This holiday weekend, residence halls will be a little quieter and a lot emptier, as many dorm dwellers head out of town in pursuit of turkey, stuffing and quality family time.

But there are some students who will stay in their residence halls this weekend, and for many of them it will be their first Thanksgiving spent away from home.

Marlene Yafuso, an architecture freshman and resident of Villa del Puente, came to the UA this year from Hawaii. [Read article]

Last week, graduate students gathered at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting to fight for 100 percent tuition waivers. But top administrators say they won't get what they want for another few years.

With teaching, research, class work, and second jobs on top of that, not paying to go to school would ease the stress that graduates face, said Jani Radebaugh, Graduate and Professional Student Council president. [Read article]

The international trend toward the decriminalization of drugs has begun to take root in Mexico, and many UA students have said they support the movement.

A little over a week ago, Mexico City Attorney General Bernardo Batiz stated publicly that he believes Mexico should consider a gradual legalization of drugs in order to reduce the influence and power of drug traffickers, according to The Associated Press. [Read article]

Smaller amounts of money for campus organizations are forcing the collaboration board to actually collaborate for the first time.

The collaboration board is a project that started years ago, but hasn't done anything until this year.

"It's been in the making, off and on, with successes and failures for six to 10 years," said Greg Billings, University Activities Board president.

Sara Birnbaum, an ASUA senator who is in charge of the project, said it has been able to succeed this year because recent budget cuts have forced organizations to combine their funds. [Read article]

UA researcher finds new info on climate changes

For the last 30 years, many scholars believed that people in medieval times experienced a global warming period like the one being experienced today, but one UA researcher says that might not be true.

Dendrochronolgy professor Malcolm Hughes said that there is not enough evidence to prove that the Earth is as warm today as it was 900 years ago. [Read article]

Many UA students are unfazed despite an announcement by three of the most important offices in Arizona that they plan to crack down on drinking during the holidays.

The Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, the governor's office and the Arizona Highway Patrol have joined forces to strengthen their enforcement of underage drinking laws.

Part of that enforcement includes undercover sting operations with a greater focus on bars and restaurants. [Read article]

McDonald's employee has never experienced a food fight with Panda Express

Wildcat: Hi, my name's Nathan and you're On the Spot. I was wondering ... on a scale of one to 10, rate "metamorphosis."

Rodriguez: Metamorphosis? Like ...? [gives a puzzled look]

Wildcat: Oh yeah. Just rate it. Go ahead.

Rodriguez: Seven?

Wildcat: OK. Um ... "meiosis."

Rodriguez: Five. [Read article]

$50,544 awarded to Arizona Health Sciences Library

The Arizona Health Sciences Library has received a grant from the National Library of Medicine to introduce minority students to health sciences librarianship, and to encourage them to consider it as a future career.

The $50,544 in funding comes from the NLM's Specialized Information Services, Office of Outreach and Special Populations. The NLM has a strong commitment to diversity among librarians and those working in related fields of knowledge and information management. [Read article]

Things you always never wanted to know