Step up Zona Zoo

Five years ago the UA student section program was created. In half a decade we have gone from a university that simply allowed students to attend sporting events to one of the premiere student section programs in the nation with students at the heart and soul of the entire operation. In the past three home games we have gone from an admired program to one that is simply an embarrassment to our university, our conference and most importantly to ourselves.

We are better than this. The Zona Zoo program at the UA was not built on poor sportsmanship and a lack of respect for our opponents. This program was built on the foundation of supporting the incredible athletics program that our university so proudly offers. This program was built for students and now it is the students themselves that are threatening its future success.

There is no point in living in the past and focusing on what has occurred in the recent home basketball games. It is absolutely vital that we, the members of the Zona Zoo program, look forward and remember what this program was built on. It is a privilege to have the opportunities that we have been given as students at this great university.

It is no longer time to simply talk about how we need to be better, it is time to step up and prove to all those that we have let down, most importantly ourselves, that we are better.

The behavior that has occurred in McKale Center the past few home games is not only inappropriate but also inexcusable. We have one game left this season and the only thing that this student section needs to focus on is supporting our team.

Step up Zona Zoo! We need to be the premiere student section program that we were once known for. It is not about me telling each of us what to do or Coach O’Neill being forced to stop play in a nationally televised game to put the Zona Zoo section in its place, it’s about each and every one of us being there for our team.

We are the students of the UA. We make up the Zona Zoo program that is so highly regarded across the country. Lets not leave doubt in anyone’s minds that we belong in McKale Center. We are the heart of the game. Bear Down!

Tommy Bruce
ASUA president

Cleaner cars in Arizona will help reduce global warming

Due to all the coverage of global warming in movies and mainstream media, the majority of Americans now recognize that global warming is real and its effects are catastrophic. Public opinion seems to have solidified to a point where there is very little skepticism about the dangers and importance of this pressing environmental issue. Yet, however greatly the media has covered ramifications of this phenomenon, there seems to be little coverage about how to actually solve the problem. As a result, the public doesn’t fully understand that there are solutions, here and now, that can easily be adopted into society. Americans need to understand that the changes that are happening aren’t happening fast enough.

Americans need to consider:

Breakthroughs are occurring each day in materials and fuel technology. We can make cars that get over 100 miles per gallon. But the U.S. average is still a measly 20 mpg.

We can get a quarter of our energy from solar and wind. In order to provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, only about 0.6 percent of the land of the lower 48 states would have to be developed with wind turbines. 0.6 percent!

We can build office buildings, homes and even skyscrapers so efficient that they use almost no energy.

It took less than 10 years to figure out how to land a man on the moon. In 1990, cell phones were the size of a shoebox and cost a fortune. A CD player cost $900 in 1984. The price of flat screen TVs is dropping before our very eyes. Technology moves very fast when we put our minds to its development. Imagine what will be possible for clean energy in 10 years!

According to NASA’s chief scientist, we have 10 years to make real progress on the basic solutions to global warming. If we don’t slow down the planet’s global warming during this time and get ourselves on track, we won’t be able to reduce it to zero. If we are able to make progress, we might be able to escape the worst effects. But we need to move fast.

Fortunately for Wildcats, the UA supports sustainability programs that help future generations of concerned students to meet their goals. The UA chapter of Students for Arizona Public

Interest Research Group recognizes and appreciates the UA’s efforts to determine the effect of policies and activities with regard to long-term impacts on the environment and social well-being of the surrounding community.

A direct and immediate way for concerned Wildcats to take action is to join Arizona PIRG in supporting the Clean Cars Program. The Clean Cars Program will limit the health-damaging pollution from automobiles, protect public health and save Arizona drivers money at the gas pump.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will be holding a public hearing for the Clean Cars Program on Monday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. in Phoenix. PIRG encourages students and other concerned citizens to join them and students from across the state to voice their support for this program. For more information about attending the public hearing or submitting a comment, go to www.arizonapirgstudents.org.

Brian Mori
junior majoring in English Students for Arizona Public Interest Research Group