Arizona Daily Wildcat — Jan. 12, 2011

Page 1

It’s not all political

Arizona’s mental-health system failures lost amidst violent rhetoric. PERSPECTIVES, 4

UA receives good news

Star wideout decides to forego the NFL Draft for senior season. SPORTS, 17

ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

wednesday, january , 

tucson, arizona

dailywildcat.com

Obama to mourn with UA

Campus prepares for presidential address By Alexander Vega ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

UA students attending President Barack Obama’s speech tonight can expect stringent security at the McKale Center, said Secret Service spokesman Christina Veloud. Attendees can expect to “undergo screening as if they were boarding a plane,” Veloud said. Every site Obama attends has similar screenings. “Use common sense in the screening process,” said Veloud. “Don’t bring anything that could be construed as a weapon.” Students interested in attending can help themselves by bringing less to get through screening quicker. “People who bring only keys, ID, and any medication they’re taking will get through much quicker Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Wildcat

SECURITY, page 2

A candlelight vigil was held outside the offices of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head during a political event at a grocery store in Tucson on Saturday. Giffords remains in critical condition, and six others, including federal Judge John Roll and a 9-year-old girl, died after 22-year-old Jared Loughner opened fire at a “Congress on Your Corner” event.

Families cope after shooting

Giffords’ condition heartening By Bethany Barnes ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Six patients remain at University Medical Center, with three in serious condition, two in fair condition and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition. “I’m happy to say she’s holding her own,” said Dr. Michael Lemole, chief of neurosurgery at University Medical Center. “Her status is the same as it was yesterday; she’s still following those simple commands. We’ve been able to back off on some of that sedation. In fact, she is able to generate her own breaths.” The only reason she is being kept on the ventilator is to protect her from complications, according to Lemole. “We have to play this, really, according to her timeline, not ours,” Lemole said. “She’s going to take her recovery at her own

pace, and I’m very encouraged by the fact that she has done so well.” The rates of survival and recovery for Giffords’ type of injury are “abysmal,” Lemole said. “She has no right to look as she does,” he said. Dr. Peter Rhee, medical director of UMC’s trauma and critical care and professor of surgery at UA’s College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, said the “resources of the entire military have been made available to us,” because of Giffords’ husband’s connections as an astronaut and as active duty Navy personnel. Rhee asked for assistance from neurointensivist Col. Geoffrey Ling, interim chair of neurology at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and James Ecklund, retired Army colonel and medical director of neurosciences for Inova Health System and chairman of

By Bethany Barnes ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Susan Hileman had been looking for an event to share with 9-year-old family friend Christina Green. What was supposed to be a meet and greet with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords seemed like the perfect choice, husband Bill Hileman said. The two were holding hands in line when the shooting took place, according to Bill Hileman. Both Susan Hileman and Green were shot at the event on Saturday and transported to University Medical Center. Green was pronounced dead on arrival, and Susan Hileman is still a patient at UMC. Bill Hileman received a call from an anonymous woman on the scene informing him the two had been “in an accident.” The very first thing Susan Hileman asked her husband was, “What happened to Christina?” He decided the best thing to do was to tell her the truth. One of the first people Bill Hileman met upon arriving at the emergency room was a minister who had wandered in off the street to help comfort people. “That’s my Tucson,” Bill

Valentina Martinelli/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Tucson residents gather in front of University Medical Center to place candles and signs on Monday for the victims of the shooting spree during Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ community-outreach event.

the department of neurosciences at Inova Fairfax Hospital. “Everything we’ve seen reflects the highest quality of care,” Ecklund said. Ecklund also mentioned

that the care from UMC saved Giffords’ life. Ling stressed the severity of Giffords’ injury but said it is promising that she is “thriving” under the care at UMC.

Classes delayed; year-end date unaffected By Jazmine Woodberry ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT In light of the weekend’s events and President Barack Obama’s visit to the UA campus, all classes have been cancelled for today. The change will not push Wednesday classes to Thursday, nor will it add a day to the semester. UA President Robert Shelton said that changes

INSIDE Opinions: Police Beat: Odds & Ends: Classifieds: Comics, Puzzles: Sports:

in classes will be handled on a case-by-case basis, with each professor and instructor working with his or her lesson plans to compensate for the loss of Wednesday’s class time. Cancelling classes will limit the “to-ing and fro-ing” around campus to allow for less foot traffic not involved with Wednesday night’s event, according to Shelton. For classes with Monday-Wednesday or Wednesday-only meeting times, this means

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See a slideshow of the crime scene and candlelight vigil for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other shooting victims at DailyWildcat.com

that the first week of the school year will be lost for student-instructor interaction. Beth Acree, university registrar, had no recollection as to whether a full day of classes has ever been cancelled before at the UA or under these circumstances. With confirmation from the UA Provost’s Office, Acree said “this delay of the start of classes will not change any of our published dates or deadlines.”

COMING TOMORROW

Get ‘Wicked’

VICTIMS, page 2

WEATHER

Read the Wildlife section to see what it takes to put on the smashhit off-Broadway musical playing in Tucson this month.

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