Students from around Arizona flocked to the state capitol to learn about current political issues and eat a free lunch Friday.
The Arizona Students Association Legislative Conference attracted approximately 100 students from ASU, UA and NAU, said Amy Hicks, associate executive director of ASA.
In the morning, students met with legislators from districts surrounding each university.
Some ASU students discussed the University's core budget request with Rep. John Allen, R-Scottsdale.
The Legislature understands ASU's financial needs, but has to balance the University's funding with other programs around the state, Allen said.
Arizona still has a deficit, he said. But increasing ASU's core funding by the $23.4 million Gov. Janet Napolitano has recommended, probably would force the state to take out loans.
"You don't pay your electric bill on your credit card," Allen said. "What you're really doing is bankrupting the universities in the future."
Most legislators had to leave the conference late in the morning to attend meetings. As legislators left, students attended two of eight workshops.
The workshops focused on the role of the Arizona Board of Regents, how the Legislature functions, current issues facing the Legislature and the importance of student involvement in government.
The workshops featured speakers from the Legislature, ASA and representatives from ABOR.
In one workshop, titled "The Role of Students," student regents Danelle Kelling, an ASU law student, and Wes McCalley, an NAU business administration graduate student, encouraged their peers to take the initiative and learn about government.
"At one point, we all started out as freshmen," McCalley said. "That's where my career began."
Students can influence legislators more than they often think, Kelling said.
"People are more open to you as a student," she said. "You're there out of your heart."
Keynote speaker Lloyd Thacker, author of "College Unranked," a book discussing the negative aspects of college ranks, addressed the entire group later in the afternoon.
Education is important to help students become effective members of a democracy, Thacker said. However, many colleges have lost sight of their missions to educate, he added.
"[Administrators] have sharpened their business practice by confusing what is good for business with what is good for education," Thacker said.
Gretchen Friedlander, a first-year counseling graduate student, said the conference showed her the relationship between the universities, the regents and the state Legislature.
Learning how the three institutions relate to one another will help Friedlander know who to talk to about University issues, she said.
"I can't squawk about the tuition changes if I don't know about them," Friedlander said.
After the conference, ASU students ate lunch with Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix, and ABOR officials at Coach and Willie's in downtown Phoenix.
Reach the reporter at amanda.keim@asu.edu.
