Lack of evidence cited in case where 2 student athletes were questioned

Authorities closed an investigation involving a UA student who said she was sexually assaulted at a campus fraternity house last spring, according to a police report released Thursday.

The student alleged in April she was sexually assaulted in a community shower at a party at the Sigma Pi fraternity house, 1525 E. Drachman St., but decided June 15 she no longer wanted to press charges, reports stated. [Read article]

Although some students still need their financial aid to buy books or pay for tuition, the Office of Student Financial Aid has reached all of its distribution goals for the first time since implementing a new computer system.

Nearly $50 million in aid has been disbursed within the last 10 days and the distributing process began a day earlier than last year, said John Nametz, Office of Student Financial Aid director. [Read article]

With about 6,000 students living on campus this year, residence halls are packed with no vacancies, forcing several new students to share rooms with resident assistants or make alternative, off-campus arrangements.

"Living on campus has just become much more popular," said Jim Van Arsdel, residence life director. "This year we had so many students to accommodate."

Last year, the residence halls opened with a few vacancies, but this year more than 200 students were put on a waiting list for on-campus housing. About half of the male students on the list were eventually assigned housing, but residence life was not able to work down the women's list at all, Van Arsdel said. [Read article]

Performing artist Jason Mraz is coming to the UA in September to prove he's "all about the wordplay" in a concert performance at Centennial Hall.

The show is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona and is scheduled for Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets go on sale Thursday for students and on Friday for the general public at the UA Centennial Hall box office, 1020 E. University Blvd. The tickets will run students $22 and the public $27. [Read article]

Police raided an apartment early Friday evening to take part in a simulated party bust, intended to show how to break up an underage drinking party safely and effectively while using the minimum amount of resources possible.

Thirty underage students simulated party behaviors police often encounter such as belligerence, fleeing from police and being passed out in an apartment at University House at Starr Pass, 2525 W. Anklam Road. [Read article]

As a result of contract expiration, Papa John's pizza will replace Domino's pizza as the UA's official pizza provider.

The eight-year contract that Domino's held with the Student Union Memorial Center expired July 31, but new companies started bidding on the contract last February, said Dan Adams, student unions director.

Based on a series of evaluations such as taste tests, timing of delivery and problem-solving capability, Papa John's was declared the winner and awarded the new 10-year contract from the student union on June 1, Adams said. [Read article]

Formal recruitment for Pan-hellenic sororities is in process and will come to a close tomorrow when potential new members are given bids.

The process of recruitment began Aug. 18 with an orientation for 800 registered potential new members and in the following days, the women visited each chapter to learn about each individual house and meet the members, said Gary Ballinger, greek life coordinator. [Read article]

The UA medical school expansion in Phoenix is another step closer to becoming a reality following recent changes and clarifications made to the budget proposal.

At the Arizona Board of Regents meeting last week, regents approved a more detailed request for the money to fund the project after Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed the proposal in March.

Napolitano cited certain questions about the proposal needed to be answered before the budget could be approved, including budget allocations and a long-term plan for the school. [Read article]

This semester students, faculty and staff can report student violations of university policies electronically, without making a trip to the Dean of Students Office.

The Dean of Students Office, in an effort to make reporting incidents, ranging from sexual harassment to cheating on exams, more convenient, took the process of submitting student code-of-conduct complaints online August 11th.

"It's a way to streamline our process and make it easier for everyone," said Anthony Skevakis, the designer of the online forms and program coordinator for judicial affairs in the Dean of Students Office. "It saves time and money." [Read article]

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is now on its way to the red planet after a successful launch Aug 12, when it blasted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida two days after its scheduled departure.

The orbiter has two main scientific objectives; it will serve as a Mars weather satellite and also study the composition and structure of the planet in greater detail than before.

The launch vehicle, MRO's taxi, was deliberately launched to slightly miss its destination. If the team lost communication with the craft after launch, they wouldn't want it crashing into the red planet, destroying its natural essence, said Richard Zurek, the project scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena California. [Read article]

The Arizona Board of Regents met at the UA last week to discuss a variety of issues pertinent to the three state institutions, from the UA presidential search to fiscal year 2007 budget projections.

The UA Presidential Search Committee headed by regent

Regent Fred Boice of Tucson will be chairing a committee with the sole purpose of seeking out, interviewing and eventually appointing an individual who will replace President Peter Likins come the 2006-2007 academic year. Members of the committee, still in its developing stages, have been selected and Academic Search Consultation Services, a Washington D.C. company dedicated to searching out qualified academic executives has been retained to aide in finding a suitable replacement. [Read article]

The Arizona Board of Regents has a new leader holding the reins, who says she is ready to start tackling issues such as tuition and university relations.

Regent Christina Palacios said as she assumes the role of president, she is more than prepared to dedicate long hours in both her private sector career and the responsibility that comes with being a regent.

Entering the workforce straight out of high school, Palacios said she attended night school for 10 years before having the opportunity to focus solely on education. [Read article]