David Schapira - Democrat
Background: Representative in the Arizona Legislature since 2006; small business owner (devildash.com); member of the Political Science faculty at ASU.Campaign Website: davidforaz.com.
Question: How has ASU changed since you were a student there and what would you like to see for the school in the future?
Answer: I took a few of my undergrad classes at ASU. Both my parents are ASU alumni, and actually my grandma is an ASU alumnus [sic]. First of all, the amount of use of technology has changed immensely. There was no Blackboard when I went to school; students didn’t sit in class with laptops like they do today.
The university is also bigger, and tuition is more expensive than when I was in college, which is not a good thing.
Here’s the thing: a lot of people will get mad at the Board of Regents because they keep raising tuition. Well, it’s not the Board of Regent’s fault; it’s the Legislature’s fault. The budget starts at the Legislature, which decides [in conjunction with] the governor how much money to allocate to the universities. The Board of Regents then says, “Here’s how much money we need to run our universities this month, and here’s how much the legislature gave us.” Whatever the difference is between those two numbers is how much more money they need, and really the only other major source they can control is tuition. So because of the lack of investment from the legislature, tuition has gone up drastically in the last 10 years.
"We need legislators there that understand that and are willing to put the state’s money where their mouth is and actually invest in higher institutions like our constitution demands."Q: Why should ASU students vote for you?
A: I think, better than any of my opponents, I understand the issues that are facing students at ASU today. Not just because I was a student there; not just because I’m a faculty member there; not just because I’m a third generation that was born and raised around ASU, but because I actually take the time to do the research and to talk to students every year on a continual basis to find out what’s going on now and find out the major issues we’re facing.
One thing that I think has to be made clear about the race is that… the two candidates are not similar. What the choice comes down to is... what we would do to solve the state’s budget problems. Our answers to [that] question were so drastically different that I think that’s what the choice boils down to.
Wendy Rogers' answer to that question is that she would cut more money from public education. And my answer to that question is: we need to protect education if we want to have any sort of investment in the future of our state. In effect, I think our public schools and our universities are really underfunded, and we’re relying too much on peoples’ generosity and our students’ tuition dollars.
Q: What steps will you take to help improve Arizona’s job market for graduating students?
A: We don’t just want to attract students to ASU, have them get a great education and then return to their home states or leave Arizona for other jobs. We need to make sure that we have high-paying, quality jobs here in Arizona so that ASU graduates can actually stay here and have a great career.
I’m actually doing some work now to help ASU recruit high school students to come to the College of Education. It’s great because they learn to be teachers at ASU, but then we have the worst education investment in the country and our teachers here make so much less than the do in many of our neighboring states. It’s tough for us to convince someone, whom we’ve just provided with a great education, to stay here because we don’t offer a competitive wage for teachers. And that’s true in a lot of other fields as well.
Arizona’s economy has been based for so long on growth, and right now we’re not really growing, so there are not a lot of industries for Arizona college graduates to go into. We need to make sure we have lots of competitive, innovative industries where there will be job opportunities for ASU graduates.
Wendy Rogers - Republican
Background: Retired lieutenant colonel and one of the first 100 female pilots in the U.S. Air Force; clinical social worker and small business owner (HouseMaster Home Inspections).Campaign Website: wendyrogers.org.
Question: What estimate would you give for the percentage of District 17 voters comprised of students?
Answer: The data show that less than one percent of District 17’s voters are university students. However, no matter the percentage, ASU as a community absolutely matters to me.
Q: How are you reaching out to student voters in your district?
A: I reach out to thousands of students every day on Facebook, as well as through friends and associates of my own son and daughter who are both ASU Sun Devils. I spoke to the College Republicans as a group just last week. I meet ASU students in person every single day when I go door to door in our district.
Q: What would you like to see for ASU in the future?
A: President Michael Crow and I met one-on-one last month. I completely agree with him that ASU needs to continue to grow its interdisciplinary programs, keep education costs affordable, keep as many graduates here and be the "New American University" in the sense that it serves all types of students. We concurred that the more efficient ASU becomes in providing education and sustainment for our future, the more it should be rewarded by the State of Arizona and not penalized.
I am all about incentivizing productive behavior and performance. I believe Michael Crow continues to demonstrate remarkable leadership and vision. ASU is set in the heart of my district. We live just one mile south of campus. What is happening all around campus affects ASU: Mill Avenue, Tempe Town Lake, affordability of off-campus housing, the light rail – which my daughter uses daily to get to class – traffic congestion for commuter students, remote parking lots, safety issues, these all affect the quality of life for ASU students.
I want to work hard and follow through to enable the students to concentrate on learning and graduating, rather than being bogged down by distractions which could be solved by good policy and cooperation at all levels of government — state, county and city.
"Jobs are my number one priority for students and for our state. We need to keep as many Arizona University students in Arizona to help our economy sustain itself into the future."Q: Why should ASU students vote for you?
A: As an ASU parent, I know full well how vital it is to keep costs of tuition under control so that students do not graduate with unmanageable debt. As someone herself who earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, each from a different state university, and had to take out student loans, [I know] debt is not an attractive option.
Merit scholarships are a good thing and should be made as available as possible to help defray higher education cost. ASU, U of A and NAU play a vital role in the future of our state. I wouldn’t have prepared and sent my own children to ASU if it were not an excellent university. I believe my son in particular would agree with this. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in electrical engineering through research at ASU’s Flexible Display Center; he graduated from Barrett Honors College in electrical engineering. Our daughter is a junior in the Barrett Honors College, double-majoring toward a B.A. in german and a B.S. in marketing through the W.P. Carey Academy.
Q: What steps will you take to help improve Arizona’s job market for graduating students?
A: I will not let our state fail to balance its budget. We cannot be like California, where infighting has paralyzed that state to the point where things are quickly grinding to a halt. Commerce turns the wheels of everything else, so my solid background as a hands-on small business owner will be an invaluable asset as I make tough decisions ahead.
I was a career 20-year officer in the United States military as one of the first women pilots in today’s Air Force. I was an instructor at the university level at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. I've come into the information age and embraced it. Our office complex is solar powered. Our office’s back yard is equipped with sustainable raised-bed vegetable gardens. Our business operation is paperless. I have successfully raised two children to adulthood.
I started a business from the ground up and now it is the industry leader in the state in its field. I can spot opportunities and act, as well as spot the fake. These are the attributes and qualifications I believe our state needs to keep our job market competitive.
Contact the reporter at melody.parker@asu.edu.
