The Arizona Students' Association said it has received more $1 refund requests this semester than ever before due to efforts by ASU's Graduate and Professional Student Association.
ASA has received 103 refund requests so far this year, including 101 from ASU and two from UA. Maceo Brown, executive director of ASA, said there are usually fewer than 20 annual requests.
ASA is a nonprofit student advocacy organization funded by a $1 contribution automatically charged as part of tuition and fees to every student attending ASU, NAU and UA.
The $1 is fully refundable upon request to ASA's executive director, and ASU's GPSA is urging people to take advantage.
Brian Collier, president of the GPSA at ASU, said refund request forms are available outside of student government offices on the third floor of the Memorial Union and on ASA's Web site.
Collier said the GPSA is encouraging students to ask for a refund because the ASA "isn't representing students, particularly the graduate students."
"I'm on the board of directors, and I think they haven't done anything," Collier said. "Student advocacy needs are not being met."
A professional staff and a board of directors composed of student leaders from each Arizona university campus run the association.
Collier said he's especially concerned that while graduate students make up a fourth of Arizona's student population, they have only two seats on the ASA board of directors.
"ASA doesn't work with grad students unless they have to," he added.
Brown said members of the board of directors represent all students at Arizona public universities, even graduate students.
He added that ASA changed its bylaws when ASU graduate students organized the GPSA so that they would have a direct voice on the board of directors.
He also said GPSA representatives have not attended either of the two ASA meetings this school year.
Collier said he's also concerned about ASA's slow response to refund requests.
Brown said he "can guarantee that if someone wants their dollar back, they'll get it easily" despite a slowdown caused by the unexpectedly large quantity of refund requests.
Part of the slowdown is due to ASA calls to students who request the refund. Brown said that ASA typically prefers to call each student who requests a refund in order to find out what the students' concerns are.
But Mohamed Elhassan, a member of the GPSA assembly, said he would prefer that ASA not call graduate students who have turned in request forms because it's a waste of time and resources.
"They can't call everyone," he said. "I think it would be in their best interest to work more closely with graduate student organizations [instead]."
But Brown said finding out exactly what student concerns are is the point of calling students.
Amy Hicks, associate executive director for ASA, said the organization expends resources on four major areas. Its greatest focus is on legislative issues like tracking bills and lobbying.
She said about a fourth of ASA's focus is on tuition issues. ASA does research on tuition levels around the country, holds forums with students about tuition, meets with the university presidents, and lobbies the state legislature.
Another fourth of its focus is on events and outreach, like voter registration drives and training students to lobby the Legislature.
Hicks added that she didn't think students were really opposed to ASA, just unaware of what it does.
"If students don't know about ASA, it's the responsibility of the student body presidents," she said.
Then she added, "If you really don't believe in what ASA is doing, you should definitely get your refund."
Reach the reporter at jesse.christopherson@asu.edu.
