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Show Tin DsSy Ifeh Chicnidt. Optntoc 1C3 oaifd plans politics by Holly Chronicle staff With an election year reaching its crest and the Utah state legislative session creeping up in January, the ASUU Public Affairs Board is busy tackling plenty of political issues, according to chairman Dave Simmons. The board is so busy, in fact, that student help is always needed. Simmons said. The board is specifically set up to represent students in local, state and national politics. Board members are now working on several Mullen-Ciee- n projects designed to increase that representation and student involvement. "Participation '80 is a project designed to involve students in the whole elections process," Simmon said. The participation program has been organized every election year since 1970. "We try to make people aware of the issues even-number- ed by bringing the campaign to them, and encouraging them to work in campaigns of their choices. We also try to encourage them to run for office themselves." Simmons said. This year board members and Participation '80 chairman Troy D'Ambrosio will work with the Hinkley Institute of Politics in placing students in "significant political jobs." Simmons said. "They aren't just knocking-on-doo- r or jobs, stuffing-envelop- e but important campaign jobs," he said. During the first week of school, Participation '80 volunteers will register students at locations in the Park Building and on center campus. "We're looking at a goal to register 3,000 to 5,000 students," Simmons said. "We'll also host a series of debates during October with the challengers and incumbents of the major political races," he said. Scheduled to debate October 9 are Second Congressional District candidates Dan Marriott and Art Monson. "We're also working on committments from all the other candidates," Simmons said. In addition to the major debates, Simmons said he'd like to plan smaller debates between candidates for state legislature and county offices. "We'll also provide students with a a record of how incumbent candidates have voted on key issues, and how the challengers feel about the same issues," Simmons saio. Perhaps the greatest drawing card which legislative scorecard T. 41 a -- ! Partkination 80 volunteers are working on now is a possible University appearance by independent presidential candidate John Anderson. "We'd like to get him to come sometime in October, but that's still very tentative." Simmons said. While Participation '80 will take much of the board's time through October, the board spends an even greater amount of time working for student issues in 0 - Simmons said the landlordtenant proposal will be the main piece of legislation to come out of the Utah Intercollegiate Assembly, a body of students from each Utah college and university which makes five recommendations to the legislature each session. "Tuition wil be as large a concern as it has been in the past," Simmons said. "We've already spent some time talking with Commissioner of Higher Education T.II. Bell and he seems to understand our concerns. "In the last few years we've seen the total state budget for higher education decrease from 21 percent to 18 percent, while in the same amount of lime the budget for public education has increased or stayed the same. In a state that's always been strongly in favor of low-cohigher education, we're a little bothered by that," Simmons said. "We'll be working on getting a voice of st . i.iitiA fl sit - H f 'Xdnif -- hit ASUU Public Affairs Board Chairman Dave Simmons will tackle tuition. Avenues traffic and housing problems in this election year. unification with Commissioner Bell and the Board of Regents so we can give the Legislature a reasonable and solid tuition figure next year," he said. The budget meeting of the State Board of Regents will be held in Salt Lake Gty September At that lime the student body presidents will present tuition recommendations for their schools. "We'll be looking for unity with President Gardner, the students and Commissioner Bell," Simmons 10-1- 2. said. "Basically, as spokesman for the students, we understand that quality of higher education is necessary, but we believe quality can be maintained without raising tuition so high students can no longer afford it," Simmons said. He said a "reasonable" tuition increase would be "around nine percent." Last year the students proposed an percent increase. The Legislature adopted an increase of 10.27 percent. "It would be naive not to think we'll have an increase in tuition, but we want to keep it as low as possible," Simmons said. "For tuition increase example, for every saved, the students save a collective $150,000. If the legislature adopts our increase, the increase instead of a 8.8 students would see a savings of nearly half a million dollars." An argument often used for justifying an increase in tuition is that students are actually an affluent group, and because they have money to spend on entertainment, they can afford more tuition, Simmons said. "I have the figures to disprove that. We have studies of the spending habits of students which show that money spent on entertainment is much less than believed. Of a student's entire income, 95 percent is spent on necessities like food, housing, tuition, books and car expenses. Certainly there is a small number of students which can afford higher tuition, but an even greater number are having trouble just meeting basic expenses. It amounts to much more than just giving up one date a week a common armimrnt I've heard." With the work schedule the board has planned, Simmons stressed the need for possible student assistance. "There are a lot of substantial things students can do on this board," he said. "Of all the ASUU activities, I think this work benefits the students most. We ASUU really try to make good use of the $7 in fees each student gives us." SPORTSMAN'S HEADQUARTERS osALT LAK 0D o 0G DEW k o D07 All too often talented college graduates with o high academic credentials leave college only to obtain mediocre and job positions. In today's competitive JOB environment, only the most skilled g SEEKERS will get these positions. At Career Advancement Institute, we groom you for those positions which never surface in the newspaper want ads. Our consultants will help you market your own unique talents and abilities. For a confidential interview, call our Salt Lake office today. low-payi- PARCC CITY IN SPORTS! ng high-payin- NUMBER 3 I ' such is not allowed because the group important enough to do so. "Another priority is a valid landlord tenant law," he said. "We'll be working with the other state schools on this one. BYU and Utah State people have really complained about landlordtenant problems in their areas, and it's bad here, too." I I- government. The Legislative Relations Committee of the board is similar to a lobby group, although Simmons stressed that lobbying as board has never involved itself in local government before, but this issue is sir v three-memb- er receives student funds. Committee members have settled on the issues they believe will affect students most, and will work for student interests in these areas. Simmons said. "On the local level, the possible closure of two streets to Avenues traffic will be a big issue," Simmons said. "This proposal will be fought out before the City Council, and we'll be working against it." Simmons said the m CAI Career Advancement Institute A division of Executive Register Telephone: 364-156- 7 The Career Advancement Professionals This is not an advertisement for a specific position. f |
