Sealing the cracks in ASUA's coffers

Sure, it's only a quarter of the way through the year, but that hasn't stopped the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate from burning through the green like it's their "Super Sweet 16" of MTV fame. Having spent more than half of their operating budget already, the spendthrift senators apparently think little of doling out the dough. But operating budgets for the student senate are one thing; now that the coffers for club funding are looking a little low, it's time to rein in this runaway fiscal train. Because the spring semester typically sees a large influx of new members, and because Spring Fling generally requires that more funds are available to clubs, a little planning might be in order. Until then, playing fast and loose with the funds gets a Fail.

Getting back on the horse

Don't try to tell the athletes at the Disability Resource Center that they're at a disadvantage. Undeclared freshman Jaclyn Cimino bounced back from a bull riding accident in 2002, going on to win three U.S. Open titles in wheelchair tennis last week. And then there's the UA's top-ranked wheelchair basketball team, which is fiercely competitive (and consistently outguns the varsity basketball teams in the DRC's annual Lame for a Game fundraising event). For this impressive emphasis on achievement, the DRC and its remarkable athletes get a Pass.

Stonewalling the students

Now three weeks out from the gargantuan Campaign Arizona gala that temporarily overtook the Mall, the UA Foundation has indicated that it feels little need to disclose just how much it spent to wine and dine the generous donors. One would be hard-pressed to find a student who has been anything but congratulatory toward the enormous Campaign Arizona fundraising effort, but withholding the figures for the gala's expenses smacks of arrogance. For apparently feeling that transparency is something to be feared rather than embraced at a public university, the UA Foundation gets a Fail.

An improvement worth

its weight in plastic

At long last, the UA student unions have wisely decided to install credit and debit card readers in various food facilities. The previous arrangement, in which students were expected to use cash or their meal plans to purchase foods, was as inconvenient as it was obsolete. Commuter students, the great majority of students at the UA, were unlikely to have meal plans, and despite the U.S. Treasury Department's concerted efforts to convert our currency into Monopoly money, cash just isn't something that most students choose to carry around anymore. For making the much-needed move from paper to plastic, the student unions get a Pass.

Opinions Board

Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Lori Foley, Ryan Johnson, Damion LeeNatali, Aaron Mackey, Mike Morefield and Tim Runestad.