Administrators' commitment to Focused Excellence remains

Right from the start, Provost George Davis knew the concept of Focused Excellence would be difficult to implement.

After administrators took the first implementation step by announcing 16 proposals for program eliminations in January, Davis saw just how much resistance he would face.

Davis said he estimated anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 letters and emails poured in over the last few months in support of the 16 programs. Most supported either the School of Information Resources and Library Science, the School of Landscape Architecture, or the School of Planning, he said. [Read article]

UAPD reports sexual assault at Corleone

A student was sexually assaulted early Saturday morning at a UA residence hall.

While details remain sketchy, a police activity report at the University of Arizona Police Department stated that the sexual assault, which occurred at the Corleone Apartments, 1330 N. Park Ave., was classified as a forcible rape.

UAPD Cmdr. Kevin Haywood said his department was declining comment on the incident because it is still under investigation. [Read article]

Members of the local media received criticism last night over war coverage at a panel coordinated by the Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East.

"In general the U.S. media is not doing an A-plus job covering all aspects of this war," said Leila Hudson, a professor of Near Eastern studies. "That is especially disturbing in a democracy."

Hudson, KOLD TV anchor Randy Garsee, and Bobbie Jo Buel, managing editor of The Arizona Daily Star, took part in the panel discussion, entitled "Media in the Time of War". [Read article]

The UA classroom of the future is just a keystroke away, UA information technology officials say.

The rapid advancement of computer technology and the emergence of high-speed Internet connections has led to a boom in Web-based courses being offered next fall, according to Robin Allen, UA chief information officer.

"The general progress of technology has enabled the ease of use," said Gary Forger, technology coordinator. [Read article]

The Tucson man convicted of sexually assaulting a UA student while she showered was formally connected to a similar incident he was charged with more than five years ago.

Esteban Rodriguez, 25, the man convicted of sexually assaulting a Manzanita-Mohave resident, not allowing other girls to leave residence hall showers and nearly running a University of Arizona Police officer over was linked yesterday, by fingerprints, to a November 1998 incident that Deputy County Attorney Brad Roach said was similar in nature. [Read article]

Freshman Ducks fan really likes On Deck sandwiches, also eats a fair amount of pizza

WILDCAT: Is that normal for you on a Monday night, a sandwich from On Deck Deli?

BOUDREAUX: It's about a three-night-a-week thing.

WILDCAT: A three-night-a-week thing? You're in love with that place, aren't you?

BOUDREAUX: Yeah.

WILDCAT: You should invest stock in that place or something. Get your money back! Well, for the four other nights what do you have? [Read article]

· In the last five years, 24 residents of Tokyo died while bowing to other people.

· In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.

· Fingernails grow nearly four times faster than our toenails.

· The monarch butterfly can discern tastes 12,000 times more subtle than those perceivable by human taste buds. [Read article]

Bunny hunt

Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University

The last time Playboy did a Girls of the Big Ten pictorial, back in 1997, the issue featured nine Indiana University students, more than any other Big Ten school.

Officials at the popular men's magazine hope an open-casting call at a local hotel turns up as many qualified candidates this time around.

Candidates were interviewed at a hotel yesterday and interviews continue today, said Playboy publicist Theresa Hennessey. Finalists will be photographed later this week for the magazine's October edition, one of its most popular issues. [Read article]