ASUA - the pathetic leading the apathetic

Chad Strawderman Arizona Daily Wildcat

The probable answer to all these questions is 'no'. I, however, have a unique perspective of the 1996 ASUA Constitutional Convention. Not only did I 'participate' this year, but I am probably the only person on campus that participated in the 1991 ASUA Town Hall and Constitutional Convention.

Let's compare these two historic events:

• The 1991 convention, which was planned during the summer, was requested by over 87% of the 3,000 people who had voted in the 1991 election.

• The 1991 convention was held on Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17, and was an all-day event. In 1996, the event was held on Thursday and Friday, December 5 and 6, for one hour each day.

• In 1991, the convention had three versions of a new government. In 1996, the students were only presented with one choice for a new government.

• In 1991, the convention cost $2,600. However, ASUA paid no money because of grants from the Marshall Foundation and the UA Parents' Association, which covered the cost of the food, notebooks and room rentals. In 1996, the final cost to the students was close to $500, paid for by the students.

• In 1991, there were half-page ads announcing the Town Hall and requesting delegates to sign up and attend. In 1996, there were dinky ads in the Wildcat's classified section, which no one noticed. This might explain why in 1991, there were between 150 and 200 people who attended the conference, all attending on both days. Compare this number to the approx-imately 30 people who attended in 1996; if you don't count the people from ASUA , the number shrinks to four.

• In 1991, I sat at a table with 1991-1992 ASUA Senator Elizabeth Jackson n‚e Fields, taking notes in the notebooks supplied by ASUA. Also seated at the table was a good representation of all areas of campus, ranging from members of Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Gays United! (LBGU!) to members of the Greek Community. In 1996, no such groups were represented.

Just to make sure that I was not mistaken about the numbers and events in 1991, I telephoned Jackson; she had the same figures and memories of the 1991 ASUA Town Hall and Constitutional Convention.

To be fair, however, I also spoke with Senator Gilbert Davidson, the chair of the Undergraduate Senate. Davidson, who organized the 1996 convention, agreed that it should have been planned much further in advance. He did try to plan it earlier, but kept running into roadblocks, particularly the problems with the Graduate and Professional Student Council/ASUA split and the procrastination involved.

Davidson feels that, although the convention was as not successful as it could be, ASUA has no choice but to implement a new system. According to him, with the upcoming election, the turnover of ASUA elected officials would be unable to organize another ASUA Constitutional Convention.

ASUA always complains about the lack of student interest and fails to understand why there is such student apathy toward ASUA. Maybe if there was more outreach to the students, there would be more interest from the students. For ASUA to show that the students are its main concern, the results from the 1996 convention need to be thrown out. The low turnout of students, besides ASUA's inability to get even all the senators to attend, shows the 1996 Constitutional Convention for what it truly was: a farce and an insult to the university and its students.

Oh, one final comparison. In 1991, the convention was a moderate success. Too bad the same cannot be said about the 1996 convention.

Jeremy Pepper is a philosophy senior. He was involved in ASUA from 1991 to 1993 and 1994 to 1996, holding positions such as chief of staff for the Executive Vice-Presidential Office and for a senatorial office, as well as running numerous successful campaigns. His column, 'Dash of Pepper,' appears every other Thursday.