If you are a student at the University of Arizona — or are affiliated with it or simply live in Tucson — there is a chance you've heard of ASUA, but there is a much higher chance you don't know what it is.

The Associated Students of the University of Arizona is UA's student government. The organization puts on Family Weekend, Spring Fling, oversees SafeRide, Zona Zoo and clubs like Students for Sustainability. But a small number of students know about this extensive involvement, and even fewer students participate in the elections.

"Last year we had somewhere between five and six thousand votes cast," said Natalynn Masters, president of ASUA. 
The total student enrollment at UA was 44,831 as of 2017. While many of those students may be online students or attend a campus other than the main one here in Tucson, voting for ASUA elections is entirely online, and most of the information students receive regarding the elections and candidates is via email.

So is this a problem of complete apathy on part of the students, or are ASUA and the school themselves not doing enough to raise awareness of student government and its dealings?

I talked to three students, two of whom knew what ASUA is, but none of them have ever voted for their student representatives.

ASUA is taking steps to change these types of student interests and awareness.

"We just, for the first time, got approved to send out monthly newsletters to students' emails," said Masters.

She also said they have plans to put aside money for promos, like giveaways for students, and put on "Jimmy Kimmel-type skits" on the mall to raise student awareness of ASUA.

Campaigning generally starts in late February and the entire election process lasts eight weeks.

Self described as either “sing-song” or “soul music for the soul,” June West’s music coalesces several cozy genres into one exceptionally listenable style: Americana choruses, folk-rock guitar, heartland saxophone, jazzy piano and bluesy drums. These are not to detract from West’s voice, however. Her dark and poetic vocals laying on top of the lush instruments fuse into a rich, deeply golden sound. 

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We caught up with West ahead of her debut album release show at Exo Roast to find out the albums that inspired her.

7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13. Exo Roast Co. 403 N. 6th Ave $10.

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Little Ann Deep Shadows

Easily my favorite record of all time. It felt like fate when I found the LP at the original Mississippi Records in Portland, OR. An out-of-the-blue friend just happened to be there as I picked it up, and she said, “That’s your record right there.” If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that ’ll never tire of Little Ann’s velvety voice, heartachey man problems and endless grooves. A versatile record that’s great for a dance party, a sunshine drive, or an afternoon cry. 

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Love Apple S/T

I love minimalist soul music. This record is a rehearsal tape from Cleveland, OH in the late 70s, reissued by the Numero Group. Everything about it is so raw and real. I am often struck by how little is needed to make music that moves people. The band possesses what I consider to be genuine soul, the lack of production allows it shine through without interference. This record is my go-to in order to ease the vibe of any situation.

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TIE: Neil Young Everybody Knows This is Nowhere / Nick Drake Pink Moon

A friend let me borrow a burned CD with both albums on it for an impromptu road trip, then it got jammed in my car stereo for over three years. I found almost every driving scenario during this time (particularly the time spent in my hometown of Missoula) was blissfully soundtracked by one album or the other. Even though the CD eventually came out, they will forever be timeless treasures that continue to score the soundtrack of my life and influence me in subliminal ways.

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Alice Coltrane Journey in Satchidananda

Over the years I’ve been designing my own spiritual practice. I’ve taken much inspiration from Alice Coltrane’s jazz music and her own spiritual journey learning from Indian guru Swami Satchidananda. The first time I heard this album, it blew me away musically, needless to say. The more I listened, the more it instantly created this space for my mind to recenter and ground. The record is now a ritual for me, I put it on so that I can access the strength of peace within myself. Pretty powerful stuff.

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Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou S/T

It is certainly cringeworthy for me to refer to music as a “universal language” right now, but honestly I can appreciate the transcendence of this concept when listening to Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou. The piano music of this Ethiopian nun born in 1923 grants every listener a sense of peace and evokes the nostalgic beauty of life, in her own unique expression. Even though we may seem worlds apart in terms of identity, history, culture, belief system, language, life path, what have you, listening to her music makes me realize how close we really are without needing to say a single word about it.

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Whiskey Wednesday at Union Public House. If you need just a little extra oomph to get you through the week, Union Public House has your back by offering half-off all whiskey all day. They also claim to have Tucson’s largest whiskey collection, so you’ve got more options than you can try in one fateful Wednesday evening. 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. 4340 N. Campbell Ave. 21+. Details here.

E-40: E-40’s career reads like a hip-hop encyclopedia. From 1986 to present, he has repped Oakland, founding Sick Wid’ It Records and spinning on the E-Feezy radio show, showcasing the flamboyant East Bay scene and cementing its place in the hip-hop pantheon. On the mic, E is hilarious and oh-so-capable of switching game mid-flow. His real “genius” might be his business acumen (self-branding early with the legendary 40 Water) or the choice to be his own hype man. E-40 has underground cred for days, guesting even on the illusive DJ Shadow’s new record. Yet his commercial whip appeal earned him mad streams and hits and Lil Jon production. From Too Short to Snoop Dogg to the Game to Vince Staples, E never lets his career get crusty. With brains and panache, E-40 has managed a lifelong career in rap’s often sordid and bullet-riddled history. With OMB Peezy and Nef the Pharaoh on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Doors at 7 p.m. $25-$20. All ages. Details here.

Hot Fuzz. Continuing their love for Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright, The Loft Cinema is screening the second installment of the “Three Flavours Cornetto” trilogy. That’s right, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are technically in the same cinematic universe. The film is a buddy/crime film about two lummoxes hoping to solve a rash of mysterious murders. Fun! 7:30 to 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Regular admission prices. Details here.
Events compiled by Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot, Ava Garcia and Jeff Gardner.

I've never used emoticons before, but these angry little guys may be just what I need right now.

"Read my emoticon. Damn right I'm mad! I plan to stay mad through November 6. After that, we'll see."

Republicans are doing everything they can to tell Arizona educators to calm down, there's really nothing to be upset about. It's your own fault the Invest in Ed initiative isn't on the ballot. As for your salary problems, blame your school district, not the legislature or the governor. You educators shouldn't bother your pretty, pedantic little heads about all this complicated governing stuff. Just stay in to your classrooms where you belong. After you vote us back into office, don't worry, everything will be fine.

Republicans hate it when their opponents get mad. Oh, they love to rile up their own base. The Tea Party named itself after a bunch of colonists in Boston who were so pissed about taxes, they threw a shipload of tea in the harbor. Our Liar in Chief inflames his base with a steady diet of hate directed at his growing list of enemies. They know it works.They know it brings their supporters out to the polls.

Which is why they want the opposition to stay calm and quiet. Get sad, not mad. Lose gracefully.

I was surprised to find myself featured in an op ed by Jonathan Hoffman in Sunday's Star. I was the poster child and whipping boy for every educator who is angry at Republican elected officials and their fat cat donors and plans to vote them out of office. Hoffman was complaining about a quote from one of my recent posts, Don't Get Sad. Get Mad!:

“We need to be Red-hot angry over the decision by Ducey’s Supreme Court, backed by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, to take the Invest in Education initiative off the ballot.”

Hoffman hated that "Red-hot angry" phrase so much, he repeated it four times. If anyone missed the point about how dangerous it is to be that angry, he warned teachers they're turning into "Antifa thugs" instead of quiet, staid "college-educated professionals."

Your problems are your own fault, he said.

"You created the problems with the Invest in Ed initiative, not the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Arizona Supreme Court. So, be professional, own the screw-up, and do it right next time."

Take the blame. Slink away quietly. Lick your wounds. You can try again two years from now.

We've successfully maneuvered our way through three weeks of the college football season, with a sparse amount of highs and a litany of lows in the Pac-12.

Last week's games produced a series of moments on both ends of the spectrum—with Arizona and USC looking flat-out ugly in road losses to Houston and Stanford, while Colorado punched its way past longtime rival Nebraska in Lincoln.

The 12-game college football season is a grueling gauntlet for most teams, with a single loss standing between immortality and failure.

It's been a brutal start to the season for the conference's dark-horse preseason darlings, Arizona and USC, with the former starting 0-2, while the latter sits at 1-1 after a dismal showing in Palo Alto.

Without further ado, here's my complete power ranking of all 12 teams in what Bill Walton refers to as 'The Conference of Champions':

1. Stanford (2-0, 1-0)

Last Week: Defeated USC 17-3

The Cardinal have been rock solid to start the season, trouncing San Diego State by 21 points in their opener, before stifling a solid USC team 17-3 last Saturday. The Cardinal have looked like a much better team top-to-bottom than last year's squad, which was basically reliant upon the exploits of dynamic running back Bryce Love to succeed. They were lucky, as Love put up a season that should have won him the Heisman Trophy, with 2,118 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns for the Cardinal, despite being hobbled by a nasty high ankle sprain for most of the year. The biggest difference with the Cardinal this fall is the performance of junior QB K.J. Costello, who has 515 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns in two games, while only throwing one interception in that stretch. Love rebounded from a rough opening game against SDSU, where he ran for 29 yards on 18 carries, with 136 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries against the Trojans. Expect the Cardinal to roll over Dan Hawkins' University of California-Davis team this week, with a road trip to play 20th-ranked Oregon looming large on Sept. 22.

2. Colorado (2-0, 0-0)

Last Week: Defeated Nebraska 33-28

No Pac-12 team has caught me by surprise quite like the Buffs have through their first two games. I was quite impressed by Mike MacIntyre's team and the way they handled their business in Lincoln on Saturday, with junior QB Steven Montez completing 33-of-50 passed for 351 yards and three scores against a much-improved Huskers defense. The Buffs have looked explosive on offense through two games, destroying my alma mater (Colorado State) 45-13 in their opener on Labor Day weekend, exhibiting the type of offensive firepower that's been lacking in Boulder for the past decade or so. The Buffs face their final non-conference tuneup game against the University of New Hampshire this weekend, before hosting Chip Kelly's UCLA squad on Friday, Sept. 28 in their conference opener. Don't be surprised if Montez keeps the Buffaloes in contention for a division crown as the season progresses.

3. Washington (1-1, 0-0)

Last Week: Defeated North Dakota 45-3

The Huskies entered the season as the unanimous pick to be the Pac-12's on-field darling, but ran into a buzzsaw against Auburn in week one. The Huskies weren't able to usurp the Tigers' defensive prowess in a game that the conference desperately needed to win from a PR standpoint, falling 21-16 in a defensive bloodbath of a game. Chris Peterson's team rebounded nicely against a mid-tier FCS squad last week, with a crucial contest in Salt Lake City against an undefeated Utah team on Saturday. The issue is that senior QB Jake Browning has been inconsistent through two games, posting a QB Rating of 53.5 (on a scale of 0-100) against Auburn, before rebounding somewhat to 70.2 against North Dakota. That inconsistency is nothing new for Browning, who finished last season with a 59.8 QBR in 13 games a junior in 2017, a year after a promising sophomore campaign where he had a QBR of 71.1 for the Huskies. It's clear that the senior is heading in the wrong direction statistically for the Huskies, though he has a definitive chance to salvage his career with a strong showing in the conference season. It'll be interesting to see if Browning can crack the Utes' strong pass defense this Saturday, with Utah ranking second overall in passing yards allowed per game, at 62 passing yards per game against Weber State and Northern Illinois University.

June West celebrates the release of her self-titled debut at Exo Roast Co., on Thursday, Sept. 13.

With a doe-like spirit and a keen eye set on self-examination, June West chronicles stories of both deep loss and contentment and creates a reflecting pool of her life.

“The release of this album is a big milestone for me as a human trying to find my purpose,” West says. “The greatest lesson has been about how people across communities are generously willing to step up and help me realize my ideas because they believe in what I do.” Which serves as fuel for West to persist through the challenges of being an artist.

Drawing influence equally from the present day (artists like Natalie Prass and Angel Olsen) and the past (godmothers Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones who helped pave the way), West is a practitioner in flux. “The newer songs have been more deliberately evocative of soul and R&B, which has always resonated with me.”

Upon entrance, delicate and dreamlike, partially hidden from view, June West is an album that reveals its secret gardens with each listen. Here are a few highlights.

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