Business backgrounds could help in coping with $43M budget cuts

The strong background in business shared by all four UA presidential candidates could prove beneficial for the university's future, especially in the wake of decreased state funding, students and faculty said yesterday.

With more than $43 million in state budget cuts, it will be valuable for the next leader to have an understanding of finances to address issues like tuition hikes and growth management, said Elaine Ulrich, an optical sciences graduate student and president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council. [Read article]

UA officials said they are pleased with the 2007 budget proposal released on Tuesday by Governor Janet Napolitano, though it fell short of meeting every university request.

"You never get everything you want," said Greg Fahey, UA vice president for government relations.

As the chief lobbyist for the UA, Fahey said if the proposal passes, it would allow the UA to increase student financial aid, offer competitive salaries to its top professors and offer a raise to a majority of UA faculty and staff. [Read article]

Student officials are trying to pick up the pace to deal with Student Government President Cade Bernsen's absence, but some projects are still being neglected, sources said.

Erin Hertzog, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona executive vice president and acting president, said now is a critical time to make sure the student government continues to function effectively until Bernsen's return. [Read article]

Event was first in health series for sororities

Some Delta Delta Delta sorority members stood in line in pairs as they practiced choke releases, cross punches and knee smashes to the rhythm of upbeat techno music as they were instructed by a black belt karate master.

About 15 women attended a women's self-defense seminar last night at the Tri-Delta sorority, organized by an advocate of OASIS Program for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence. [Read article]

Group wants animals moved to Tennessee sanctuary

A group of UA law students and City Park officials are caught in the crossfire over the fate of two elephants at the Reid Park Zoo.

Save Tucson Elephants, a group of 40 UA students and community members, wants to send elephants Connie and Shaba to a sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn.

The animal sanctuary would allow the elephants, who currently live on less than a half-acre of land, to roam free on hundreds of acres of natural habitat, said Nikia Fico, director of Save Tucson Elephants, which started in November 2005. [Read article]

Students who dine in the Park Student Union may notice paintings, drawings, and collages decorating the once barren walls of the dining room.

Members of the Tucson Boys and Girls Club displayed more than 100 exhibits in the PSU as part of a nationwide art competition.

Contestants compete against one another according to age group, in categories ranging from watercolor and pastel painting to graphic art and oil painting. The winner of the competition will move on to the regional and possibly the national competition. [Read article]

Students who need an IV from Campus Health Services can thank a UA nursing student for a greatly improved needleless system.

Jennifer Rice, who graduated from the UA College of Nursing in Dec., implemented a needle-less IV tubing system last semester, which has improved the safety for nurses and students alike.

Rice noticed the tubing Campus Health used with their IVs required needle puncture, something she had never seen before because most hospitals use a safer screw-in system. [Read article]

Even after SafeRide scrapped its airport shuttle service last semester, the free campus transportation program broke records with a 48 percent increase in rides, possibly justifying the need for more funding.

If the usage rate remains steady, officials are projecting the total will easily break 50,000 rides for this academic year, shattering the prior year's 39,841 rides, said Joshua Wright, the director of SafeRide, an Associated Students of the University of Arizona program. [Read article]