After new dorms for undergrads and graduates, UA plans family housing

After years of fluctuations in residence hall availability, the UA is opening a new residence hall and graduate housing complex in order to meet student needs.

Villa del Puente, scheduled to open by the end of August, is a 300-student coed hall with double-occupancy rooms, community bathrooms, a few suite-style rooms and an interior courtyard, said Pam Obando, associate director of residence life for marketing. [Read article]

Dorm-like apartments will not be ready this fall for student move-in; complex owner estimates losses at over $1 M

By the time August 1 rolled around, the owner and developer of the first private dorm in Tucson had hoped to have 275 of his 322 double-occupancy rooms filled. However, the Sahara Inn, 919 N. Stone Ave., still sits vacant and incomplete.

Owner and developer Ted Mehr said a halt to construction caused by the Dunbar Springs Neighborhood Association's appeal to the city has cost him $1 million and a year's worth of business. [Read article]

President Pete Likins has planned for more than a year to increase diversity and boost Hispanic enrollment at the University of Arizona. Recently, he appointed one woman to orchestrate that task.

Patti Ota, the current vice president for executive affairs and university initiatives, will take the reins on minority recruitment on Sept. 1 when she moves to her appointment as the vice president for enrollment management, a new position created by Likins. [Read article]

President Bush arrives in Tucson this week to view areas burned by the Aspen Wildfire

"I think it is nice that he is coming at a really hot time of year. He should get a real feel of Arizona. There isn't much he can do (about the fires)."

Sylvia Jo Miles, media arts administrative secretary

"I think it's a great thing for Tucson, since it is just so personal to all of us that he would come. For him to take the time to come is a good thing." [Read article]

It's crunch time for students looking for a fall job near campus, but for those who act quickly, there still might be a chance.

"It's still not too late, but it better happen soon," said Richard A. Mandziak, general manager of the Arizona Bookstore, 815 N. Park Ave. Training at the store begins this week, so applicants must apply quickly.

Although positions at the Arizona Bookstore are temporary for the back-to-school crowds, some employees will be able to stay on staff, Mandziak said. [Read article]

Wildcat: Aki, where are you from?

Kanagawa: Japan.

Wildcat: What part?

Kanagawa: Yokohama.

Wildcat: What is Yokohama like?

Kanagawa: It's a huge port city, like San Francisco.

Wildcat: So, what are you doing here in Tucson?

Kanagawa: I'm here to study.

Wildcat: What is your major?

Kanagawa: Theatre management

Wildcat: So are you going to be a big-time director or producer? [Read article]

Women's conference will feature AZ Gov.

An Arizona Women's Conference, "Chart Your Own Course," will be held Sept. 14 and 15 at the Radisson Hotel City Center.

Conference highlights will include presentations by guest speaker Columba Bush, Florida's First Lady, and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Other programs will focus on women's health, education, employment, earnings and political participation. [Read article]

· $325 million NASA's grant to the UA for exploration of the planet Mars. The grant is the largest in UA's history.

· 60,000 Number of years since Mars was as close to the Earth as it will be on Aug. 27 and 28.

· 92 mph Speed that California Gov. Gray Davis' motorcade was clocked at as it sped along portions of California Highway 46 in San Luis Obispo County on Aug. 2, according to the Los Angeles Times. Twenty-nine people have died along the stretch, nicknamed "Blood Alley," since 1998. James Dean was killed there in 1955. [Read article]