Underage drinkers could face jail time if caught partying

As the first week of school comes to a close, students may find their weekend celebrations cut short.

The Tucson Police Department will be stepping up their patrol of off-campus parties over the entire semester, with the intention of reducing violence in the campus area.

"We're going to be paying much more attention to youth alcohol abuse than we have in the past," said Tucson Police Capt. John Leavitt, commander of the Mid-Town Division. [Read article]

Students should expect to see a series of large tuition increases in upcoming years, President Peter Likins said yesterday, reiterating his plans to ask for tuition to be set at the 33rd percentile of major state universities.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Arizona Daily Wildcat editors, Likins and Provost George Davis said students should expect the UA's tuition to continue rising as universities around the country raise theirs. [Read article]

There might be more room to move around at this year's CatFest.

As of yesterday, only about 300 tickets had been picked up for Catfest, said Melanie Rainer, ASUA Vice President.

That leaves close to 2,000 tickets unclaimed.

Students might not be picking up tickets now because they plan to just walk up to the door the night of the concert, Rainer said.

"Also, we've had this before, and it's always difficult with CatFest. It's the beginning of the year, and everyone's getting adjusted to their own schedule," she said. [Read article]

Residence halls might be forced to shut down network connections to specific students who do not take actions against the computer viruses that have been plaguing susceptible computers.

Blaster and SoBig are the two main culprits, with SoBig being the fastest spreading virus ever recorded, affecting Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and Web-based e-mail programs. Blaster affects Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, and XP. [Read article]

Construction causes Zone 1 lot shortage

For those who circle the parking lots, grumbling about their Zone 1 pass, help is on the way.

Although a number of Zone 1 lots have been lost to construction, new lots and garages are in the works to help students who can't find parking spots.

Plans for the next garage are being drawn up now, but construction will not begin until May.

The completion of all the garages is not expected until August 2005. [Read article]

The Economics building will officially be renamed the CŽsar E. Ch‡vez Building on Sept. 1, in spite of some student opposition and plans for a possible protest.

Members of the Student Objectivist Society and the College Republicans plan to write letters to the Arizona Board of Regents to encourage them not to rename the building, and Peter Seat, president of the UA chapter of College Republicans, said there is a definite possibility that he and other opponents to the renaming may stage a protest Monday. [Read article]

Serious guy doesn't like baseball, prefers laces and rivets to velcro and is weary of true love

Wildcat: My name is Nathan and you're "On the Spot." You're reading a book. What is it?

Beaker: "Days of Air and Darkness," by Katherine Kerr.

Wildcat: I read a book once.

Baker: This is like the ninth or tenth book in the series.

Wildcat: Are you a series kind of guy? [Read article]

· After his death, Alexander the Great's remains were preserved in a huge crock of honey. Ancient Egyptians commonly buried the dead in this manner.

· The population of the American colonies in 1610 was 350.

· In 1865, Virginia grew opium, and a product was distilled from it that yielded 4 percent morphine. In 1867, it was grown in Tennessee; six years later it was cultivated in Kentucky. During these years, opium, marijuana and cocaine could be purchased legally over the counter from any druggist. [Read article]

Quotes this week from campus and the world

I wanted a t-shirt.

ö Marketing senior Aizhan Mamyrbayeva, explaining why she had given personal information to mall vendors without verifying their legitimacy

"When you are thinking about things 30 billion light years away ÷ that is fun."

Xiaohui Fan said of his interest in quasars, which he has been studying for about eight years. [Read article]