Wednesday morning, residence halls opened their doors and instantly the lazy calm of summer was shattered.

The recently vacant parking lots filled to capacity and students began to move in. Most weren't forced to make the transition into college alone.

Where there was a new student there was almost inevitably a cluster of family and friends lending their services as baggage carriers and givers of emotional support. [Read article]

Detectives link James Allen Selby's DNA to five local sex crimes, plus ten other assaults

A warrant issued for a man suspected in several campus area sex crimes has left UA students and the campus community with heightened concerns for safety as police engage in a multi-state manhunt. [Read article]

Dean of Students Melissa Vito stripped UA recognition from Delta Chi fraternity in May for numerous hazing activities reported last August and September. The violations included paddling, furnishing of alcohol to underage students, "Roman Chair" calisthenics ÷ in which pledges were made to squat in the position of chairs for extended periods of time ÷ and yelling at and ridiculing pledges.

With loss of UA recognition, Delta Chi cannot participate in homecoming or recruitment during rush and cannot co-sponser activities like Spring Fling until at least 2004. The fraternity is no longer listed among fraternities on UA Web sites or recruitment literature and cannot participate in awards ceremonies, Vito said. [Read article]

Not going to class the first day could cost students their seat

Getting courses isn't difficult to quite the degree UA administrators in the spring had predicted it would be, but students squeezing into a newly gained seat at this point in the semester will find the fit a tight one.

One hundred and twenty-eight classes were cancelled in February as a result of budget cuts, leaving deans and department heads to wonder where they were going to put large undergraduate classes who had packed the classroom in the current year. [Read article]

UA student body president: This will not be tolerated at UA

Arizona State University president Michael Crow said Thursday that disciplinary action would be taken against ASU fraternities and fraternity members ÷ including the executive vice president of the student government at the Tempe university ÷ who took part in making a pornographic video that included sex on a campus lawn, porn stars and a sexual scavenger hunt. [Read article]

For the first time in her college career, VŽronique Bredas experienced the UA Mall she saw in her viewbook, after student union construction workers moved a fence off the Mall last week.

This fall will be the first time students can use the whole Mall after two years of it being partially closed off for one construction project after another.

Bredas, a nutrition junior, has attended UA during the last year of construction of the Integrated Learning Center and last school year when the section of the Mall directly east of Old Main, was fenced off for construction of the Student Union Memorial Center. [Read article]

Five degree programs will be cut from UA's course offerings and three other programs will be merged with different programs over the next four years, if the Arizona Board of Regents ratify Provost George Davis' proposal at their next meeting.

Under the plan, the bachelor of science in atmospheric sciences, doctorate in educational leadership, master of science in exercise and sports science, master of science and doctorate in range management and master of science in water resources administration would be eliminated due to low graduation rates. [Read article]

A free 24-hour emergency transport service designed to help students in danger will be available for UA student use for the first time this fall.

Student LifeLine ÷ established in New York in 1988 to bring teens home and avoid threatening dates or drunk drivers ÷ is coming to UA to provide students a safe way to get to a hospital, women's shelter, police station or residence.

"It should be a great program," said UA student body president Doug Hartz. "It's taken relatively no investment." [Read article]

Regents approve presidential pay raise

In June, the Arizona Board of Regents approved a $148,394 pay raise for President Peter Likins.

After the raise, Likins' total salary package jumped to $468,394 a year, or 46 percent more than he previously earned. His salary will increase by $25,750 alone, while his pension plan will nearly quadruple in size. [Read article]

Wilbur's weapons confiscated

Wilbur the Wildcat ÷ one of the most recognizable UA logos ÷ has been redesigned after the university identification committee found him in violation of a campus gun ban last year. The ban only affects caricatures of Wilbur appearing on T-shirts and other UA paraphernalia. The Wilbur mascot that walks around the sidelines of UA basketball and football games was already disarmed years ago. The new logo, which was the only UA logo affected by the gun ban, was unveiled Wednesday along with several other new UA logos. The Arizona athletic logo was also changed when a desert scene was added. [Read article]

"This assassination of my character appears to be part of a government-run effort to show the American people that it is proceeding vigorously and successfully with the anthrax investigation."
- Dr. Stephen J. Hatfill on being a suspect in last Fall's Anthrax attacks.