Bravo to ASU junior Steven Limpert. He won the Circumnavigators Club Foundation grant, which is worth $9,000 and will allow him to travel around the world this summer to deepen his understanding of solar energy. Limpert will be traveling to six different countries and researching the development and commercialization of solar energy on his trek around the planet. He will also be looking at the government subsidies that fund these projects. It is certainly an honor to have an ASU student chosen for such a prestigious award, and this is sure to open a lot of doors for him. We just hope he comes back to sunny Arizona and offers his ingenuity to the solar industry at home.
Boo to yet another attempt by the Arizona Legislature to overstep its bounds. Sen. Lori Klein, R-Anthem, proposed Senate Bill 1433 to allow Arizona to nullify federal laws. The bill would allow a committee of 12 legislators — six from each house — to decide which federal laws Arizona will follow based on “constitutionality.” Though we aren’t federal judges, we’re pretty sure this law itself is unconstitutional. There is that little passage in the Constitution known as the Supremacy Clause, which says that federal law trumps state law. For people who claim to be strict Constitutionalists, our legislators sure are proposing some odd laws. This issue was pretty clearly decided in the 1860s — you know, in that whole Civil War thing when states tried to do what they wanted. And we all know how that turned out.
Bravo for the evacuation of two ASU students from Egypt. The ASU students, whose names haven’t been released, were studying abroad when the violent protests and uprisings broke out against Egyptian President Honsi Mubarak. While we are sure the students would have had an excellent time studying amidst pyramids and the Great Sphinx, their safety is much more important to us. We are glad they are back in the U.S.
Boo to Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills. ASU President Michael Crow went to the state Legislature Wednesday to speak out against more potential budget cuts. While he was answering questions for legislators, Kavanagh noted that the University has $595 million more in its bank that it did before the recession began. Kavangh told The Arizona Republic, “If that’s true, they should have no problem with a funding reduction.” Crow explained that money climbed due to increased enrollment and much of that money is in funds that must be spent on specific things, like research and student housing. Still, Kavanagh seems married to the Legislature’s slash-and-burn mentality. Eventually the burning will go outside the state budget and into students’ pockets. The sad part is most students already have holes in their pockets.
Bravo to the Arizona Students’ Association and the Student Veterans of America for working to get lower tuition for veterans. The two groups worked to draft a bill that would allow honorably discharged veterans to pay in-state tuition as soon as they come to Arizona. The bill, which made it out of the House of Representatives Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee, will help more veterans afford school at a reasonable price. This is the least we can do to support such a brave group of men and women.
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