Students say parking is top priority

The Daily Wildcat polled 76 students on the University of Arizona Mall and in the Memorial Student Union over the past two days to bring student feedback to the candidates.

Parking was the most popular issue cited in the survey, gaining recognition with 18 percent of the students polled.

Undergraduate Sen. Maile Weigele said the director of Parking and Transportation Services, Marlis Davis, will not listen to the complaints of just one member of ASUA.

If the majority of the student body expressed concerns, the sheer number of complaints might make Davis address why parking is so expensive, Weigele said.

Sen. Ryan Anderson agreed that student government does not have enough leverage to pull on Davis.

However, Anderson said, "A strong president can affect Parking and Transportation by getting personal relationships with Davis and the whole department."

Weigele also said ASUA can influence decisions regarding the cost of tuition. Fourteen percent of the students surveyed said the cost of tuition was a concern.

Weigele said students can do something about tuition because the Arizona Students' Association is a lobbying voice in the state Legislature.

"By lobbying the Board of Regents and the governor we can get a lot done," she said.

Sen. Lauren Sliger said ASUA can lay the groundwork for changes but is not as effective if students will not participate.

Senate Chairman Gilbert Davidson said, "Once the financial package for the new Student Union is figured out, there's either going to be a tuition increase or student fees."

Student Union improvements were mentioned by 9 percent of the students surveyed. Improvements students said were important included renovations, better handicapped access, more food choices and lower food prices.

Davidson said that ASUA needs to get students involved in any decisions about a tuition increase or student fees to renovate the Student Union.

He said that in addition to getting students involved, one senator will sit on the Student Union Advisory Council and the ASUA president can select another student representative.

None of the 76 students polled knew both sources of ASUA funding, although many were able to name one.

ASUA Treasurer Hilla Yaniv said ASUA receives money from two different sources for its annual budget.

The first is a percentage of money from yearly tuition. Yaniv said tuition brings in about $250,000 each year, a total which is based on student enrollment.

The second source of income is a percentage of the estimated annual earnings of the UA Associated Students Bookstore, Yaniv said.

The bookstore profits produce about $300,000 for the ASUA budget, she said.

The poll indicated that 34 percent of the students thought ASUA did not spend its money in a beneficial fashion while 13 percent believed it did. Fifty-three percent said they did not know.

Thirty-six of the 76 students did not know what the acronym ASUA meant. One student thought ASUA stood for "Arizona State University of Arizona" while another said the acronym stood for "Arizona Student Union Association."

ASUA stands for Associated Students of the University of Arizona.

Two-thirds of the students polled could not name any of ASUA's elected officers.

Of the officers that students could name, the most commonly mentioned were ASUA President Rhonda Wilson, Vice President of Programs and Services Mindy McCollum and Senate Chairman Gilbert Davidson.

Davidson, along with Brook Rosenbaum, a junior majoring in French and political science, and Lance Hill, a civil engineering senior, is trying to replace Wilson for the ASUA president's position.

To combat students' lack of knowledge about ASUA, Weigele said students need to show more interest in student government and the Daily Wildcat needs to cover more positive aspects of what ASUA is doing.

Sliger said that students often choose to ignore ASUA or are not interested in what it is doing.

"ASUA is as visible as people want to make it," Sliger said.

"If students have ideas, walk on up," she said, referring to the stairs near the bookstore that lead to ASUA.

About two-thirds of the students surveyed live off-campus.

Five students said they were members of the Residence Hall Association, 10 students indicated involvement in Greek Life, 10 said they were involved in ASUA programs, services or recognized clubs and seven stated involvement in other extracurricular activities.

Other student concerns were the need for more cultural programs, guest speakers and activities for students, and the need for better safety, education and job-finding assistance.