Oh captain, our captain

Through good times and bad, for the last half-decade UA president Peter Likins has been a rock for the campus community. His presence on campus and his impact on students’ lives will be sorely missed when he surrenders the helm to Robert Shelton this summer. For his unwavering spirit and dedication, we send Likins off with a grateful pass.

Like manna from ASA’s coffers

You might think that a fifth of the Arizona Students’ Association’s $250,000 budget would be missed if it disappeared – if not in the first year, then at least in the second, third or fourth. But, as UA students learned last week, that’s not the case; for that reason, those who should have been overseeing former executive director Maceo Brown’s finances get a fail.

Riding out the storm

“”Tumultuous”” does not even begin to describe the season helmed by women’s basketball head coach Joan Bonvicini. Bonvicini overcame standout Shawntinice Polk’s death in September and a recruit’s stabbing to lead a team that could have easily fallen apart – for that, Bonvicini gets a much-deserved pass.

Missing in inaction

Student body president Cade Bernsen began his tenure with exuberant gusto, but after accusations of sexual harassment surfaced against Bernsen in November, he disappeared. While maintaining his innocence, Bernsen took an administrative leave of absence that never ended. For failing to do his job, Bernsen is administratively dropped, and receives a withdrawal.

Something to cheer about

Considering that UA basketball fans have been calling for a student section in McKale Center since the mid 1980s, this year’s creation of the Zona Zoo section for men’s basketball games was an exciting and positive development. For unifying campus hoops fans and improving the atmosphere in the arena, the new student section gets a pass.

More ‘Super,’ less ‘Sweet Sixteen’

Even though the UA men’s basketball team didn’t have a particularly memorable season, it managed to stay in the news – unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. Between arrests, suspensions and dismissals, off-court troubles seemed to earn the team more publicity than its games did. For that, the drama surrounding the basketball team gets a fail.

Worst. Legislature. Ever.

From attempting to force universities to use their limited funds to display flags in every classroom to creating plans to use state money to fund private education to considering banning books in the classroom, the Arizona state Legislature had a bad year. For failing to make students a priority in education legislation, the Legislature gets a fail.

Another fee bites the dust

The UA’s student population sent a clear message to administrators this semester that it won’t pay unjustified fees. When the student body voted down the proposed union fee, it said overwhelmingly that fees should only be a last resort, not a first option. This stellar voting record earns the student body a pass.

A foregone conclusion

Though we ended up with a well-liked president-elect, Robert Shelton, the process through which he was chosen was highly flawed. At the same time the public was speaking with the four finalists, backdoor meetings were held in which the real deliberations took place. For not taking public input seriously, the presidential selections process gets a fail.

Greeks clean up their act

Not long ago, greek houses getting kicked off campus were the norm, not the exception. Delta Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Chi and Kappa Sigma have all had problems in the past four years, but this year passed relatively peacefully. For seemingly getting their act together, campus greeks get a pass.

Opinions Board

Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Nina Conrad, Lori Foley, Caitlin Hall, Michael Huston, Ryan Johnson, Aaron Mackey and Tim Runestad.