As with most things political, some of the biggest news behind this week’s Associated Students of the University of Arizona election went completely unnoticed: the relative lack of controversy. In stark contrast to last year’s Rhonda Tubbs-David Reece scandal, and even 2005’s animosity between Cade Bernsen and Jacob Reuben, this year’s election was relatively tame. Much of the credit can go to ASUA elections commissioner David Martinez III, who spent the greater part of the year revising the elections code to ensure that candidates played nice and played fair. Though voter turnout wasn’t especially high, and although the election schedule seemed a bit too brisk this year, we’d prefer a clean election to a salacious one any day. For giving us just that, Martinez gets a grateful Pass.
The Washington Post reported this week that top universities are increasingly recruiting and accepting immigrants from Africa. In a study published in the American Journal of Education, researchers found that immigrants accounted for more than one-quarter of black students at Ivy League and other selective universities. That’s fairly heartening, considering the schools are now more diverse and have students that tend to be highly motivated to succeed (black immigrants tend to boast higher grades and test scores). For looking beyond America’s shores to increase diversity, schools that recruit African immigrants get a Pass.
If you’ve got a pile of traffic tickets stashed away somewhere, you’re not alone – Tucson has an estimated $70 million in unpaid citations. But if you haven’t paid because you can’t afford it, a new pilot program might be just up your alley: Tucson is considering allowing people to work off their unpaid traffic tickets. The new six-month pilot program might mean a reduction in revenues, but this program is a just solution to what are admittedly inflated penalties (failing to turn to the inside lane, for example, will run you more than $150). For an innovative program that accounts for socioeconomic differences, the new Tucson traffic ticket program gets a Pass.
If it feels like this semester has been endless, there’s a good reason: Save for the lone holiday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there’s really no respite from endless term papers, tests and lab reports. Of course, all of this makes spring break all the more enjoyable, as students head to Mexico to party, to New Orleans to volunteer or home to recuperate. For giving students a much-needed break to return refreshed and ready for the rest of the semester, spring break gets a Pass.
