Fraternity pleads innocent at pretrial
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Sigma Chi fraternity plead innocent Thursday to a charge of allowing persons under the legal drinking age to consume alcohol on unlicensed premises.
Erik Dean, Sigma Chi chapter president, entered the plea in Pima County Justice Court on behalf of the fraternity.
The fraternity is now scheduled to appear Jan. 11 at 8:30 a.m. for a pretrial conference.
Dean could not be reached for comment.
Sigma Chi was cited for the violation after police shut down a party at the fraternity house, 1616 E. First St., Nov. 11. Eight people were arrested for minor in consumption of alcohol at the party. Police then determined the fraternity was not controlling access to the house and shut the party down.
If found guilty, the fraternity could $10,000 to $20,000 in fines, UAPD Sgt. Brian Seastone said after the incident.
Ÿ Joseph Altman Jr.
Regents reduce credit requirements
The Associated Press
TEMPE Ÿ Faculty members at the state's three universities have reduced the credit hour requirements for 264 undergraduate degrees.
The Arizona Board of Regents, concerned that students are taking too long to graduate, directed the universities in December to reduce the degree requirements in as many programs as possible to 120 units, down from the average of 126 units.
Arizona's students average five years to graduation.
At a meeting here Tuesday, the universities' provosts told the board they had whittled 264 programs, accounting for 85 percent of students in Arizona's public universities.
The provosts asked for and received exemptions for about 100 programs, citing accreditation and certification requirements and other reasons.
In future catalogs, disclaimers will inform students it may be difficult to complete those programs in four years.
In other action, the board approved multiyear contracts for the presidents of the three universities and the board's executive director.
The two-year contracts begin Jan. 1.