State Budget
The state budget is directly related to the affordability and accessibility of higher education in Arizona, as the amount of money the state appropriate to the universities often impacts tuition and the total cost of attendance.
State Student Issues
At the Friday, November 5th ASA Board of Directors’ meeting, the board unanimously approved the following policy priorities this legislative session after the ASA Legislative Affairs Committee’s recommendation.
Access and Workforce Development
Fight for State Investment to Grow Arizona’s Economy
Provide university and financial aid investments to strengthen access to public universities and develop a diversified workforce
o Prevent further university budget cuts and legislative efforts that would increase the burden associated with tuition and cost of attending a university
o Support legislative effort that would reduce or minimize burdens associated with tuition and cost of attending a university
o Protect existing financial aid programs form budget cuts or other harmful changes and support any legislative efforts that would improve financial aid opportunities for students
Non-Traditional Student Initiatives
Honor Hardworking Arizonans and Military Service Members
Encourage opportunities for student veterans and community college students to transfer to and graduate from public universities
o Support legislative efforts that would reduce or minimize any barriers and/or expand access to higher education for student veterans and community college students
Voter Access
Build a Prosperous and Engaged Arizona Citizenry
Formalize student government civic engagement efforts with university and state officials
o Support legislative efforts that would reduce or minimize any barriers and/or expand access to the registration or voting process for college students
Please click here to download a copy.
Voter Access
Build a Prosperous and Engaged Arizona Citizenry
?¢‚Ǩ¬¢ Formalize student government civic engagement efforts with university and state officials
o Support legislative efforts that would reduce or minimize any barriers and/or expand access to the registration or voting process for college students
ASA Launches First Legislative Report Card
At the beginning of the 2009-2010 legislative sessions, the ASA Board of Directors, made up of students from across the state, established legislative priorities. Throughout the year, ASA vocalized student stories, gathered research and letters of support, and testified at committee hearings. The bills were student-drafted and advocated by ASA as the statewide organization that represents the united voice of Arizona’s public university students.
As advocated by ASA, S1186 will strengthen efforts to ease the transfer of community college credits to the state’s universities by matching course-numbers for 100 and 200 level courses. H2668 will formalize student government civic engagement efforts with university administration to expand voter access for college students.
The following report card showcases each legislator’s votes on the ASA bill, as well as details votes on how each voted on university budget cuts. There is additional information which highlights who were amazing statewide student advocates.
Here is the 2009 - 2010 ASA Legislative Report Card Cover and the 2009-2010 ASA Legislative Report Card
Federal Student Issues
In March 2010, one of the most exciting pieces of financial aid legislation in recent history - the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act - was passed by Congress as part of the Health-care Reconciliation Bill. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act expanded the Pell Grant program by increasing the amount of money available in the Pell Grant program and provided for cost of living increases to the Pell each year. Now passed, the bill is the largest investment in student aid in history. The act also cut the interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans and gave money to community colleges.
However, Pell Grants and Stafford loans were threatened by major cuts over the summer as part of the debate to raise the debt ceiling. ASA has a long track record of fighting for Pell funding and Stafford loans and this time around was no different. We were able to work with coalition partners in Washington and rally students in Arizona to contact their elected officials. Pell funding was not slashed and is safe for now, but at the cost of Stafford Loan subsidies. Stafford loans for graduate students were cut, forcing them to shoulder more and more debt.
Vote
In order to truly make higher education affordable and accessible, students must play an extensive role in the election of their federal, state, and local decision-makers. By simply becoming a larger proportion of the voting constituency, students give politicians substantial reason to prioritize the issues, like higher education, that affect young people most.
We saw proof of this in the recent elections when young people turned out to vote in record highs and dramatic victories for students, such as the cutting in half of federal loan interest rates and the passage of policies aimed at reducing the cost of textbooks, shortly followed. In order to continue this trend, we must ensure deep student engagement in all elections.
Therefore, ASA will maintain its commitment to registering and mobilizing student voters throughout the elections, and work to provide resources that increase access and ease to the registration and voting process.
Textbooks
Textbook prices are increasingly contributing to the growing lack of affordable education. The average student will spend nearly $900 each year on textbooks, and textbook prices have risen at twice the annual rate of inflation over the last two decades . The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the cost of textbooks as a percentage of tuition and fees is 26 percent for a full-time student attending a four-year public institution and 72 percent for a full-time student attending a two-year public institution.
In 2008 ASA worked to pass legislation that required textbook publishers to disclose their prices to professors. Our research showed that this was one of the most effective ways to lower the cost of textbooks for students.
This year ASA will continue to work on making textbooks more affordable. For more information on the national Make Textbooks Affordable campaign, click here
Access and Workforce Development
Fight for State Investment to Grow Arizona’s Economy
Provide university and financial aid investments to strengthen access to public universities and develop a diversified workforce
o Prevent further university budget cuts and legislative efforts that would increase the burden associated with tuition and cost of attending a university
o Support legislative effort that would reduce or minimize burdens associated with tuition and cost of attending a university
o Protect existing financial aid programs form budget cuts or other harmful changes and support any legislative efforts that would improve financial aid opportunities for students
Tuition
As reductions in university funding from the state continue, students are being unfairly asked to take on a disproportionate share of the bill via increases in tuition and fees.
Despite the fact that the Arizona Constitution guarantees that higher education be “as nearly free as possible,” university tuition in the state has skyrocketed, increasing by over 160 percent in the last nine years alone.
Consequentially, over half of Arizona’ students and families are forced to take out student loans to finance their education, and are graduating with increasingly larger debt burdens (an average of $17,572 for undergraduates, and $34,288 for graduate students). This, coupled with the shortage of financial aid, places enormous challenges on individuals seeking a university degree and jeopardizes college affordability.
As a result, ASA will continue to address all facets of the tuition issue, and advocate for policies that benefit and protect students.
Click here for tuition history at UA, ASU and NAU
Non-Traditional Student Initiatives
Honor Hardworking Arizonans and Military Service Members
?¢‚Ǩ¬¢ Encourage opportunities for student veterans and community college students to transfer to and graduate from public universities
o Support legislative efforts that would reduce or minimize any barriers and/or expand access to higher education for student veterans and community college students