Arizona Daily Wildcat

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Road woes

More than hot air? UA&E reviews “Ten Chimneys,”

Women’s hoops falls to USC and UCLA on road.

Arizona Theatre Company’s newest production.

SPORTS, 12

UA&E, 2

ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

monday, january , 

tucson, arizona

dailywildcat.com

Pell Grant funds uncertain Take it to the limit

Program allocation could be affected by US House resolution

By Brenna Goth ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Freshman Crystal Sapien relies on grant money to attend the UA and worries that a possible $800 cut to her federal Pell Grant award would make life more stressful. “Even though it doesn’t seem like a large amount, I’d probably have to get another loan,” said

Size doesn’t matter

Sapien, who studies speech and hearing sciences. “With interest, that adds up over four years.” Sapien is among more than 10,200 undergraduate students at the UA who could be affected by a resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, according to John Nametz, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid. The resolution could reduce Pell Grants

to their pre-stimulus levels. House Resolution 38 allows the chair of the House Committee on the Budget to cut non-security spending to 2008 levels or less. The Federal Pell Grant program, which provides funding for college students based on financial need, received an additional $17.1 billion in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009.

Pell Grant funding for the 2010 to 2011 academic year totals more than $40 million at the UA, according to Nametz. He said loans and work programs are the largest sources of financial aid, but that Pell Grants help many students. “The Pell Grant is just a terribly important funding source,”

Regents to vote on raising cap for out-of-state enrollment

PELL GRANT, page 6

Wildcats soar to an 18-4 record with wins over UCLA, Southern California

By Luke Money ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

SPORTS, 12

Students danced the night away during the University Activities Board’s Techno Glow Rave on Friday. The rave, one of the monthly events which the Activities Board holds, came at the same time the University Activities Board officially merged with the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. Before entering the Games Room in the Student Union Memorial Center, people were able to jump onto a large inflatable red chair and have their pictures taken. “We were deciding between an oxygen bar, sandy-candy or the chair,” said Janie van der Walt, a chemistry freshman and member of the University Activities Board. “I really pushed for the chair.” Photos were taken and printed on the spot, so guests were able Will Ferguson/Arizona Daily Wildcat to take the keepsakes with them. UA students attend a free Techno Glow Rave in the Student Union Memorial Center on Friday. The event featured music by techno/ “We don’t have too many

The Arizona Board of Regents is considering permanently raising the number of non-resident students Arizona universities are allowed to enroll. Two years ago, the regents voted to temporarily increase the non-resident student population cap to 40 percent of the total student population in Arizona . Next month, they will decide whether to make that change permanent. About 30 percent of UA students are currently from out of state. To UA administrators, the move grants the university additional flexibility in their admissions process. “I favor having some flexibility to allow this number to vary from year-to-year,” UA President Robert Shelton wrote in an email. “The admissions process is not completely scientific, (it) depends on applications and acceptance rates, so flexibility is important.” Melissa Vito, the vice president of Student Affairs , said this flexibility ensures the UA can admit more qualified students from out-of-state. She also said the higher tuition costs non-resident students pay could help keep tuition rates at a more constant level. “Non-resident students typically pay the full cost of their education, and additional nonresidents has the potential to allow us to retain more modest tuition for resident students,” Vito said. “The net tuition revenue from non-resident students is particularly important as state support declines.” Last year, Arizona residents paid $6,842 in tuition and fees to attend the UA, approximately 30 percent of the rate paid by their non-resident cohort . John Nametz, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid , estimated that 17 percent of every tuition dollar paid is made available to UA students in the form of institutional grants or scholarships. “If the university is allowed to enroll the students that we want to, it benefits the students,” Nametz said. “We’re a non-profit charity institution that works on the behalf of students and from what I see here, this change could be beneficial to students.” Nametz also said he thinks it is “pretty unlikely” the UA will reach that 40 percent benchmark, and he doesn’t think resident students will be negatively affected by a rise in the non-resident student population. “From what I can see, enrollment at the university for students that are residents of Arizona has not been impacted at all in terms of admissibility,” he said. “Nobody’s been denied admissions because there are no spaces left.” Elma Delic, board chair of the Arizona Students’ Association ,

RAVE, page 6

STUDENTS, page 6

Study: Students care more about teaching than class numbers By Jazmine Woodberry ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT The latest numbers show one out of every 20 classes offered at UA has at least 100 students, but the UA is working to make the lives of those in such classes easier. Professors and administrators alike are working to prove a 2005 University of Maryland study correct. That study concluded students tend to focus more on the quality of instruction rather than the size of a class. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, large classes do not necessarily hinder instruction. “The impact of class size on the overall learning environment is related to such factors as teaching style, student behavior, and the opportunity for students to meet with teachers outside of class,” the website states. This semester, the UA is placing a greater emphasis on community volunteers and student-faculty interaction grants, in the hopes CLASSES, page 5

Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Sophomore Derrick Williams forces a lay-up in Arizona’s 82-73 win over Southern California on Saturday in McKale Center. The Wildcats improved to 7-2 in the Pacific 10 Conference and took sole possession of second place in the Pac-10.

Students rave after Activities Board merger By Lucy Valencia ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

house disc jockey Erik Abate, a media arts major.

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Go online today to check out Daily Wildcat photojournalist Gordon Bates’ blog about his travels in Hungary. Look for coverage of the Hungarian demostrations against media restrictions coming this Friday.

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Green light for streetcar The Arizona Daily Wildcat examines the coming Tucson modern streetcar after it passed the last roadblock to receive federal funding.

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