The Arizona Students’ Association Board of Directors approved its 2011 fiscal year budget last week, which will not include a membership payment of $14,520 to the United States Student Association.
Funded each semester by a student-paid $2 fee, ASA lobbies for the interests of Arizona students at ASU, UA and NAU. ASA joined the USSA, a Washington D.C.-based organization that advocates for students across the country, in July 2008.
ASA's projected income for fiscal year 2011 is about $577,000. Dues for this year’s membership to USSA cost $14,520.
The board’s decision to end its membership in the country’s largest student-led organization after two years arrives just before a crucial election season, and ASA members said their priorities are with Arizona.
“We want to make sure that we’re using Arizona student dollars to solve the problems of Arizona students,” said ASA Board Chair Elma Delic.
Billy Holmes, former treasurer for ASA, said he helped create two different budgets, one with funds dedicated to the United States Student Association and one without.
“We were just looking at the total USSA costs … Last year it cost $31,472,” Holmes said.
The total cost included traveling expenses needed to send student representatives to various USSA events and conferences, Holmes added.
“We learned it would cost us a significant amount less,” Holmes said. “The board chose not to spend that kind of money.”
Despite the board's decision not to fund USSA this fiscal year, Lindsay McCluskey, vice president of USSA, said her organization hopes to continue its relationship with ASA.
“We deeply regret the fact that ASA is not going to continue membership,” McCluskey said. “We recognize they’re doing very important work in Arizona. … And we do hope that they become members again in the future.”
Although the amount of money ASA was required to pay for dues was an issue, McCluskey said she felt part of ASA’s withdrawal was a response to the USSA's position against Arizona's immigration law.
“I tried to make efforts to reduce and to be sensible with the due money that is paid to the association,” McCluskey said. “I think... the ultimate decision didn’t come down to be about money than coming to be about the other issues.”
Some ASA members did take note of the USSA’s stance on Senate Bill 1070, said Abby Henderson, ASA director for the Tempe campus.
“I don’t think that was anyone’s deciding factor, but I think it factored into people’s decisions,” said Henderson, a sophomore studying psychology and family human development.
The issue, Henderson said, came down to being about cost.
“They are a great organization and they’re doing great things, but our money would be better spent in Arizona, the board decided,” Henderson said.
ASA members plan to utilize the funds to focus on specific issue campaigns and work to prepare students for the coming elections.
“November elections are huge,” Henderson said. “We want to get people registered. We want to get early polling locations at [NAU and UA] and make sure the students’ voices are heard.”
The new budget also accounts for a new ASA staff member, according to Delic.
“We allocated a portion of the money toward hiring a communications director; that way we can engage students with more of what ASA is doing and what we can provide for [them],” Delic said.
Though the decision includes a reduced presence in Washington, D.C., Delic said the budget was not a contentious issue among the board.
“The budget passed unanimously,” Delic said. “We needed to prioritize the needs of the students, and USSA was not a part of that.”
Reach the reporter at joseph.schmidt@asu.edu
