the money coming from me to go to an organization that has my best interests in mind," said Jonathan Fortney, planetary sciences graduate student.