ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
1997 Legislative Agenda

  1. State Affairs

    1. TUITION POLICY
    2. STATE FINANCIAL AID
    3. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 1997 BIENNIUM BUDGET REQUEST
    4. QUALITY OF EDUCATION
    5. CONTRACTING SERVICES
    6. CHILD CARE SERVICES
    7. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES FEE AUTONOMY
    8. EQUALITY OF UW FAMILY BENEFITS

  2. Federal Affairs

    1. FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS
    2. REAUTHORIZATION
    3. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REFORM
    4. TAX POLICY
    5. VOTING

  3. Position Statements

    1. SALLIE MAE
    2. ROTC PARTICIPATION
    3. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
    4. DIVERSITY
    5. HEALTH CARE
    6. SCHOOL TO WORK
    7. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
    8. SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE
    9. IMMIGRATION
    10. CAMPUS SAFETY
    11. STUDENT REGENT
    12. STUDENT RIGHTS



I. State Affairs

The students of the University of Washington support the following in the 55th Session of the Washington State Legislature:

FIRST TIER STATE ISSUES:

  1. TUITION POLICY

    2. Lower and middle income families in the State of Washington are often faced with difficult financial choices when sending their children to college. It should be the responsibility of the Washington State Legislature to provide these families with the ability to plan for their children's education.

    1. Ideally, students oppose any tuition increase. In the spirit of the University of Washington Tuition Policy Committee discussions adopting a stable and predictable tuition policy, perhaps linking it to an economic indicator, will provide many students with the ability to afford a higher education. Keeping tuition stable will allow Washington state families to provide for their children's education. The benefits of a predictable tuition policy, however, are two-fold. Such a policy would also allow the University to develop long-term budgetary goals. Furthermore, the ASUW opposes any fee increase not specifically supported by students.

    2. Non-resident students should be protected from any non-proportional tuition increase. As most non-resident students took the cost of education in relation to their personal financial status into consideration when choosing the University of Washington, it is unreasonable and unfair to burden them with substantial and devastating surprise tuition increases.

    3. Tuition setting authority must remain with the people of the state of Washington, as represented through the Washington State Legislature. The ASUW stands against any attempt to make the legislature relinquish this authority.

    4. The University of Washington and Washington State University are linked in numerous ways. As the state's two primary four-year research institutions, both colleges are fiscally linked. With this fact in mind, the ASUW encourages the continued linking of tuition between the two universities. This linkage provides statewide stability and consistency in college tuition for families in Washington state.

    5. Recent trends in the distribution of the cost of education have shown some disturbing signs. Students have been assuming greater portions of the cost of education, doubling from 11% to 23% over the last ten years. This trend must be reversed, and the state must reaffirm its commitment to educating the people. The ASUW will not support any tuition increase without increased state financial support to the University.

  2. STATE FINANCIAL AID

    3. The Higher Education Coordinating Board (HEC Board) convened a special Task Force on Financial Aid during the summer of 1996. The recommendations of that task force call for a general increase in the state's financial commitment to aiding needy students. To that end, the ASUW endorses the findings of the HEC Board task force.

  3. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 1997 BIENNIUM BUDGET REQUEST

    4. The University of Washington has announced its intention of achieving several critical goals during the 1997-1999 biennium. Among those are improving faculty salaries, increasing educational accountability and making space for an additional 1,400 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. State allocations are crucial to providing the needed quality education delivered to students at the University of Washington. Therefore, the ASUW strongly encourages the Washington State Legislature to fund the University of Washington at a level adequate to meet these stated needs.

SECOND TIER STATE ISSUES

  1. QUALITY OF EDUCATION

    2. The core of the university's mission is to provide a quality affordable education. Surrounding the mission are the issues of class size and faculty quality. Small classes taught by world-class professors are the keys to productive and educated graduates. The University of Washington has indicated that meeting the challenge of providing appropriate salaries for faculty will be a top priority during the upcoming biennium. Too often, distinguished faculty are lost to competitive offers from other schools, and academia in Washington State suffers consequently. Currently, the UW ranks near the 52nd percentile in faculty salary. The University has announced its desire to rise to the 75th percentile by instituting two annual salary increases of 7.5%. Along with faculty retention, the University must be allowed to recruit new professors. The issues of class size translate directly into the issue of educational quality. The ASUW encourages the state to support this initiative geared toward improving educational quality at the University of Washington.

  2. CONTRACTING SERVICES

    3. Students often pay inflated prices for poor quality food on the UW campus. This is a result of an unfair campus monopoly on food services. The ASUW encourages the legislature to allow the contracting of food services while taking care to protect current classified staff employees.

  3. CHILD CARE SERVICES

    4. The 1992-1993 Graduate Professional Student Senate Undergraduate survey indicates that a demand for increased child care exists. An on-campus child care facility will allow student-parents to participate in school and extracurricular activities. The University of Washington administration is not willing to expand its current child care program, without a state mandate. Preventing student-parents from having child care on campus prevents them from attending the University. In order to resolve this access issue, the ASUW supports a legislative mandate with new state funds to the University of Washington to support centralized and satellite child care facilities. The ASUW also supports federal efforts to provide safe and affordable child care for the dependents of all students through vouchers or tax incentives.

  4. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES FEE AUTONOMY

    5. Every quarter, students pay an $85 Services and Activities Fee (SAF) for numerous services on campus. Among them are the Hall Health Services, Intramural Athletics, Student Publications and student government. The current fee approval process requires final adoption by the University of Washington Board of Regents. Unlike any other tuition or fee, the Services and Activities Fee is controlled by an unelected entity entirely free of any accountability to either students or the people of the state. This fact has had negative consequences in the past, when Regents rejected the student recommendation and allocated $86,000 of SAF money for the re-turfing of Husky Stadium. This must not happen without student consent. This fee is paid by students; it is for students. During the 1996 supplemental session, the Washington State Legislature gave approval authority for the technology fee both to students and Regents. The ASUW encourages the state to seek consistency in state law by giving SAF approval authority both to students and Regents as well.

  5. EQUALITY OF UW FAMILY BENEFITS

    6. Registered domestic gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples have the same financial needs as married students. As UW students, they should have the opportunity to purchase coverage via the same plans available to married students. Both the Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan and the Graduate Appointee Insurance Plan should define registered domestic partners as the equivalent of legal spouses and hence eligible for the same benefits. Because gay and lesbian couples cannot be legally married in Washington state, they are ineligible for family housing. This policy should be revised to allow registered domestic couples to apply for UW family housing.

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II. Federal Affairs

The students of the University of Washington support the following in the 105th Congress:

FIRST TIER FEDERAL ISSUES

  1. FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS

    2. The ASUW realizes that many of its members would not be able to attend the University of Washington if it were not for the financial assistance of the United States government. These programs play a crucial role in determining access to higher education, and it is for this reason that the ASUW takes a general position in favor of continuation of the following programs:

    1. Claiborne Pell Grants
      2. The ASUW is concerned about the decline of funding for this program over the last two decades, expressed both as a proportion of total student aid, and in terms of award levels, which have lost considerable ground relative to inflation. The ASUW supports establishing Pell Grants as an entitlement, and full funding to ensure that all eligible students receive the funds they need to obtain a college education.

    2. Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
      3. This program, long the institutional counterpart of Pell Grants, has aided millions of students, while providing an important incentive for schools that actively recruit students from diverse backgrounds. The ASUW supports full funding of this program, and adoption of budget mechanisms that ensure future SEOG disbursements keep pace with the cost of education.

    3. William S. Ford Direct Loans
      4. The ASUW enthusiastically supports continuation of this program, which should be made available to all colleges and universities.

      The ASUW is against efforts to compel colleges and universities to participate in the Federal Family Education Loan program-- schools should be free to decide which program best suits their needs. Should the Congress find that institutions are not necessarily acting in the best interests of students in this matter, the appropriate step would be to require each institution to set up a committee of alumni and present student financial aid recipients to make such determinations.

    4. Carl D. Perkins Loans
      5. The institutional loans made possible under federal capitalization of the Perkins Loan program provide another important source of assistance for many low-income students. While the bulk of federal resources should be employed in strengthening the Pell Grant and Stafford Loan programs, it is important that the Perkins Loan program continue to expand to meet the growing needs of students. The ASUW supports contributions of capital to this program to keep pace with rising student enrollments and the cost of education.

    5. Federal Family Education Loan Program
      6. These programs, available also through direct lending, have become the fastest growing segment of federal financial assistance. If Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), and subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans had not been available over the last few years, millions would have been denied access to higher education. While such programs are relatively inexpensive for the federal government (particularly through direct lending), they leave most students with huge debts. Clearly a balance between loan programs and grants must be found; for this reason, the ASUW supports continuing these invaluable programs, but urges Congress to address the growing debt burden being placed on financially needy students.

    6. Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN), Jacob Javits Fellowship, Patricia Harris Roberts Fellowship, and Robert Byrd Scholarship
      7. Awarded on the basis of merit, these scholarship and fellowship programs have made possible the studies of many UW students while accomplishing important public policy goals. The ASUW urges continued funding.

    7. Federal Consolidation Loans
      8. Another loan program administered directly by the Department of Education, consolidations loans allow students who have fallen behind on student loan payments a second chance to live up these financial obligations, thereby reducing potential loan defaults. The ASUW supports continuation of this useful program, which has already curbed loan default statistics.

    8. Federal Work Study
      9. Prior to implementation of the Federal Work Study program, it was common for students to be unable to find part-time employment. Today, the neediest students are put to work through this program, in which the federal government subsidizes student wages, allowing students to pick valuable work experience and a paycheck. This program is only available to a small number of students, and as a consequence many students who would like to participate are turned away. The ASUW supports making this program available to all students.

    9. Americorps
      10. The ASUW strongly urges Congress and the Administration to expand National Service Corps programs and opportunities. This program, which borrows extensively from the proud tradition of the GI Bill and the National Defense Student Loan program represents a unique confluence of interests, affording students a chance to help strengthen their education at the same time that they overcome the debt burden of higher education.

    10. State Student Incentive Grants
      11. State Student Incentive Grants (SSIG) have inspired the creation of student loan programs and guaranty agencies in every state of the union. Such federal funds account for only a small percentage of total expenditures, meaning that most federal dollars are leveraged by a substantially larger state funding commitment. The ASUW hence supports elimination of the SSIG program so that the funds can be redirected to provide other direct student financial assistance. As a prerequisite for receipt of other Title IV funds, states should be required to maintain their funding of these programs.

SECOND TIER FEDERAL ISSUES

  1. REAUTHORIZATION

    2. The Higher Education Act expires in 1997, necessitating that the 105th Congress reexamine almost all student aid programs. Since 1980, student loans have grown at an unprecedented rate, leaving students with such a heavy burden of debt as to raise anxiety for many recent graduates, and deterring many from going to school in the first place. This concern has been repeatedly raised during the reauthorization processes of the last two decades, yet the problem has only gotten worse. The ASUW urges Congress to address the growing debt to grant ratio during 1997 Higher Education Act reauthorization. While innovative programs like Americorps may provide the answer, at this time the only clear solution is increased grant expenditures.

    Any system must include student loans. While the amount of debt has spiraled out of control in recent years and must be addressed, many steps remain that could ease the burden, such as spreading out student loan obligations through longer periods of repayment. The ASUW further advocates expansion of income contingent loan repayment options to give students a chance to serve society by going into careers like teaching, law enforcement, and social work.

    Once Congress has determined the level of investment in student aid programs, it is imperative that schools be allowed to find the optimal way of allocating scarce resources. The ASUW urges Congress to revise student financial aid programs so as to provide institutions with greater flexibility in adjusting the mix of grants, loans, and work study.

  2. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REFORM

    3. The ASUW is deeply concerned about the billions of dollars that have reportedly been lost over the last decade to fraud, waste, and financial mismanagement of Federal Student Financial Aid Programs. While changes in the Department of Education are needed, many of these problems stem from the mandate given to the department by Congress.

    Student aid programs for colleges and universities are today treated in largely the same way as those for vocational and proprietary schools. While the ASUW takes no position on the question of whether proprietary schools should be eligible for federal financial aid funds in the first place, it is clear that such programs require a much greater level of oversight. The ASUW therefore urges Congress to create a separate regulatory mechanism to deal with proprietary schools, enabling the department to focus its resources on weeding out the fraud that does occur without saddling public and non-profit colleges and universities with onerous and unnecessary rules and procedures.

    The related problem of loan default rates will only increase in significance as the department services an increasing proportion of student loans due under direct lending. The ASUW recognizes loan repayment as both an important aim of public policy and a necessity to insure the availability of funds for loans in the future. Recent record low default numbers, consistent with the strong historic correlation between default rates and the state of the economy, suggests that Congress should be cautious in taking action to pursue delinquent student debtors. The cyclical nature of these default numbers also prompts the ASUW to oppose regulations that would punish institutions for the non-payment of debts by their alumni.

  3. TAX POLICY

    1. Refundable Tuition Tax Credits
      2. The ASUW supports efforts to make available refundable tax credits to students in hopes of offsetting the cost of tuition, further contingent on income and satisfactory academic progress. Such a program should provide a means of advancing to students the funds, without interest, at the time tuition is due, rather than forcing needy families to await IRS tax refunds. The Ford direct lending program or offsetting Perkins loans capital contributions would both be effective methods of getting these funds in the hands of students when it matters.

    2. General tax-deductibility of tuition
      3. The ASUW supports amending the tax code to make tuition, room, board, and textbooks deductible from adjusted gross personal income. This above-the-line deduction for qualified educational expenses paid during the taxable year for the education or training of the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or the taxpayer's dependents will make college much more affordable for millions of middle-income Americans.

    3. Individual Retirement Accounts
      4. The ASUW supports changes in the tax code to permit penalty-free withdrawals from Individual Retirement Accounts for the purpose of funding college or university expenses.

    4. Section 127
      5. The ASUW supports amendments to the US tax code to provide for the permanent authorization of Section 127 for all students. The ASUW also supports granting further tax incentives to businesses that help fund college costs for their employees as well as the consideration of federal matching funds for such programs. The ASUW also advocates raising the ceiling on deductible employer educational benefits from $5250 to the total cost of tuition and textbooks or which ever is greater.

    5. Alumni Association-University Transfers
      6. The ASUW supports amending the tax code to ensure the continued tax free status of fund transfers between alumni associations and universities, particularly those called into question under memo 1996-34 of the US Tax Court.

    6. Student Loan Interest Deduction
      7. Amendments to the tax code in 1986 eliminated the tax deductibility of consumer interest, and at the same time ended the deductibility of the interest on student loans. The ASUW supports restoring the deductibility of student loan interest.

  4. VOTING

    5. The ASUW supports extension of the Motor-Voter act to include college enrollment and registration processes. The ASUW also favors adoption of a national absentee ballot request and registration system.

    Given the problems that many students have in making it off campus to polling stations, the ASUW proposes that the US government compel all colleges and universities which receive funds under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, establish polling locations for the use of students.

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III. Position Statements

  1. SALLIE MAE

    2. Given its substantial existing student loan portfolio, the ASUW advocates continued restructuring of the Student Loan Marketing Association within its existing framework as a semi-public corporation.

  2. ROTC PARTICIPATION

    3. There is no evidence that any US college or university prohibits ROTC recruitment on campus, and for this reason, the ASUW is opposed to efforts to have the federal government require ROTC recruitment in order to receive federal funding.

  3. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

    4. The ASUW supports continued funding of programs under the National Environmental Education Act and expansion of the postsecondary fellowships available under this program.

  4. DIVERSITY

    5. The ASUW advocates a mandate to the University of Washington, instructing the school encourage . The ASUW encourages diversity in all faucets of academe, and encourages the University of Washington, state and federal officials, and schools across the country to work together to make real progress on this important issue. Beyond what is prescribed by the judiciary, The ASUW is opposed to federal limitations and restrictions that impede the ability of colleges and universities to achieve through the admissions process a student body that is representative of society.

    It is the position of the ASUW that the University of Washington should create and maintain regulations and funds to insure a diverse campus community of students, faculty, and staff.

    ASUW supports funding of TRIO-- Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Center, and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement program. These initiatives have made a substantial impact both here at the University of Washington and across the country, and warrant continuation.

  5. HEALTH CARE

    6. The ASUW supports maintenance of a centralized, subsidized health care facility on campus providing immediate, broad, and inexpensive health care to all students.

    The ASUW urges Congress to consider the unique needs of college students in any efforts to reform health care. Specifically, the ASUW generally favors requirements that, regardless of pre- existing conditions, institutions of higher learning provide universal coverage for all students and that university-based health care centers and plans allow an option for students to obtain reasonably priced coverage for spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. The ASUW supports implementation on a national level of Washington State's Basic Health Plan to insure all college students.

    Since many students rely on their parent's insurance policies for health care coverage, it is important that they be able to retain that coverage should their parents employment circumstances change. For this reason, the ASUW supports expansion of the portability legislation passed in the last Congress to include specific language protecting students. The ASUW also encourages Congress to address the issue of continued Medicaid eligibility for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

  6. SCHOOL TO WORK

    7. The ASUW supports continuation and expansion of the School to Work program, and particularly encourages Congress and the Administration to strengthen ties between this program and conventional postsecondary education programs.

  7. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

    8. The ASUW opposes any legislation which prohibits, suppresses, or limits student or faculty speech, expression, and/or civil rights or liberties.

    The ASUW is opposed to reforms to US Copyright laws which impair the fair use of emerging media and information technologies like the Internet.

    The ASUW supports repeal of the Communications Decency Act of 1995. The Internet deserves as much, if not more, protection from government restrictions as other mediums because it is the most decentralized form of mass communication yet conceived. This law aims to curb indecency, yet indecency is not clearly defined, leaving legitimate and worthwhile material subject to censorship, and potentially doing great harm.

  8. SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE

    9. The ASUW recognizes the benefits that accrue to the students of the University of Washington and the nation as a whole from federal support of basic and applied research, and urges Congress and the Administration to invest in these initiatives. Programs such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology play a vital role in furthering the development of technology and innovations in medicine that benefit all Americans and serve as a catalyst for economic development.

    The ASUW also favors funding of the National Information Infrastructure project in the US Department of Commerce and a continued Federal role in the development of the Internet.

  9. IMMIGRATION

    10. The ASUW is opposed to any measure which prevents legal immigrants from obtaining an education, including any efforts to restrict financial aid eligibility, distort income levels through "deeming," or any additional mandates requiring colleges or universities to investigate the citizenship and background of students.

  10. CAMPUS SAFETY

    11. The ASUW is a long-standing supporter of legislative measures to increase campus safety. The ASUW continues to support such legislation and will assist in ensuring administrative compliance with state law regarding campus safety measures, programs and policies.

  11. STUDENT REGENT

    12. The ASUW supports the addition of the ASUW President as a full voting member of the University of Washington Board of Regents.

  12. STUDENT RIGHTS

    13. The ASUW opposes any effort to limit the civil rights of students based on either their status as students or as residents of either University Housing or the Greek System.

  13. DRUG TESTING

    14. The ASUW is opposed to any program or initiative that would require students to submit to testing for drugs or other controlled substances as a condition of attending the University of Washington or receiving financial aid.

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©1996 Associated Students of the University of Washington.