ASUA Senate leaves NASHE

Last month, the Senate voted to leave the National Association of Students for Higher Education or NASHE.

ASUA backed out of the group because the organization did not meet its obligations, Andrew Hayden, Associated Students Federal Relations director said.

"NASHE just wasn't fulfilling its promise of providing information about higher education," Hayden said

"The directors were never well informed or well organized," he added. "They didn't know what the organization was going to do for us."

The Associated Students Senate voted Sept. 17 against renewing membership in NASHE.

The membership cost ASUA $900 a year and is paid up until January, Hayden said.

ASUA helped found NASHE about two years ago and its decision to withdraw met with mixed reviews.

Spring Fling Director Berrigan Melfy, a former member of NASHE's national board, disagreed with the Senate's decision.

"It takes a few years for an organization to get going," Melfy said. "Everything starts out weak. If there's something you don't like you should step up and help it, not quit."

NASHE delegates elected Melfy to the national board as internal relations director. She held the post until April 1997.

Former ASUA President Rhonda Wilson was finance director last year and Jeff Schrade, currently an ASUA director, was in charge of the Rocky Mountain region.

Paul Allvin, a 1993 UA graduate, helped found NASHE in the spring of 1995.

"The organization grew rapidly," said Allvin, who was executive director of the Arizona Students Association, a state-level student lobbying group.

"In 11 months it went from a concept to a major organization in Washington," he said.

Allvin added he is unhappy with NASHE's current role in lobbying.

"It's my understanding that NASHE hasn't kept up with itself," he said. "I am personally very sad that it isn't as strong as it was when we started."

Hayden said he was definitely looking to join another national group, but not necessarily right away.

"I think there are plenty of other organizations out there who can fulfill our needs," he said.

Melfy said she believed it will be almost impossible to find a group that focuses solely on higher education. NASHE's rival, the United States Student Association, also takes on social issues like abortion.

"If there are some (groups) out there, they are probably new and will have the same growing pains that NASHE has," she said.

Allvin said he didn't know of any organizations that don't take on social issues.

"That was the whole reason NASHE was formed," he said, "because there are just no other organizations out there,".

Hayden said he plans to go to Washington, D.C. Oct. 11-15 to petition for greater student financial aid, like Pell grants. He will also approach national lobbying firms about representing ASUA.

Student body President Gilbert Davidson and ASA Director Brook Rosenbaum will accompany Hayden.

Hayden said he will meet with congressional staffers during the trip, because Congress is out of session Oct. 10-20.

"We discussed whether or not we should go since Congress wasn't in session, but the aides are who we would be dealing with anyway," he said.