ASU Main and ASU West student governments participated last week, without ASU East's interim government, in a vote that approved the collection of a fee to improve the Memorial Union and Student Recreation Complex at main campus.
The vote was on a referendum "for the purpose of funding capital improvements and ongoing operational costs of a redeveloped and expanded Memorial Union and a redeveloped and expanded Student Recreation Complex" at main campus.
Undeclared junior Erron Sanders said, "Isn't that what the English did to the colonies? It's like taxation without representation."
Jeremy Art, interim president of the ASU East student government said, "We are not going to be able to function, or be taken seriously, until we have an established government."
In a footnote within the referendum it states: "All students (except University employees) who take at least one class at Arizona State University Main must pay a mandatory Student Recreation Complex fee."
According to Brandon Goad, president of the undergraduate student government at Main, discussions on this referendum have been going on for more than a year.
"My predecessor started this project. It is for students specific to main campus," Goad said. "I don't believe [east campus' interim government] were intentionally not invited. West campus was there because they were working on their own initiative."
With this referendum, East students who had chosen to commute to one class at Main would pay an increased MU/SRC fee of at least $91 and up to $181 if they were enrolled in seven or more credit hours at Main.
Goad said the student government at Main held most of the discussions on the referendum during the last few months' meetings.
Though east campus already established an interim student government so East would have a voice in University changes, Art said the East government was left in the dark until recently.
"I was never told of these meetings," Art said. "Brandon sent me the documents Wednesday."
"Before we create any long-term precedents, we need to have elected officers," said Goad, referring to the fact that East did not have an "officially elected" student government yet.
General elections for an official student government at East will be held in February, according to Art.
"I'm a little bothered on not being invited to participate in the discussion at Main," he said. "I didn't want to vote so much as be a part of the discussion."
Agribusiness and pre-veterinary sophomore Sam Romero said, "I think [the representatives at Main] don't show us any respect. East deserves to be represented. It shows what Main thinks of us."
Computer engineering graduate student Viji Shanmugan said, "That's crazy. They should have invited us. We shouldn't be paying Main's expenses if we are enrolled in one class there. They're getting our tuition. Isn't that enough?"
Dean of Student Affairs Gary McGrath said, "When I heard about [the referendum], it was already in place.
"Howard Taylor [of the SRC at Main] came out a few weeks ago and met with Art ... to discuss long-term goals" in regards to creating an SRC at east campus, McGrath added.
Art said he hoped the Main referendum would pass.
"It'll make things easier when East has a referendum to pass to create a new SRC out here," he said.
Goad said he believed the three campuses would be working as one unified body in the future with regards to general campuswide issues but will tackle University-specific problems individually.
The new fee approved last week for the Main campus facilities would be $181 per semester for students enrolled in seven or more credit hours, and $91 per semester for students enrolled in less than seven credit hours.
Reach the reporter at erika.camardella@asu.edu.
