Page 22 December 2015 By Josh Cutlip As he observes the room of students, he dons a shirt that reads, “I heart ASU.” But after talking with Arwood, the shirt may as well read, “I heart higher education,” or “Arizona”, or “humanity.” James Arwood Jr. has lived in the Arcadia neighborhood for the 20 years he has been alive; he played in the Arcadia Little League, went to Valley Lutheran High School, and now he finds himself on the downtown Phoenix campus at Arizona State University studying public policy and sustainability. Apart from his constant smile, intramural sports involvement and attendance at school events, Arwood has one objective: win back money for higher education in Arizona. After marching to the state capital to try and stop last year’s budget cuts of approximately $99 million from higher education, Arwood has since put in countless hours of research and hard work to form a team called Students for Affordable Tuition, a grassroots movement to fight against student debt. “The one thing that I want to give to the next generation, is the ability for everyone to achieve their potential,” said Arwood. “I don’t want anyone to feel capped, just because they don’t have enough money.” Arwood recently took his team to action, leading a phone bank where in- and out-of-state students involved with SFAT could call Arizona legislators with a “legislative opinion.” “We had a lot of students making calls to their personal legislators and trying to sway them,” Arwood said. “We want to show legislators that we’re students and that we’re going to be watching this next year, and we really, desperately need them to invest in higher education.” The budget cuts against higher education last year affected more than just in-state students; most people entering ASU as freshmen this fall noticed it. Out-of-state freshman Corey Hawk said that the increase in tuition and fees made him question his decision to go to ASU. “I was actually very angry, I mean to the point where I already paid my deposit and considered withdrawing,” said Hawk. With an increasing number of students in a similar situation as Hawk – where money is a deciding factor – Arwood gains motivation to step in and voice his opinion. Arwood said he wants local students to know that local society needs and wants them and that the opportunities at Arizona colleges are accessible. The first big step of his long-term goal was the phone bank, where he constructed scripts that provided legislators with a greeting, and then five quick facts and information about what SFAT is fighting for. One fact reads, “Overall tuition in Arizona has risen 84 percent since 2008, and it is jeopardizing students’ futures.” Arwood assisted those making the calls by providing the names and phone numbers of state legislators, and if they were in-state students, he gave them the names of the legislators who represented their home districts. So what is the purpose of all of this? What is the end goal for Arwood and his group of motivated students? “We have supported the Arizona Board of Regents’ request to invest about 60 million dollars back into higher education, but that’s just the beginning, because we were cut $99 million, and we ended up having a near $270 million surplus,” said Arwood. “We have the money to invest, so we’re slowly trying to put a little bit more money back into higher education.” Arwood has spent a significant amount of time making sure his argument is sound, in hopes that it will lead to a successful outcome where students enrolling in Arizona’s colleges over the next few years will not have to pay higher fees to receive an education. Hawk, who made about 20 calls to legislators himself, said the increases in costs are unreasonable and “scary.” “It’s a lot of money, and for people who have never been financially independent, it’s hard to fathom the actual amount of debt you’re getting into,” he said. “Hopefully it is something we can fix, and if not, at least we can fix it for the people after us.” Arwood’s plan goes through next year and he hopes to gain back as much money as possible. He encourages everyone to voice their opinion, and call their legislators if there is an issue they care about. “Anybody can make a phone call to their legislator at any moment in time. I really encourage people that if they feel strongly about this issue, and even if they feel strongly against us, to make sure that their voice is heard.” Arwood hopes to get the support of all three legislators from District 28 which surrounds Arcadia, and he encourages everyone to be involved within their districts if they believe in making an impact on their community. “It is so important to make sure that you are standing up for what you believe in, Arwood said. “That’s why we’re [at the phone bank]. That’s why we have put in countless hours when nobody sees us, and that’s why we are going to conti nue to fight for cheaper higher education.” Passionate student rallies for legislative change Arwood encourages volunteers at his phone bank.

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