A series of unfortunate events

The best part of this semester is that it will soon be over, though it may not be soon enough to adequately repress my memories. The utter disappointment of the last few months can be attributed to the top five notable events of the semester, all of them quite unfortunate.

#1, #2, #3 — Oregon, Oregon and Oregon! I will always look back at this past semester and shed a tear when I think about how close our football team was to making its first Rose Bowl trip. As a result, I will harbor thoughts of ill will against all who rushed the field prematurely, robbing all seniors of their grand exit. A season that began by losing future first-rounder Rob Gronkowski turned the corner and had the chance to be the crown jewel of Wildcat football, but it wasn’t meant to be. After the bitter taste of defeat has been washed out, the other shortfalls of the semester seem almost insignificant. 

#4 The Phi Psi scandal became the most thoroughly and controversially covered event for the Daily Wildcat this semester. Fraught with circumstantial evidence, anonymous e-mails and allegations of “”ball deprivation,”” allegations of theft by Phi Psi took many forms, which received both great support and condemnation from the student body. It looks like the issue is officially a cold case, due to dismissal by both the UAPD and Greek Standards Board, but those on campus now know just how easy it is to silence the press without any repercussions. 

#5 Hopscotch and free speech were placed on the endangered activities list as UAPD vigorously pursued deviants “”vandalizing”” campus. From the beginning, the administration and UAPD handled the chalk protests with the foresight of a toddler, quickly arresting and condemning Jacob Miller as a criminal for expressing his sentiments in chalk. The damage control employed by both institutions was more embarrassing than their initial actions, including another citation and assertion that it cost $1,000 to clean up such methods of expression. 

As if this semester weren’t disappointing enough, students have paid thousands of dollars more just for the chance to be screwed over. With tuition likely rising even more over the next few years, students better squeeze all the fun they can out of their time here.

— Dan Sotelo is a senior majoring in political science. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.

A fleeting semester as an exchange student

Studying abroad is probably one of the hardest, yet most rewarding, things you can choose to do as a university student. Having said that, given that my success in each of my classes is dependent on pass/fail grades, the stress usually associated with school has been something of a non-event. Replacing my usual mentality of needing to do well with the attitude that my academic transcript at home would look identical no matter how much or how little I did, provided that I passed all my classes, was a challenge in itself (and this is just one of the many reasons you should all go on exchange).

My semester at the UA has still been full of ups and downs, in spite of the fact that they had little to do with the academic side of school here. It reignited my prepubescent love for Hanson after seeing them at the Rialto on Nov. 10, taught me how to reaffix the chain on a bike and that members of Greek Life do not take bad publicity well.

Though my superiors in Australia may be disappointed to see how I’ve summed up my experience here, it’s nonetheless been a good one. So long, and thanks.

She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.

The underestimated task of writing essays

The biggest challenge of the semester, for those of us who have chosen our majors unwisely, is our research papers. We’ve already had class readings, quizzes, shorter papers and even exams.

But now comes crunch time. As opposed to many other majors that simply require one to study for a final for a few hours, writing-intensive classes often require students to read a dozen books and organize the information into a nigh-immaculate masterpiece.

Especially with multiple such essays and such limited time, one wonders how this work can be accomplished. Some turn to sleep deprivation. Others resort to prescription stimulants.

If you’re lucky, the university will own a book or two that neatly encompasses the bulk of your ill-conceived topic. That book will be checked out.

— Daniel Greenberg is a senior majoring in Near Eastern Studies. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.

Embarrassing behavior at football game

At the Oregon vs. Arizona football game, someone in the stands chucked a full water bottle at Oregon cheerleader Katelynn Johnson, who was taken off the field and hospitalized. This happened in addition to the unnecessary student section field rush. Thankfully, the behavior of this group and the bottle-thrower is not representative of the UA community as a whole. Unfortunately, the public has no way of knowing that, especially since all of this happened on national television.

It’s troubling that the final home game of the semester had to end this way. On the bright side, however, the football team went on to beat Arizona State University and University of Southern California. That, however, may be the only light at the end of the tunnel for now, and these wins only reflect the success of the football team rather than the character of fans and stadium attendees. I hope that next fall’s football games won’t be so rowdy and dangerous, and I also expect the Wildcats to call out anyone who engages in such crude manners. Don’t be the person who watches this nonsense take place and then speaks out against it afterward. Say something on the spot, and your opinion will be more likely to be respected and honored. Had I been at the football game that day, I would have said something to the bottle-thrower if he were in my line of vision.

It’s the responsibility of the student body to call out this sort of unacceptable behavior during student events. Don’t stand back and let this happen; tell someone to calm down and maybe he or she will mellow out, or at least realize how stupid he or she must look. Students have a duty to be excited and spirited at games, but to display animalistic qualities is completely humiliating and unbecoming for college students.

— Laura Donovan is the opinions editor. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu