The silent issue of sobriety

Used by the British to combat loneliness and malaria in the tropics, alcohol is simultaneously man's best friend and his greatest bane.

At the UA, it is hopelessly ingrained in the college mentality. Alcohol abuse is quickly becoming our issue of the year - an issue more celebrated than shunned. In fact, the per capita consumption of alcohol at the UA is enough to fuel the Coors Light train three times over. [Read article]

Playing chicken

It's a common refrain among student government officials that the average UA student "just doesn't care," but it probably has more to do with the 13-year-old mentality of the officials themselves than the immaturity of the student body. In recent weeks, the political scene has come to resemble something of a middle school playground, with various leaders from the Associated Students of the University of Arizona and the Graduate and Professional Student Council locking horns in a fight-to-the-death power struggle to determine who gets to sit at the cool kids' table. In the world of campus politics, 'twas ever thus, and it remains to be seen whether it will always be so. But for reducing the level of campus discourse to something comparable to a schoolyard spitball match, this latest infantile fracas gets a Fail. [Read article]

Don't give up on basketball squad yet

I am writing in response to Michael Neish's letter "Time for Olson to step down." Contrary to Neish's claim, the Wildcats have not performed sloppier in recent years. According to statistics on the Arizona Athletics Web site, since the 2000-2001 season, turnovers per game have decreased from 15.1 to 14.8, and shooting percentage has improved ever so slightly, from 47.6 percent to 47.8 percent. [Read article]