It’s not often that mundane Associated Students of the University of Arizona proceedings are the stuff of political intrigue, but it seems our student government is working at it, treating us to a bizarre series of events that somehow managed to involve religion, vaginas and a presidential veto. It all started when the ASUA Appropriations Board declined to help fund a production of “”The Vagina Monologues,”” somehow thinking that it would be a good idea to incite the wrath of the self-proclaimed “”Vagina Warriors.”” Later on, they denied funding for pro-choice medical students to attend an abortion seminar. This week, ASUA President Erin Hertzog vetoed the board, and ASUA Executive Vice President David Reece resigned from his position, managing to look both contrite and contemptuous as he quoted extensively from the Bible. It hasn’t been pretty, but it sure was fun to watch, and for holding our interest, ASUA gets a bemused Pass. (Hertzog, by the way, gets a Pass for issuing her first veto by standing on principle.)
Just when we thought the nauseatingly hyped Anna Nicole Smith story might be winding down, it seems it was time for another degenerate diva to crash and burn. That’s right: Britney Spears, whose embarrassingly public (and underwear-less) unraveling has been the subject of constant speculation, somehow managed to take her notoriety to new heights this week. Checking out of rehab over the weekend, she promptly shaved her head and got a pair of new tattoos, only to check herself back into (and then out of) rehab in the span of twenty-four hours. Normally, we’d be more sympathetic for this obviously disturbed ingǸnue, but Spears’ unwillingness to seek out help makes one suspect that she really has no interest in getting to the root of the problem. For willfully parading her self-destructive antics while making no attempt to save herself, Spears gets a Fail.
Maybe it’s because no one’s watching, but the Arizona state Legislature seems to be cranking out dumber ideas than usual this year. Monday, the Arizona Senate passed a bill that would prohibit drivers under the age of 18 from driving between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m., presumably under the assumption that current curfew laws are insufficient. Whatever the motivation, the law is just another attempt by Republican legislators to expand the state’s paternalism, and for that, it gets a much-deserved Fail.
A whopping 63 percent of UA students happen to be white, so no one’s jaw drops when anyone says we’re in need of a little diversity at the UA. President Robert Shelton’s no stranger to cries for diversity either, as evidenced by his plans to visit several Native nations across the state. Not only is it beneficial for the university to attempt to recruit more American Indian students, it’s praiseworthy that Shelton is reaching out to break down the barriers that American Indians may face when coming to the university. Furthermore, the recent appointment of Karen Francis-Begay as the special adviser to the president on American Indian issues means we’re actually putting some money where it counts. For putting his money where his mouth is, Shelton gets a Pass.
Opinions Board
Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Justyn Dillingham, Allison Hornick, Damion LeeNatali, Stan Molever, Nicole Santa Cruz and Matt Stone.
