The UA will partner with a university from Tucson's sister city in Kazakhstan through a memorandum of understanding, an agreement that will promote both cultural and academic exchanges.

President Peter Likins will sign an International Memorandum of Agreement Thursday, which will link the UA with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tucson's "sister city" since 1989.

Jerry M. Gary, chairman of the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee, said the IMOA will open the door for students and professors to assimilate the educational practices of another country and sample the cultural differences that exist, while observing how business is done in both. [Read article]

PHOENIX - A higher education-funding bill that university and Arizona Board of Regents presidents did not support at the state legislature was brought back to life yesterday after it failed last week.

The bill, which would have made numerous changes to the higher education system in the state, will again attempt to pass through the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate, though it was voted down in a Senate committee last week. With a change in the funding universities and community colleges receive based on the number of full-time students and a restructuring to allow some community colleges to offer limited four-year baccalaureate degrees, the bill passed a House Appropriations committee again yesterday. [Read article]

The Food and Drug Administration will reach a decision tomorrow that could allow Plan B, a form of emergency contraception currently offered by prescription, to be available over-the-counter.

Lester M. Crawford, the nominee to become the next FDA commissioner, indicated the FDA may approve over-the-counter status for the emergency contraception Plan B brand pill, said Alberta Hopkins, the triage nurse at Campus Health Service Women's Health Center. [Read article]

A small fire on the roof at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house resulted in $5,000 worth of damage and no injuries.

Police were patrolling the area Saturday when one officer noticed smoke coming from the top of the house, 1509 E. Second St., and residents told police the building does not have a chimney, reports stated.

Officers informed fraternity members to exit the house immediately and called Tucson Fire Department around 9 p.m., reports stated. [Read article]

Oceanography students traveled to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, on a class field trip over the weekend to learn a valuable lesson about their class.

"It's easier to learn oceanography when you're actually in the ocean," said Lily Shevitz, a media arts sophomore.

Shevitz was one of 70 students, preceptors, teaching assistants and a professor, who trekked to Puerto Peñasco for the weekend to see the sea up close in a field trip arranged by the department of geosciences, said George Gehrels, a professor of Introduction to Oceanography, GEOS 212, who led the trip. [Read article]

http://www.pickaprof.com

A new Web site called Pick A Prof will use information obtained directly from the university allowing students to more thoroughly research courses and instructors prior to registration.

The site, www.pickaprof.com, offers students access to the grades received, student reviews, available courses, a schedule planner and a new program called Study Buddy, which enables students to chat with other students in their classes. This site will create an alternative to the Teacher Course Evaluations that are distributed and compiled each semester. These evaluations are currently available on the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Web site, www.asua.arizona.edu. [Read article]

The UA Psychology department is seeking qualified individuals to participate in its Mindfulness-Based Depression Relapse Prevention program.

The MBDRP is an eight-week meditation based program designed specifically for people who have a history of depression but are not currently depressed.

The study, which takes place primarily in the Sleep Research Laboratory in the Psychology building, 1503 E University Blvd., consists of weekly 2 1/2-hour sessions, a six-hour weekend retreat and daily homework up to an hour in length. [Read article]

Many students are unsure how to get involved, but Bear Down Camp opens the door for many incoming freshmen, showing them the importance of campus involvement and easing the tensions of an intimidating college experience.

Bear Down Camp, sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, aims to raise the freshmen retention rate while introducing incoming freshmen to campus life and living away from home, said Eric Leisey, the camp's executive director and former camper. [Read article]

Not-so-nosy junior thinks celebrities are hot, but naturally inaccessible

Wildcat: My name is Kylee and you're on the spot. I feel like gossiping today. Do you wanna dish the dirt with me?

Dueñas: Sure.

Wildcat: OK. So, do you think Brad Pitt is doin' Angelina Jolie?

Dueñas: I think he is. I haven't really been catching up on the news lately, but ... Are they dating? [Read article]

Things you always never wanted to know