Students: hands to yourselves, please
What do you get when you cross a kindergarten playground and the set of "American Gladiators"?
Art, according to the UA. A good time, according to UA students.
From the see-sawish contraption that adorned the lawn in front of Old Main last year to the globular "Garden Snare" installed in front of Manzanita Hall last week, large-scale campus installations are paying the price for overlooking the campus aesthetic and overestimating the maturity of college students.
While the extensive abuse visited on these pieces might be expected from handsy preschoolers, as college students, we should know better.
For demonstrating that they lack the maturity to peaceably coexist with campus art, student vandals get a fail.
Likins takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'
When President Peter Likins was admitted to UMC shortly before New Year's for the surgical removal of a kidney stone, alert docs noticed a worrisome coronary arrhythmia, which prompted them to perform a pacemaker operation as well.
The good-humored Likins sent out an e-mail upon his return noting that his ordeal proved two things: a) that he was so devoted to his post as to return to work only a few days after major surgery and b) that he had a heart.
While we are happy and relieved that the president is en route to a full recovery, we think the incident says two other things: a) UMC's reputation as one of the best heart hospitals in the country is well-deserved, and b) the presidential search committee should hurry up.
For UMC's diligent work and Likins' eager return, both get a pass.
UA calendar makers: Give us a break
Though the UA calendar abounds with inconvenient quirks - like the three days leading up to Thanksgiving and the day of finals sandwiched between Dead Day and the weekend - the beginning of the spring semester probably takes the cake.
Students have three days on, then three days off, four days on, then two days off before settling into a regular routine. While the choppy schedule gives students a chance to ease back into the academic routine, an extra week of winter break, à la our neighbors to the north, would be far more appreciated. We'd even be willing to stick around for a few extra days in May to make it up.
For cutting into our winter break and screwing with our schedules, the UA calendar and its makers get a fail.
Jawann McClellan, the un-athlete
At long last, Arizona guard Jawann McClellan is back in the game, having regained the academic eligibility that eluded him for months.
It's been a rocky road for the sophomore, whose GPA fell to a disqualifying low after his father's death over the summer. UA basketball history isn't exactly brimming with men who handled spotty times with grace; however, McClellan managed his difficulties in an impressively un-whiny manner.
For breaking with Arizona's tradition of unbearable bravado, the promising outside shooter gets a pass.
Opinions Board - Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Lori Foley, Caitlin Hall, Ryan Johnson, Aaron Mackey, Mike Morefield, and Tim Runestad.