DW WILDLIFE
Social change on the stage
‘The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later’ comes to Centennial Hall to honor hate crime victim and inspire discussion. PAGE B1
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones wednesday, october ,
tucson, arizona
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Startling find may be key in evolution By Carly Kennedy ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT ‘Ardi,’ the 4.4 million-year-old skeleton recently found in Ethiopia, will completely change the story of early humans, UA anthropologists said. The fossil has been assigned to the genus Ardipithecus ramidus (‘Ardi’ is a nickname), and belonged to a female weighing approximately 110 pounds. Stephen Zegura, a professor of anthropology at the UA, said Ardi’s
importance stems from the amount of skeletal material scientists have to work with. They can now note the differences between Ardipithecus and the chimpanzee. For the past 30 years, scientists have used the chimpanzee as a model to gauge what early human ancestors looked like: knucklewalkers, vertical climbers and treedwellers . But because of Ardi and her physical makeup, that model has fallen flat on its face. “This really does change the
evolutionary story of the humanchimpanzee lines,” Zegura said. David Raichlen, an assistant professor in the School of Anthropology, said Ardi is one of the most exciting discoveries in recent decades. “It offers us a fuzzy picture of what has happened in the evolution of early humans,” Raichlen said. Because of Ardi, scientists can now see a shift in the evolution DISCOVERY, page A5
Parking passes moving slowly
Safe Baby program offers choices Mothers can leave newborns at designated safe havens By Marissa Freireich ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
Ashlee Salamon/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tyler Mathis, a biology sophomore, waits for the SunTran on Park Avenue and University Boulevard Tuesday. Tyler says “It gets me where I need to go, it just takes so long to get here.”
Alternate means of transportation decreasing need for cars on campus By Austin Counts ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT UA Parking and Transportation Services has an excess of parking permits available for the fall 2009 semester. For the past two years, PTS has been unable to sell all the available parking permits because students are taking advantage of various alternate transportation programs offered on campus. “We have over 1,000 permits still available at a prorated price,” said Bill Davidson, marketing manager for Parking and Transportation Services , “but students are just not driving as much as they used to.” Davidson cites fluctuating gas prices, recent lot closures and students looking into alternate trans-
portation as reasons for the decline in permit purchases. “We started to see less permits sold once gas prices reached $3 a gallon a couple of summers ago,” said Davidson. Currently, Parking and Transportation offers numerous services for students who choose not to drive to campus. Most notably, the Sun Tran U-Pass — a discounted bus pass — has become a top seller in the past year, edging out sales of parking permits. Sales of the U-Pass increased by 25.8 percent during the 2008-09 school year compared to 2007-08 figures, according to data collected by Parking and Transportation. Other alternative transportation services provided by Parking and Transportation include the Rideshare program, in which students
can join a carpooling group to get to campus; the Cat Tran Shuttle, which services 45 off-campus stops on five fixed routes around campus; and “Park and Ride” lots, where students park their vehicles off campus and take a shuttle to the UA. Another cheap alterative for getting around campus without a car is riding a bicycle. Shops like Bargain Basement Bikes, located on Park Avenue, have seen an increase in bike sales in the past two years. “We’ve sold one-third more bikes this past August when compared to last year” said Duane Barnes, owner of Bargain Basement Bikes. “Sales for recreational bikes have slowed down because students are opting for commuter bikes.” Demand for motorized and electric bikes has also increased around
campus, according to Daniel Manheim, owner of Tucson Electric Bikes, located on University Boulevard. While the price range for these bikes can be $500 to $2,500, it’s not deterring people from purchasing them. “We get a lot of parents buying electric bikes for their kids when they first come to college,” said Manheim. “In the long run, it’s cheaper than owning a car.” Even with all the cost-effective alternatives to owning a car and buying a parking permit, some students choose to rely on an age-old method for getting around: walking. “I choose to walk because of my proximity to campus,” said Charlie Golestani, a journalism senior. “Why spend money on a bike when my own two feet can get me where I need to go?”
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The UA is now part of the Safe Baby program, which organizers say helps raise awareness about the resources available for pregnant women. The program is a collaboration between the Dean of Students Office, Pima County Attorney’s Office and Casa de Los Niños, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping abused or neglected children. After a student gave birth in a residence hall bathroom last year, the Dean of Students Office organized a group of students and departments to help determine the best way to get information about Arizona pregnancy laws out to students, said Carol Thompson, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students. If students come from other communities, states or countries, they may not be aware of Arizona’s Safe Haven Law, which passed in 2001, Thompson said. Under the law, a person can anonymously bring a baby within 72 hours of birth to a Safe Haven provider. The person will not be charged with child abuse if they physically give the baby to a representative and the baby does not show any signs of injury. “We would want any individual who is part of our community to know this is a good resource, should they find themselves in a situation where they’re not sure what to do,” Thompson said. The current Safe Baby awareness program at UA consists of posters and magnets. The posters are displayed in residence halls and other buildings on campus. They list locations close to campus where a person can leave their newborn. PREGNANCY, page A5
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