Dear students:

No offense to Mr. Davidson, but if students aren't voting to charge themselves a fee, then why not put this whole thing off for a year to make sure that the Administration is "raising sufficient funds" (that' a bit vague don't you think?) and then have the referrendum vote. The fee should be the last, not the first, option.

There is this perception that by having a fee, studnents have control over their money. It seems to me that the only control that I will have as a student is opening my wallet and dropping $80 each year for the Union.

I doubt that the "Fee Board" will have little, if any, impact. If this is the same group that just voted to create this mess, then I have little faith that they will truly look out for everyone's interests. From what I read, the current committee just wants money to enhance their own programs--that's why 20% of this fee is going to programming, not even to the construction of the building!! Why hasn't this been reported?

I have two questions for our President:
1) What amount will the Administration have to raise to constitute "sufficient fund raising"? You haven't stated anything concrete.
2) Who appoints the "Student Fee Board"? YOU? Or should this body be elected by the students? An appointed fee board would be a mockery of this whole process.
3) If the Administration doesn't perform adequately, will the Fee Board have the option of just slapping their wrists and letting the fee go on? I can just see this happening...

I think this is all a mistake--we ARE voting to impose a fee on ourselves. The fee will never go away--it will be absorbed into another priority that the university sets for itself. All information from ASUA is vague and utterly confusing. I think that this whole bit about "student control" is a load of garbage....VOTE NO.

R. F. Kennedy
rkennedy@u.arizona.edu