In recognition of the 125th anniversary of the UA, here are some prophecies for the next 125 years:

If the state continues to plummet and somehow ceases to exist in 125 years, the UA will still be here.

Yes, it sounds odd; how can a public university like “”Arizona”” exist without the state? Basically, there are two rationales here: First, the UA is “”too big to fail.”” With the overall size of alumni and demand for a higher education, university education will find its funding either through students or by making trade-offs with outside investors for funding (see abortion practices and construction of Arizona Stadium). Second, the UA existed before the state of Arizona; therefore, should the state fail, the UA will take the “”Texas”” approach and assert that since it existed before it was a part of the unified state, it has the authority to remove itself.

The UA will have its first gay president

This is almost a given. The gay movement is gaining such steam currently and should reach a certain momentum of achievement in the near future, which will result in universities across the county embracing gays in all facets, including administration.

There will be another beautiful, high-tech, yet unnecessary expansion to a university building.

We’ve already had the Student Recreation Center, and judging from the current success of football (coupled with the future Pac-10 expansion) it’s likely the football stadium will get undergo a beautification process too.  

— Storm Byrd is a political science sophomore.