The young woman in a pink suit was sitting down as she spoke into her microphone but still made eye contact with the audience. Participating in a crime victims panel yesterday at the James E. Rogers College of Law, she described the shame she felt after being acquaintance-raped during her freshman year at the UA. She described the "downward spiral" of guilt and depression as she kept the secret for a year, thinking it was her fault, because she happened to know the man who raped her. [Read article]

Athletics budget woes can be blamed on football program

Mike Stoops just got even more pressure. This week the athletics department announced the layoff of 18 employees to balance the department's budget. Unlike other UA departments, athletics receives no state funding, so it can't run at a deficit. The layoffs should save $800,000 to $850,000 per year.

Assistant Director of Athletics Steve Kozachik last week implicitly blamed the poor performance of the football team, noting that it hasn't been to a bowl game in seven years. Bowl games mean big money, and the department budget grew to the point where it needed one. [Read article]

Colleges shouldn't offer four-year degree

Community colleges serve a purpose, and that is to help people work their way into a four-year university or to help them acquire a certification program that will allow them to pursue a career of their choice. Allowing these community colleges to grant a bachelor's degree is completely ludicrous. Like Mr. Gray said in his opinion piece, "four-year PCC grads won't be students who would have gone to the UA." In other words, the education they would receive at a community college such as Pima would not be on a par with the education received at a four-year school like the UA. Tell me, Mr. Gray, would you feel comfortable with someone with a sub-par degree one day caring for you in a hospital or caring for your children at their school? I certainly would not. Minimum standards for bachelor's degrees exist because a certain amount of proficiency is necessary in order to be considered an expert in that field. Compromising these standards is of benefit to no one. [Read article]