So let me get this straight: You're a minor in whatever. You're a few semesters away from graduating, or maybe even a few years. You're excited about whatever major and minor, happily going about your college experience and contributing to the college community.

It's right then you find out the only way you can get any classes on this campus is to be a major and a senior in something. Tough luck, I guess. [Read article]

As the dust surrounding the student activity fee settles and everyone relaxes, realizing we don't have to rush this thing into existence, it's ironic we were just treated to the best activity our student government has to offer.

I am of course talking about Spring Fling, the carnival ASUA has put on for 30 years and counting.

It's truly a one-of-a-kind event that can only be found in Tucson.

With all the fuss about getting more events, concerts and speakers here on campus, everyone seemed to forget that Spring Fling, allegedly the largest student-run carnival in the country, was right around the corner. [Read article]

Hey, guess what everyone? This is your last day to vote!

That's right, because the ASUA Senate, in its infinite wisdom, decided March 31 that we were going to vote this week on the student activity fee. And today, exactly one week later, is the last day to do so.

A month after the Collaboration Board decided that this fee wasn't ready for a student vote, it is now marching ahead in less than a week's time, and our student senate was gullible enough to happily agree. [Read article]

Call Dick Clark and break out the champagne! It's a party every student in Arizona is invited to, because our beloved schools might be getting a raise from good old mom and dad, the state Legislature.

That's right, for the first time in three years, after cut upon cut, there is talk about giving the universities more money instead of seeing what they can do with nothing in their wallets. It's about time we see more money from the state that the university's name bears. Finally, we might be able to afford things that we need - like paper - and hire more people we need - like professors. Both are essential to a place of learning, or so we found out after a few years of having very little of anything. [Read article]

As the dust settles on this year's ASUA elections, one thing is certain: They were interesting. It was a very competitive presidential race and one of the most competitive senate elections in recent memory - it was one for the books. Unfortunately, 10 years from now, all people will remember from these elections is the controversy that arose after it.

I am of course talking about the 11th-hour deal Josh Shapiro made with the graduate students and all the appeals that have been filed and counterfiled against both presidential candidates. Things got so hectic that the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Supreme Court Justice Erin Borg gave each candidate a 24-hour window to file complaints directly to her so all the confusion could be sorted out. From the first night of the general election to the announcement of the results, you might have thought it was Bush v. Gore instead of Chapman v. Shapiro. [Read article]

This time it counts. This time is for real. On Wednesday and Thursday, the student body will get to choose who will represent it next year in student government. From the undergraduate senate to the student body president, it will decide what direction the Associated Students of the University of Arizona takes. Want ASUA to represent you better? Well, this is your time to choose who will take the reigns; the only problem is that the pool of candidates this year is not the most unique bunch, and similarities among their platforms make it hard to pick the right ones. [Read article]

Last week, our student leaders were driving down the field to score a much-needed touchdown in the form of a student activity fee, but right as they reached the goal line, they fumbled.

For months we've been hearing rumors that this secretive group, the Collaboration Board, if you will, was determining whether a student activity fee is the right way for the UA to go. Our student leaders had apparently thrown in the towel on trying to find money in more creative places and went right for what is commonly considered the last resort, a student fee. If that weren't enough, as soon as they decided that they were going to look into a fee, they went right for the prize, asking for a $25 fee, a venture that would in total exceed the $1 million mark. [Read article]

Last week, as bleary-eyed students with a "case of the Mondays" went to class as usual, ASUA Elections Commissioner Daniel Suh made what could possibly be the most important decision of the semester.

While as most at the UA went about their newly found routines of the spring semester - wanting weather to warm up a few degrees or wondering what the hell they drank last night - 14 students were able to jump into the Associated Students of the University of Arizona race. Suh made the right call by extending the deadline to get on the ballot. [Read article]

What would ya do for a buck back? (Or a Klondike bar, as the infamous jingle goes) Last week, when graduate students asked for their dollar back from the Arizona Students' Association, my fantasies of graduate students willingly diving into the Old Main fountain, giving entire discussion sections "A"s and gleefully dancing to the Klondike song - all to get their measly buck back - filled me with enjoyment. I would be the first to take a free "A" in exchange for an old George Washington, but alas it is not to be. [Read article]

For those of you who don't know (first of all, you really need to crawl out from that hole you've been living in), ASUA decided to extend the deadline for potential candidates for any and all of the positions in this year's election. As you might guess, this has been a very controversial decision, and it spurred excitement for this year's election before it has even started.

Now, I had no idea what we were all in store for when I wrote my column last week. I knew we'd be in for some fun, as every election brings, but this is ridiculous. Candidates have yet to begin their campaigns, and elections commissioner Dan Suh has already made a decision controversial enough to deserve commentary. [Read article]

Take a deep breath and look around you. All the political ads, electoral math, polling and debates can only mean one thing ÷ know what I am talking about? That's right, election season is right around the corner, ladies and gents.

For people like me (i.e. political science majors, news junkies and/or dorks) this is one of the most exciting times of the year. It's right up there with the Super Bowl, baseball playoffs and Christmas. [Read article]

Despite popular belief, and much to this columnists' disappointment, the activity fee recently receiving much attention has been put on the back burner for another week or so.

The Collaboration Board, made up of several groups on campus including representatives from the Residence Hall Association, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, the University Activities Board and Commuter Student Affairs, is just "researching the possibility of such a fee," Sen. Matt Harris said Wednesday. [Read article]

Take a deep breath and look around you. All the political ads, electoral math, polling and debates can only mean one thing ÷ know what I am talking about? That's right, election season is right around the corner, ladies and gents.

For people like me (i.e. political science majors, news junkies and/or dorks) this is one of the most exciting times of the year. It's right up there with the Super Bowl, baseball playoffs and Christmas. [Read article]

I hope everyone is ready to roll up his sleeves and get into the ring, so to speak, as the new semester gets rolling. It seems like every spring semester I come back to Tucson after a relaxing break and holiday season where I sit on the couch and eat, hang out with the family or have fun. And then I'm hurled helplessly back into the chaotic rapids that are the UA.

If you're not ready for all the activity we left behind when we took our little break, it'll hit you like a Mack truck or blow right by you, leaving you in the dust. And right now, there is no larger issue than the tuition increase that looms before us in the coming months. [Read article]

Congratulations to everyone here at the UA! We have all made it to the end of another semester. For some, this signals joyous celebration and good times. Holiday cheer, pretty lights and lots of parties can make this a wonderful, even magical, time of year. Some of us are graduating, but many of us are just excited to be going home to spend some quality time with our families and our pillows, making up for all the lost sleep we've accumulated. [Read article]

If anyone is looking for something to do Wednesday afternoon, I suggest that you take a trip to the fourth floor of the Student Union Memorial Center and attend the ASUA senate meeting, which kicks off at 4:45 p.m. Watching the brawl over the current issue was like watching full contact basketball, with a shove and an elbow here and a knee to the groin there. If the last meeting is any indication of how this week's meeting is going to go, it will be more entertaining than most of our football games this year. [Read article]

Ah, Thanksgiving: the true great American holiday. When else can we get together with family and friends, eat all day while watching football, and really get nothing accomplished ÷ other than losing our belts to squeeze in that last piece of apple pie?

My mouth is watering merely thinking of Turkey Day and all its glory. I, like so many UA students, love going home for this holiday, mostly because our only duties are to say "hi" to family we haven't seen in a long time and eat ÷ unlike other visits, when I find myself shoveling the driveway or mowing the lawn, immediately reintegrated into my loving family as if I never left. [Read article]

Up until now, our loyal alumni were the only ones who could donate to our wonderful school.

Now, thanks to the efforts of the Alumni Foundation, the Dean of Students office and the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, students have an avenue of their own, a way to give back before we graduate and move on.

These three groups are pooling their efforts to create a new student foundation to complement the Alumni Foundation, which just put the finishing touch on a $1 billion fun-raising effort. [Read article]

Last week, SafeRide, the program that ASUA sponsors for students working or studying on campus, changed its policy as to who really needs a safe ride.

Now, in order to use the program, you either have to be alone or with one friend. Groups of three or more will no longer be eligible to call up for a free ride.

It's about time.

Over the past few years, more and more students have been using the service out of laziness, just wanting a ride ‹ usually just around the corner ‹ or wanting a ride to or from a party. [Read article]

As the semester rolls on and builds momentum as it does every year, I always look forward to what the month of November brings. It signals the home stretch of the fall semester, which is both exciting and a little scary. The belt-busting few days of Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The cooler, but wonderful Arizona weather I talked so much about last week is finally here to stay. In addition to all these wonderful things November brings, it is also when we get to exercise our greatest right as United States citizens. We get to vote. [Read article]

Ever since I started going to school here at the UA, I have had to deal with the incredible temperatures of the Arizona desert. We all endure the scorching heat of 100, 110, even 120 degrees where we literally bake ourselves walking around.

Finally it has cooled down, so to speak, to our comfortable 70- or 80-degree clear-sky weather as payment for putting up with these hellish conditions. That's of course why everyone loves Arizona: While the rest of the country is buckled down, bracing for the deep freeze, we get to sit by the pool drinking margaritas and getting a perfect tan. [Read article]

ASUA may have stumbled a little coming out of the gate, but it's slowly getting back on track this year. There are several reasons why they are righting the ship, not the least of which is the decision to get involved with relations between the students living around campus and the community.

On Thursday, senators polled students on ASUA Day to find out if students support ASUA stepping in and getting involved in community relations. I'm sure everyone can agree that there is a problem and, of the 120 students they managed to poll, 88 want to see their representatives help out in rectifying the situation. [Read article]

We've almost made it; we've almost survived another year of sitting on cold metal benches for a painful three hours. Another forgettable football season is drawing closer to an end.

Of course, this season we have had a few new things to hang our hats on.

We got to see an end to the reign of John Mackovic, which in and of itself is encouraging for next season. We can't be worse, anyway.

The Zona Zoo also migrated into Arizona Stadium for the first time, with new blue shirts and the Zona Zoo Pass in place of student season tickets ‹ an interesting and creative way to sell tickets to see a football team that is less than good, to put it lightly. [Read article]

On Thursday, everyone who picked up a copy of the Wildcat found out the number of bike thefts on campus has increased by almost 60 percent from last year, according to UAPD's annual campus safety and security report. Already this year there have been 524 reported thefts, with three months still to go in 2003.

With an increase this large, students have to ask if it's worth the risk to ride to campus anymore. They either have to spend their hard-earned money on a state-of-the-art lock the CIA would be envious of or risk coming out of class only to find a lone wheel masquerading as their bike. [Read article]

The UA is a beautiful place full of eye-popping features that make our campus special, from the fountain in front of Old Main to the new Student Union Memorial Center. The diverse plant life and styles of architecture make it hard not to appreciate it. Everything has its own unique qualities that make it stand out ‹ though in the case of the Harvill building those are confusion and disgust. That is especially true following the construction of many new buildings that added to the landscape of our campus. It's sad to ponder the fact we will be forced to say goodbye to one of these treasures in a few short years. [Read article]

Regardless of what we each get involved in, we all share a common thread: we are all here to further our education in some way. Whether it was a science, language or art, everyone came here to pursue an interest they hold dear. We all chose the UA for a variety of reasons ranging from the weather to the beautiful campus to the basketball team and everything in between. However, we came to the UA expecting competitive classes and solid academics ‹ that's why we spent so many hours taking the SAT, filling out applications and organizing all that paperwork back in high school when we all decided to go to college. Over the past year or so, with the mammoth budget cuts the university has had to take, some of this competitiveness has been sacrificed. [Read article]

Put up the shields and arm the torpedoes, ASUA! President Likins planned and executed an ambush with the ruse of helping our fearless leader, ASUA President J. P. Benedict, who took the bait, hook, line and sinker.

Last Tuesday, President Benedict, in a valiant effort to be a responsible leader, was quoted in the Wildcat as saying he will support President's Likins' tuition proposal this year, but question the rate at which the raise will affect UA students. [Read article]

Well, ASUA has managed to do it again ‹ it has disappointed every student on campus. It took a very excellent idea ‹ giving out a club of the month award, a simple idea that could go a long way to rejuvenate the relationship between the clubs on campus and our student government ‹ and managed to trip over it.

Every year, clubs march up to ASUA to find a club advocate and begin the club funding process. Club advocates prepare the club for an appearance in front of the appropriations board, which makes funding recommendations to the senate. If approved, the club is finally entitled to the money they need so desperately. [Read article]

Every day I get out of bed and drive to campus. I, like the vast majority of the UA community, am a commuter. We all brave the roads of Tucson to further our education.

To some the most frustrating part of this adventure is finding a parking spot. Well, the leg of the trip I loathe the most is the 10 - 15 minutes from when I pull out of my apartment complex to when I get to campus. Every day it seems I run into another driver who doesn't know hesn't know hesn't know how to use a four-way stop, hesitates when changing lanes or holds up the line of cars turning left when they aren't sure if they can get through a hole in traffic large enough for even the UA football team to make it through. [Read article]