The Lumberjack, January 28, 1988.

              Regents propose $6 fee
to increase financial aid By Chris Fiscus. Robert Allen
news editor, production manager
A preliminary report from the Arizona Board of
Regents Student Financial Aid Task Force approved the
initiation of a surcharge on registration fees to be mat­ched
by state legislative funds, to improve financial aid
programs at the three state universities
The proposal calls for a $6 fee to be charged to full­time
students and a $3 fee for part-time students dur­ing
registration. .
“ The main thing that students need to know is there
is a dire need for a new financial aid program in
Arizona,” said Karen Hardy, Associated Students of
Northern Arizona University president. “ Our financial
aid (in Arizona) is so deficient, we have to start
somewhere.
“ It’s a good start,” Hardy said, referring to the pro­posed
assessment fee. The yearly total received through
the surcharge will be approximately $2 million, with 51
million coming from the students and the additional $1
million coming from the Legislature, she said.
O f the money matched by the Legislature, 50 per­cent
will be used immediately and 50 percent will be
placed in an endowment fund to earn interest. “ O f the
50 percent to be used immediately, half of that will be
useid as gift aid,” Hardy said.
It has been specified that at least 25 percent of the
money will be used for gift aid, and it will be up to the'
individual financial aid offices to use the money as they
see fit, she said.
The assessment fee will be contingent on yearly
legislative matching funds, and Hardy emphasized that
if the matching funds are not established by the
Legislature, the fee will not be charged to students.
Also, the use o f surcharges should not become a trend,
she said.
“ We have to make sure students don't get charged
for every social program in Arizona,” Hardy said.
She said lobbying efforts will take place in the
Legislature when a lawmaker introduces the assessment
fee as a bill. There are two avenues the Legislature can
take, she said.
‘ ‘They could say 'no way’ because the Legislature
doesn’t have the money to spend, so why give it to us
to put in the bank,’’ Hardy said. “ Or they could say
if students are willing to pay out of their own pocket,
it must be important.”
The next step is to find a legislator to propose the
bill. Hardy said it is likely that will occur at a legislative
luncheon Feb. 3 at The state capitol building.
“ At that time, we will bring it up and find someone
to introduce it (the bill),"* she said.
“ It is a good idea to have a plan for the future,” Har­dy
said. “ This is a whole new program, rather than
enhancing an old one.’’
Frank Besnette, vice president for administration and
finance, who was involved in some of the initial discus­sions
on the assessment fee by the Regents’ Academic
and Student Affairs Committee, said a $5 fee was con­sidered
at first, but was later rejected in favor of the
$6 assessment figure.
He also said the concept of the assessment fee was
first brought to the attention of the regents nine months
ago and, at that time, Molly Broad, the board’s ex­ecutive
director, formed a task force to study the pro­posal
and make recommendations.
The task force also stressed the “ vital need’’ to in­crease
the recruiting and graduation rates of minority
students at Arizona State University, NAU and the
University of Arizona.
The 16-member task force concluded “ it is imperative
that the state develop a student assistance program
which can supplement federal aid programs and pro­vide
stability for planning and awarding of student aid.
It is also imperative that this program address the rela­tionship
of gift aid to self-help and keep it in the pro­per
balance.”
Nanni, Strobel resign
C ouncil members q uit positions
By Lesley Mitchell
entertainment editor
Arizona Student’s Association, a lobbying activist
group on campus, reports to the Board of Regents and
state legislature, working to facilitate the issues of NAU
students, said Frank Cordova, ASA delegate
Founded in 1974, ASA has been involved in many
activities aimed at increasing student involvement with
the legislature. Board of Regents and university ad­ministrators,
said Cordova.
ASA is comprised of three delegates: Karen Hardy,
Brenda Smith and Frank Cordova. “ ASA if funded like
ASNAU,” said Cordova. “ We are also approved by
the regents, but we are not held accountable to the
regents.”
“ We represent student voice,” said Hardy. “ We are
also a recognized group. The regents often ask for our
opinion on critical issues.”
Currently, ASA is dealing with a $6 surcharge, which
would be placed on each student, each semester, or one
percent of current tuition. Part-time students and
students attending summer sessions would pay S3.
“ The surcharge was originallv $5,” said Cordova
“ But now it is proposed that it remain one percent of
tuition at all times.”
The surcharge is contingent upon a legislative match.
In this way, students only pay if the legislature agrees
to offer the same amount of money to match, said
Cordova.
Cordova said 50 percent of the funds would go into
an endowment fund and 50 percent will go into im­mediate
aid.
“ We have also worked on the quality o f
undergraduate education and an increase in student in­volvement,”
Hardy said.
The task force on Efficiency, Excellence, and Com­petitiveness
among the three state universities recently-asked
ASA to distribute questionnaires to 45 classes to
aid in research of the quality of undergraduate educa­tion,
she said.
ASA agreed, and in Teturn were allowed to include
questions exclusively for NAU. “ We asked mst what
we wanted to find out,” Hardy said “ We drew up
questions about the food service, residence hall life,
library and tuition issues.”
a SA is also involved in creating a state relations
department. This will involve more students in the issues
concerning students today, she said.
Cordova said ASA would like to have a 22/1 facul­ty
to student ratio formula. This means for every 22
students enrolled at NAU will be one instructor. “ A
professor shouldn't have to handle much over 22
students,” Cordova said.
ASA also supports plans to improve primary and
secondary education. To provide quality college
students, Arizona must have a quality K-12 program,
Cordova said. “ ASA supports these programs.” he
said.
OveT the years, ASA has fought for student’s rights
concerning financial aid, tuition and quality of educa­tion.
Cordova said ASA has really made a difference.
ASA now focuses on more campus-related issues than
ever, C o rd o v a said. Issues such as substance abuse pro­grams,
legislative activity and minority recruitment and
retention have been recently addressed by ASA, he said.
ASA also has proposed a recreation center for all
three state universities and obtained it.
Cordova said he defines ASA as a group which ‘looks
out for students'. “ We want the stuaents to know thar
somebody is making an effort :n fight for them.”
Student lobbyist group combines efforts to back peers
N O R T H E R N A R IZ O N A U N IV E R S IT )
Vol. 82, No. 2 Jan. 28, 1988
By Devin La very
news reporter
Two members of the Associated
Students of Northern
University’s Executive Council
resigned last week, citing unrelated
reasons, said ASNAU President
Karen Hardy.
John Nanni, vice president for
student affairs, resigned for what he
referred to as academic reasons.
Nanni expressed regret over having
to ieave but said that his commit­ment
to his education was more im­portant
than extracurricular
activities.
Karen Strobel. sophomore coun-cilperson,
also resigned last Friday.
Strobel, the mother of twin girls,
said numerous family demands and
a work environment that was “ too
intense*’ caused her to resign.
Ironically, the two executives who
resigned were elected only this fall
in a special election after those posi­tions
were vacated over the summer.
The office of vice-president for stu­dent
affairs became vacant last sum­mer
when Hardy became president
following the resignation of
p*esideni-ekct Watson Gan, Hardy
said. The sophomore councilper-son’s
seat was also vacant prior to
the special election when Steve
Westerhoff resigned due to illness,
Strobel said.
ASNAU had been examining the
possibility of avoiding a special elec­tion
to fill the vacancies because it
is so late in the year, Hardy said.
Larry L ’Heureux, vice-president
of administration and finance, said
anyone elected to either of the posi­tions
would have only a few weeks
to hold the office before regular
elections take place this April. “ I
really can’t see the point of bring­ing
someone on for that short a
period of time,” he said. “ It wouid
just be a waste of the student’s
money.’’
However, Dean of Students An­thony
Ross said ASNAU’s current
constitution states that a special
election must be held to fill all
vacancies, regardless of the time of
the year.
ASNAU is currently planning to
hold a special election Feb. 16, ac­cording
to Senior Councilperson
Felicia McGinty. Two information
sessions will be conducted next
week. Anyone interested in running
for an office should attend at least
one of these meetings Feb. I, and
Feb. 2, McGinty said. Both
meetings will be held at 6 p.m. in
room 200 of the North Union. Peti­tions
for candidacy will be due at 5
p.m. Feb. 8.
Candidates for vice president foj
student affairs and sophomore
councilperson must have completed
45 and 15 credit hours, respective­ly,
and have been enrolled at NAU
one full semester by the end of the
term during which they shall have
been elected.
McCaigue urges constitution change
By Devin Lavery
news reporter
While Associated Students of Northern Arizona
University is currently working to write a new constitu­tion,
one student is pushing consideration of an earlier
one.
Ryan McCaigue, 1985-86 ASNAU liaison councilper­son,
said he is hoping to see a constitution developed
by ASNAU during his year in office brought before the
students of NAU for a vote.
McCaigue said eight members of the 1985-86
ASNAU Executive Council spent a year-and-a-half, in­cluding
portions of their summer and winter breaks,
drafting a new constitution for student government at
NAU. “ We felt the final document was very strong,”
said McCaigue. The completed constitution failed to
gain support under the 1986-87 ASNAU Executive
Council, however, and the matter was left unattended
until this year, he said.
McCaigue said he believes a revised constitution is
needed by the end of the year and is afraid ASNAU
might not be able to do so. “ Student government under
the current constitution is running with an inferior
system of representation,” he said.
“ The only option available is to get the old one on
a ballot,” McCaigue said.
According to the current ASNAU constitution, any
full-time student may bring an issue to an election
through the use of the initiative process. This would
involve collecting signatures for 10 percent of full-time
students, which would then be turned in to the ASNAU
Elections Council. If enough valid signatures are col­lected,
an election would be called to allow the student
body to decide the issue. A simple majority would cause
the initiative to pass.
McCaigue said he understands all the work ASNAU
is putting into completing a new constitution, but
believes if they can’t complete it this year, the students
should have an opportunity to get involved in the
process.
“ The students could get involved by being given the
option of deciding whethei a constitution developed two
years earlier is adequate,” he said. “ It would give
everyone a chance to voice an opinion.”
McCaigue said any attempt to push such an initiative
would be delayed until mid-February when ASNAU
either completes its revision or tables it until the follow­ing
year.
“ We don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, we just
want to see some positive action taken on this issue,”
he said.
Scraping By
Arm ed with brooms, shot els, hatchets and hummers,
electrical engineering freshman R ichard Farad and
crim ina l justice senior Scoit Johnson (le ft) work to
clear the icy path between A lie n H a ll and the U niver­sity
D ining H a ll M onday. Se\eral Sechrist H a ll
residents helped to clear the ice o ff nearby sidew jlk*.
NAU budget cut of 10 percent
possible for 1988-89 school year
By Lori Myrland
editor
This year’s 2.9 percent cut in
NAU’s budget may look like a drop
in the bucket if the 1988-89 budget
takes a proposed 10 percent
decrease.
Vice President for Administration
and Finance Frank Besnette said
Joseph Smith, Executive Budget Of­fice
director, sent a letter to NAU
asking what the university would do
if it was asked to take a permanent
10 percent budget cut. Besnette said
because he and NAU Budget Direc­tor
Bob Nicol are dealing with a
hypothetical situation, there’s no
need to panic yet.
“ It’s like anything else, it’s not
fun, and it’s not pleasant, but we’ve
learned from our experiences,”
Besnette said.
It is generally believed that
Arizona’s three state universities
have taken disproportionate shares
of cuts in legislative budgets in past
years, and Besnette said he and the
Arizona Board of Regents hope this
will not happen when the next state
budget is approved. Nicol said in the
last 10 years, NAU has been asked
to cut its budget four times.
Nicol said NAU received
$55,203,500 from the Arizona State
Legislature this year, and revenue
generated by tuition and fees brings
the current fiscal year’s budget to
566,903,300. He said there has been
some belt-tightening this year to cut
the current budget by 2.9 percent,
but NAU is not yet dealing with an
across-the-board cut.
Besnette said Nicol has worked
with a committee of representatives
from different departments at
NAU, including Academic Affairs
and Student Services, to work out a
series of hypothetical alternatives if
the budget were cut 10 percent.
Nicol said specific cuts could be
made in amounts spent for salaries,
and more frugal use of operating
monies would also become increas­ingly
important. He added that
when cutting the budget, the univer­sity
would have to continue to be
sensitive to “ crisis areas” such as the
library, where budgets would likely
not be cut as much or not at all.
With regard to salary cuts, Nicol
said rather than predicting mass fir­ing,
positions left vacant would
simply not be filled as fast, and non-critical
faculty and staff positions
could be eliminated.
In response to the state’s call for
projections regarding the possible 10
percent cut at each university, the
University of Arizona recently com­piled
a report detailing the effects
that a S22.4 million, or 10 percent,
budget cut would have there.
The report states that the cut
would, among other things, reduce
enrollment by almost 2,700
students, impose maximum enroll­ment
levels for lower and upper divi­sion
courses, close the UA library on
evenings and weekends, impose or
BUDGET,
see page 5