Tuesday Microburst: UA on the hook for Ashford debt, get ready for ballot initiatives

Good afternoon. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a high of 75°. Things are expected to cool off Thursday, with a high of 62° and a 40% chance of showers.

🌵 The U.S. Department of Education is trying to force the University of Arizona to pay off student debt related to its acquisition of Ashford University.

UA acquired the online Ashford University in 2020, while Ashford was under investigation for misleading students about accreditations, attendance costs, and more. Last year, the Department of Education canceled $72 million in student debt for 2,300 Ashford students, and now wants UA to cover the bill. It’s not clear if the Department of Education expects the university to repay that entire amount; the university is already dealing with a $177 million shortfall.

Also in UA financial crisis news: President Robert Robbins will take a voluntary pay cut, and the chair of the Arizona Board of Regents stepped down. Additionally, UA interim CFO John Arnold will take a leave of absence from his ABOR duties.

🌵 Governor Hobbs vetoed an immigration bill. 

The Republican-backed “Arizona Border Invasion Act” would have made illegal immigration a state crime, allowing state and local law enforcement agents to arrest people they suspect of being in the country unlawfully. “This bill does not secure our border,” said Hobbs in a video posted to X. “On the contrary, it will be harmful for communities and businesses in our state and a burden for law enforcement personnel.” 

🌵 First Lady Jill Biden visited Tucson on Saturday.

Biden spoke at the Fox Tucson Theatre during an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of Arizona List, a nonprofit that supports women running for democratic offices. In other campaign news, Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Phoenix on Friday.

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🌵 Five people are charged with creating “ghost students” in an effort to defraud the state’s school voucher system.

The voucher program subsidizes parents who send their children to private schools and pays for other related education expenses. The people charged worked for the program and allegedly used it to purchase unspecified luxury items. The scheme involved the creation of “ghost students” with fake birth certificates who filed the expenses.

🌵 Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema are urging Congress to fund critical services for asylum seekers.

Pima County officials work with aid organizations to shelter asylum seekers after they have been released by the Border Patrol. The funding used to help migrants runs out on March 31, at which point aid organizations will have to wind down operations. This could result in thousands of unsheltered migrant releases into Tucson.

🌵 Lastly, get ready for a whole lot of ballot initiatives this fall. 

Arizona allows initiatives to be placed directly on the ballot by the state legislature. Republicans are using this process to put legislation to voters that would otherwise be vetoed by Governor Hobbs. Four such measures are already on the November ballot, with nearly 20 more awaiting action in the legislature.

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