FILE PHOTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Seniors Luke Walton, Rick Anderson and Jason Gardner show off their Zona Zoo T-shirts.

RICK ANDERSON, JASON GARDNER, LUKE WALTON
Men's basketball seniors

It was their year.

From October through April, nobody on campus embodied ÎWildcat Spirit' more than these men's hoops tri-captains.

They had just about seen it all during their four-plus years in Tucson. From the 2001 Final Four, to starting the year unranked as juniors, to becoming the poster-children of UA athletics during their two-year run at the helm, Anderson, Gardner and Walton became three of the most recognizable faces in the city. Walton had the pedigree; Gardner had the raw skills and heart; Anderson had the shot.

From the beginning Gardner was in the spotlight, starting at point guard. He was a rock at the 1-spot. Every game No. 22 would be bringing the ball up, and the only variation was his socks or what color of shiny shoes he was wearing.

Walton and Anderson both endured red-shirt seasons making their careers as Wildcats a year longer than Gardner's. They used their smarts to create mismatches throughout their careers.

DOUG HARTZ
Student body president 2002-2003

Hartz came on the scene as student body president during a year full of challenges.

He had to deal with program fees, program cuts, changes to admissions standards and the largest tuition increase in UA history.

As a student lobbyist, his efforts have won concessions from top administrators. President Pete Likins modified the financial aid commitment of his tuition proposal based on Hartz's recommendations.

Of course, not all of Hartz's plans came to light. His final tuition proposal was all but ignored by regents, and the faculty senate snubbed his idea for an extended Thanksgiving break.

Still, after listening to the concerns of Hartz and his fellow lobbyists, Mark Zupan, dean of the Eller College of Business and Public Administration, promised to protect undergraduates attending UA on merit scholarships from the business program fee.

ROBERT STEWART FLORES, JR.
murderer of three professors

Flores' violent tendencies had been noticed by staff in the College of Nursing seven years before he killed three nursing professors.

But on Oct. 28, 2002, those tendencies materialized when Flores, 41, methodically shot Robin Rogers, Barbara Monroe and Cheryl McGaffic, allegedly after learning he was at risk of failing his classes.

The murders have sparked a string of safety initiatives and policies on campus, including the ASUA Safety Advisory Council, as well as a university-wide emergency action plan for students, faculty and staff who feel threatened.

DAN ADAMS/ FRANK FARIAS
Directors of the student union/bookstore

After more than a decade of planning, the Student Union Memorial Center and UofA BookStores opened. But the accomplishments would not have been completed without the two men behind the scenes.

Adams, director of the union, and Farias, bookstore director, were the individuals who made the paper sketches realities.

Although the projects faced student

criticism while under construction and the concepts of the structures sometimes collided in the planning stages, the result was a new flag-ship building for the campus.

"It's like throwing a big party and youÎre not sure if the people will show," Farias said in the fall.

JACK JEWETT
President of the Arizona Board of Regents

Few students have ever seen Jack Jewett, but they have certainly felt his presence on campus this year. As the president of the Arizona Board of Regents, Jewett spearheaded the Changing Directions initiative.

Jewett set the tone for a year in which students have witnessed the passing of the largest tuition hike in UA history, an increased commitment to financial aid and changes to admissions standards that will give university presidents more control in the future.

Jewett also gave President Pete Likins the green light to shift UA's mission statement and develop the Focused Excellence campaign.

J.P. BENEDICT
Student body president 2003-2004

Faced with criticism from his opponent of his performance as Freshman Class Council director, Benedict made a bid for student body president.

Benedict sought to challenge then-administrative vice president Jered Mansell with a message of student spirit and involvement.

The move won him the presidency, and by only 64 votes.

"It seemed so long when he announced the percentages. It could have gone on either side," Benedict said the night of the election results.

JENNY RIMSZA
Former student lobbyist

Rimsza, the student government appointee who lobbied at the state capitol last year for more state dollars and lower tuition formally resigned from her post in October, claiming she was robbed of her freedom to vote her conscience on student issues.

The resignation came on the heels of a new operational style instituted by then student body President Doug Hartz.

Under Hartz's terms, lobbyists were required to vote unilaterally on issues deemed "detrimental to the university" or abstain from voting all together, unless they have sufficient reason for voting otherwise.

Hartz offered to let Rimsza's counter-vote slide, but the two-year veteran of lobbying resigned, protesting her dissent.

A low tuition advocate, she later surprised her peers by coming out in support of a steep increase.

And despite rumors, Rimsza, last year's Fiesta Bowl Queen, passed on a bid for student body president, opting to keep a low profile.

PETER WAND
Former ASUA senator

The former ASUA senator spent his term working to increase school spirit at men's basketball games, and is responsible for the creation of the Zona Zoo.

Zona Zoo, which was originally a student section at the McKale Center, has blossomed into a club for sports fan. The Zona Zoo sports pass, sold for $35, will allow students free admission to all UA sporting events with the exception of men's basketball. In addition, the pass will give students a chance to purchase lower-level basketball tickets and grant membership into the Zona Zoo fan club. Wand will now head the Zona Zoo as ASUA's recently appointed Spirit Director.

JULIAN KUNNIE
Director of Africana Studies

The director of Africana Studies Department demanded a call for action against UAPD officers and others across the nation.

After being detained by police for fitting the description of a man who reportedly threatened an employee at a campus area eatery, Kunnie made a call to the campus and Tucson community, saying that the incident should be the springboard for officers in town, the state and the country to learn about culture.

Kunnie said the wrong was made by the officer when he picked Kunnie out purely because he was black.

"I told them I was a professor and they said, Îprofessors do things too," Kunnie said during a rally in front of the Islamic Center of Tucson, at East First Street and North Tyndall Avenue, where he was confronted after leaving a peace rally.