Groups in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership are hosting a six-day drive for donations to be distributed by the World Care organizations for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Student volunteers from the Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Associated Students of University of Arizona, Blue Chip and University Activities Board are also collecting donations on the UA Mall and outside Park Student Union, 615 N. Park Ave.

Students can donate today, tomorrow and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon and next week on those same days and times, said Kathy Adams Reister, acting director of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

At the drive, students are asking for donations of hygiene products, money and first aid supplies to the different stations, said UAB President Bridgette Gallagher. The students will not accept clothing or food because those items are too heavy, Gallagher said.

Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate voted unanimously yesterday to delete the academic warning status from the UA catalog, which eliminated an inconsistency that stated UA students could have less than a 2.0 grade point average to continue their studies.

The catalog said freshman students who have completed fewer than 14 units need a minimum GPA of 1.75, and freshmen with 14 to 26 units only need a 1.84 GPA. This is inconsistent because all students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to be eligible to continue at the university.

Increasing the budget for campus libraries was also discussed at the meeting. No base increases to the libraries' information-access budget have been made in three years, while inflation in information resource costs an average of 8 percent a year, said Carla Stoffle, the dean of libraries. Stoffle told senators that despite good news about UA libraries, money is needed to keep libraries successful.

Stoffle also mentioned the need for $1.5 million in renovations and improvements to library buildings.

"When you are giving to the library, you are giving to every unit on campus," Stoffle said.

Faculty Chairwoman Wanda Howell urged senators to become more involved and informed of the presidential search committee's progress by attending upcoming forums.

Howell told senators she was concerned when she was not appointed to the presidential search committee to be the voice for the faculty.

But after she spoke to Fred Boice, chairman of the search committee, she was able to coordinate more faculty involvement in the presidential search, beginning with Fred Boice's appearance at the next meeting.

Howell told senators that faculty input was vital to the notion of "shared governance" on campus.

"We have a voice. Let's make sure it gets heard," Howell said.