The UA and its College of Medicine were ranked at the top among the nation's best schools when it comes to Hispanic outreach, a recognition that reflects the university's aim to increase diversity on campus, officials said.

The College of Medicine ranked No. 7 among the nation's medical schools for Hispanic students, according to Hispanic Business Magazine.

Mike Caplinger, a research supervisor with Hispanic Business Magazine, said there were five criteria used to rate the schools, like comparing the number of Hispanic students enrolled in the program, the number of Hispanics on the faculty and the services provided for Hispanic students. [Read article]

A spike in DUI arrests throughout the campus area in 2004 is the result of increased funds and long-term efforts made by a statewide drinking and driving task force, police said.

The University of Arizona Police Department Annual Campus Safety and Security Report released earlier this month stated that 120 driving under the influence arrests were made in 2004, compared to 37 arrests in 2003.

University of Arizona Police Department spokesman Sgt. Eugene Mejia said he credits the increase to the creation of a statewide DUI Task Force. [Read article]

UA officials are discussing the possibility for the university to become the academic sponsor of Semester at Sea, a study-abroad program that brings students around the world on a cruise vessel while earning university credit.

The program, which has been a part of the University of Pittsburgh for 24 years, is leaving the institution and searching for another school, potentially the UA, to be its new academic sponsor, said Paul Watson, Semester at Sea marketing director. [Read article]

A flair for traveling and the desire to share her passion is what Stefanie Feldman said brings her around the world, literally giving out smiles wherever she goes.

As a plastic surgeon, the UA alumna has volunteered in places like Cambodia, China, Nepal, Africa and Morocco, performing surgeries that make a big difference in the lives of her patients, she said.

"It's been a great way to see the world while leaving a positive dent behind," Feldman said. [Read article]

The director of the UA's the BIO5 Institute received the Director's Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health, which will provide her with about $4 million to fund her research.

UA regents professor Vicki Chandler is the first researcher in Arizona to receive the award, which is given to exemplary, creative scientists. Chandler is one of 13 winners out of about 840 applicants, according to a press release. [Read article]

She refuses to let a serious medical diagnosis dampen her spirit - or her ambitions.

A little more than a month ago, Nicole Quackenbush, a doctoral student in English and instructor, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.

The news came as quite a shock.

"I didn't have an awareness or understanding of the disease," she said. "I was really afraid that I wouldn't be able to do the things I had been doing and the things I wanted to do." [Read article]

The Theta Pi Chapter of the Sigma Pi fraternity is selling blue wristbands on the UA Mall this week that say "WildKats For Katrina." The wristbands are $2 each and the men will accept cash or check donations. All proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross.

Any questions can be referred to Mike Wilbur, the philanthropy chair, by e-mail at wrxmikey@email.arizona.edu, or donors can send a check payable to Sigma Pi Fraternity, ATTN: Mike Wilbur, 1525 E. Drachman St., Tucson, AZ 85719 with "Hurricane Relief" in the memo. [Read article]