ASMSU has questions they want answered about the proposed new residential college.

To voice its concerns and get answers, the Academic Assembly of MSU's undergraduate student government passed a bill Tuesday night listing unresolved issues with the proposed college, tentatively named the Nelson Mandela College.

The bill calls for a letter to be sent to Marcellette Williams, chairwoman of the New Residential College Program Planning Group and President-designate Lou Anna Simon. It lists ASMSU's four concerns: the naming of the college, level of student input, fall 2005 start date and amount of money to be allocated.

Academic Assembly Chairperson Dan Weber and External Vice Chairperson Vinay Prasad will send the letter on Friday, Weber said.

The college would reside in Snyder and Phillips halls and incorporate a liberal arts and international curriculum. The idea came from Simon's "Realizing the Vision" plan for liberal arts and sciences at MSU announced in the spring.

Brian Forest, a representative for the College of Arts & Letters, introduced a similar bill to question the residential college last week which failed. He said ASMSU was concerned that the college was named and organized without much student effort.

"The naming should be a community effort," he said. "We want to make a new name that has student, faculty and administration in the process."

Forest said the proposed timetable was a concern because the college doesn't yet have any faculty or students.

"It seems kind of shady - launching for next year," he said.

As set forth by the planning committee, the college would begin in 2005.

The last concern listed addresses creating the new college amid budget cuts across campus, Forest said.

"If other colleges are having budget cuts it doesn't make sense to put this into a new equation," he said. "Right now may not be the right time."

Some representatives had problems with the bill, which passed 11-5, saying they wanted to see the letter before it is sent to Simon and Williams.

"If my name and what I represent is going to be sent to the provost, I want to know what will be said and I want to agree with it," said Michelle Beaujean, a representative for the College of Education.

Beaujean added she wanted ASMSU's grievances listed on the bill instead of leaving the responsibility for Weber and Prasad.