ASUW senate passes legislative agenda

The ASUW Student Senate began to feel the pains of a growing university last night as it passed the 2004-05 legislative agenda.

Factions within the senate nearly removed a clause that would "guarantee admission to four-year institutions" for community college students, and a large number of minority student groups voted against the final draft of the agenda.

The reason to vote against the agenda was simple for most minority student groups.

The senate voted to rearrange the placement of a clause that supported funding for capital projects at the K-12 level, moving it to the position statement portion at the end of the document.

The majority who voted for the change believed that the clause was too broad for the agenda and that the University should not be concerned with issues involving primary schooling.

But for some minority groups, funding for capital projects seemed to be paramount.

"They made one of our three points seem unimportant," said Jamil Suleman, a commuter senator and organizer for the MTT (formerly Minority Think Tank). "I felt disrespected and I felt that our issue was moved to the back burner. Being a [MTT] organizer, this is what we're fighting for ... justice."

Another legislative debate nearly changed the status of the agenda's stance on community college students' transferring to four-year institutions. The original agenda supported guaranteed admission for community college transfers.

The senate made an amendment that would change a portion of the agenda to "help" transfer students instead of "guarantee" admissions to the University.

Students complained that for high school students to be accepted into the UW they must attain 3.8 grade point averages and 1400s on their SATs. They also contended that transfer students needed to attain far lower standards in order to gain admission to the University.

"My quality of education is being impeded on," said one student. "Go other places."

But Alex Kim, senate secretary, spearheaded a charge to strike down the amendment.

"I don't want to see UW become a typical East Coast school," said Kim. "It would be sad to see that mission of the University go."

The agenda needs to be approved by the board of directors before James Corning, ASUW student lobbiest, will use it to begin lobbying in Olympia.

Corning starts lobbying Dec. 1, while the board of directors doesn't meet again until Dec. 2.

Corning will use last year's agenda until the current version is completed.

Though the agenda is not finished, Corning believes the senate did an admirable job.

"Things went more quickly than I thought they were tonight," said Corning. "The senate did a phenomenal job of focusing the discussion."