Float blaze sparks safety concerns

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat UA Police Department Officers Paul Reinhardt (left) and Marsha Hogan lead a forum to discuss safety concerns in the wake of Saturday morning's float burning Tuesday in the Martin Luther King Center. University police are considering the burning of the UA Asian Pacific American Cultural Resource Center's float to be arson.

In the wake of Saturday's float-burning incident, UA students and faculty gathered Tuesday to plan ways the university can better protect Homecoming parade vehicles.

During the meeting, held at the University of Arizona's Martin Luther King Center, about 30 participants suggested steps the UA can take to avoid a repeat of the suspected float arson.

UAPD and Tucson firefighters extinguished a fire that destroyed a UA Asian Pacific American Cultural Resource Center float early Saturday morning. University police are considering the fire an arson.

Tuesday's meeting, led by University police officers Paul Reinhardt and Marsha Hogan, was organized because the blaze sparked UAPD safety concerns.

"We are concerned about safety to students and university property," Reinhardt said. "We are not going to let this happen again."

UAPD plans to hold additional meetings with students and administrators to suggest creating a designated area where campus groups can build and store their floats during the 24 hours prior to the parade, Reinhardt said.

"All the floats can be constructed in one particular area," Reinhardt said. "Then maybe we can have one person watch them."

The area would be available to every campus group, but would probably be more beneficial to groups not connected with a sorority or fraternity, said Ceci Lou, assistant dean of Asian Pacific American student affairs.

"If you are in a fraternity, you have a house," Lou said. "Where can they go if they don't have a place?"

Kendal Washington White, associate director of minority student services, said changes need to be made to protect floats in the future, and the changes need to be made before the issue is forgotten.

"This needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed immediately, so a month before next Homecoming someone doesn't say, 'Hey, remember that float that was burned,'" White said.

Any changes made would have to involve the UA Homecoming Committee, Reinhardt said. Terence Burke, associate to UA President Peter Likins, said the groups involved also should be consulted before any decisions are made.

"It is not so much a case involving staff and administrators, but the people who build the floats and have a vested interest," Burke said.

Economics senior Mai Luc, an ASUA senator, helped organize construction of the Asian Pacific float that was burned down.

Luc said dedicating an area for groups who want to build a float would alleviate many of the problems smaller clubs and groups face when deciding whether to build one.

"I know how difficult it was to decide where to build it, where to house it and where to store it," Luc said. "I think it is- important to have some-thing like that - the safety will get people involved."

In addition to creating a separate area for groups to build and store their floats, the UA also needs to put additional measures in place for handling other Homecoming concerns, said Carol Thompson, associate dean of students.

"Put some protocol in place, so whether this situation or something else arises, (you) can call the person in charge to see what the options are," Thompson said.

Anthony C. Braza can be reached via e-mail at Anthony.C.Braza@wildcat.arizona.edu.