Two separate student councils disagree on policy, money

While some have said communication problems continue, Lisa Slattery Rashotte, GPSC's outgoing administrative vice president, said there is no animosity between the two groups, although individual quarrels over specific issues still rage on.

Two weeks ago, the Associated Students Senate passed a policy statement announcing that any graduate student can run for any elected position in ASUA. While GPSC is the recognized representative of graduate students, ASUA is unrestricted and represents all students.

The statement, however, directly conflicts with a GPSC "memorandum of understanding," which states that no graduate student can hold an elected position other than ASUA president. No graduate students ran for any ASUA office during this year's elections.

"They (ASUA) don't adequately represent graduate students," Rashotte said. "We didn't want graduate students to be able to run for Senate."

Outgoing GPSC President Kathleen Fernicola said an ASUA policy change does not force the GPSC to comply.

"ASUA can pass as many policies as it wants about GPSC, but it's moot," she said.

ASUA Adviser Jim Drnek said that regardless of GPSC's policy, graduate students can run for elected positions in ASUA unless the Senate passes a rule prohibiting it.

Rashotte said ASUA will think it can speak for graduate students if graduate students hold Associated Students offices.

"We don't feel they fully understand graduate student issues," she said.

GPSC officials also object to other parts of ASUA's new policy, including a line mandating that any student referendums GPSC initiates need to apply solely to graduate students.

Rashotte said she does not understand the rationale behind ASUA's referendum regulations.

"I don't see any reason to make a limitation," she said. "If we want to spend money to poll students, we should be able to."

Gilbert Davidson, whose term as ASUA president ended yesterday, said ASUA reserves the right to poll all students, including graduates, as it did last semester with the Memorial Student Union renovation referendum.

"GPSC does not represent the interests of all students," Davidson said. "They never have and they never will."

But GPSC can poll whomever it pleases, since none of the groups' policies affect anyone outside their own organizations.

The disputes show there are still outstanding issues that the groups must address, Drnek said.

"They're (GPSC and ASUA) free to operate under the terms of agreement and university policy," he said.

Also creating controversy between the two groups is the origin of a $62,500 allotment GPSC receives every year. The graduate students say it comes from the University of Arizona administration, while ASUA says it comes from its budget.

Fernicola said the money comes from the office of Saundra Taylor, the UA's vice president for student life and human resources.

Although the money is part of the Associated Students budget, Fernicola said ASUA officials are confused.

"ASUA is wrong," she said. "We get 11 percent of all student activity fee dollars."

ASUA's 1997-98 budget lists "ASUA Support Services" totaling $74,450, with $62,500 allocated to GPSC.

Davidson said Taylor and UA Vice President for Research Michael Cusanovich agreed that $62,500 would come from the Associated Students budget, and he too does not understand GPSC's conclusions about the funds.

"That's an agreement we made," Davidson said. "If money is coming from our budget to them, it's still coming from us."

In other GPSC business, newly elected GPSC representatives Friday elected their executive board - President Barbara Cohen, Executive Vice President Jonathan Hartman, Administrative Vice President Tanya Burns and a treasurer whose name was not available yesterday.

GPSC elections ended last week, with 13 of 26 representative seats filled.

No one competed for any of the seats, so ballots were not sent to graduate students. Fernicola said if the 13 additional seats are not filled by the end of May, they will be discontinued.