Pop singer helps to raise $35K for Southern Arizona homeless

Pop sensation Ashlee Simpson helped a local youth group raise $35,000 over the weekend to help battle youth homelessness in Pima County, far more than was originally expected.

The Teen Empowerment and Advocacy Movement of Tucson brought singer Simpson, 21, to Tucson for a benefit concert for youth homelessness.

TEAM Tucson is a nonprofit organization founded and run by local high school students. [Read article]

Last week's firings of three student government officials who are in charge of drafting the UA student tuition proposal have stalled a historic effort to produce a proposal that both graduate and undergraduate students can agree on.

Arizona Students' Association directors Fernando Ascencio, Andrew Record and Christopher Dang were scheduled to meet Jan. 10 with the Graduate and Professional Student Council as they do every week, but were fired that morning by Associated Students of the University of Arizona president Cade Bernsen. [Read article]

University police and the UA Museum of Art are keeping their eyes on the campus' many outdoor sculptures after a spate of vandalism has left two pieces of touring artwork damaged in one week.

The sculptures were both part of a national exhibit, "Material Terrain: A Sculptural Exploration of Landscape and Place," which is based in Washington, D.C. The UA is one of 10 schools participating.

The first incident involved a green cage-like sculpture by Kendall Buster titled "Garden Snare/Shade House," which was installed along North Park Avenue in front of Manzanita-Mohave Residence Hall, 1010 N. Park Ave. [Read article]

UA officials are unsure if changes will be made to the Purchasing Cards system after two UA employees have come under investigation for fraud as a result of unauthorized purchases.

Purchasing Cards, P-cards for short, are issued to some school departments to make small purchases that don't require a purchase order, said Johnny Cruz, a UA spokesman.

The P-cards work like credit cards but with several restrictions. The cards are meant to eliminate the need for purchase orders and direct reimbursement. [Read article]

UA registrars have already processed more than 1,700 class-change requests, an indication of the growing competition among students to get into classes.

Senior associate registrar Beth Acree said 1,773 change-of-schedule forms were submitted to the Registrar's Office in the first three days of the semester.

Matthew Schlievert, a Latin American studies senior, was only able to get into one class for his criminal justice minor after three attempts to find an instructor who would add him. [Read article]

A former director of advancement at the Eller College of Management will become the new president and CEO of the University of Arizona Foundation in March.

Jim Moore will replace former president Richard Imwalle, who served as UA Foundation president for 28 years and retired Dec. 31.

Moore left the Eller College in 2003 to serve as president and chief executive officer of the University of Northern Colorado Foundation. [Read article]

Things you've always never wanted to know

• King John of England issued the Magna Carta in 1215 by placing his seal on it. He needed to use the seal because he didn't know how to write his name.

• When Thomas Edison received a gold medal from Congress in 1928, his inventions were said to be worth $25 billion to humanity.

• Edison, also known as "the Wizard of Menlo Park," had a collection of 5,000 birds. [Read article]