No news is bad news
The Catholic Church is making news for rethinking its stance on Limbo. The UA Dean of Students Office, on the other hand, hasn’t made much news at all lately – and it certainly doesn’t appear to be rethinking the leadership limbo the student community has been mired in during the interminable investigation of ASUA President Cade Bernsen. Though we certainly recognize the importance of a thorough and fair investigation of these very serious accusations, it would be nice to have some proof that one is actually under way. The continued silence of the Dean of Students Office on the fate of our student government’s officer in chief makes it seem as though the entire issue is getting swept under the rug. We’d love to be proven wrong on this one – but until some results are seen, this silent treatment receives a Fail.
Come on and take an (almost) free RIDDE
When funding and liability problems threatened the future of CatsRidde, our student leaders flexed their problem-solving muscles and kept the program intact. CatsRidde, slated to begin in the near future, aims to create a ride service in operation Saturday nights with the same area of coverage as SafeRide. When it seemed like potential high liability costs to the university could put a damper on CatsRidde, the student government officials who created the plan have made it possible for students to pay a onetime $5 fee to be privy to the service for an entire semester. What a deal! For playing an important role in the fight against drunken, unsafe driving in Tucson, and showing that ASUA can solve problems, our student leaders and the impending arrival of CatsRidde get a Pass.
Real Genius
The Undergraduate Research Forum presented by the Honors College on Wednesday provided a great reminder of what a smart and active student body we have at the UA – not to mention free cookies and punch. The Honors College awarded $40,000 this year to deserving undergraduates who took the initiative to design and carry out their own research proposals. The presentations on Wednesday were, for some, the culmination of an entire year’s research. Projects ran the gamut from language acquisition among Tucson’s student refugee community to Plein Air painting to the chemistry of bloodsucking insects. For impressing us with their initiative and intelligence, we give UA’s undergraduate researchers a Pass – and for making this work financially possible and providing an open forum for the campus community to see the results, the Honors College gets a Pass too.
Time to face the music
It’s impossible not to notice what a musical campus we have, with UA students starting their own innovative record label, the musical talents of Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand on the way, and a UA alum appearing on “”American Idol.”” Music is everywhere here: We get to enjoy the bands that play on the UA Mall at lunch, the performances of world-renowned artists at Centennial Hall and even the daily serenade of “”Bear Down Arizona”” that gets blasted throughout campus each noon. There’s just no escaping song on this campus – and we don’t think we’d want to. For pleasing our ears and – let’s come out and say it – warming our hearts, the musicality of this campus gets a Pass.
Opinions Board
Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Lori Foley, Caitlin Hall, Michael Huston, Ryan Johnson, Aaron Mackey and Tim Runestad.
