Arizona Daily Wildcat

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Tat o’ tales

Wildcat tattoos

Students tell the stories behind their ink.

Three Arizona basketball players talk about their ink.

WILDLIFE, 6

SPORTS, 16

ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Chi Omega honored Erasing

wednesday, february , 

tucson, arizona

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ink

Make-A-Wish Foundation visits sorority that helps raise $1 million a year

Tattoo removal first step to new life for some By Michelle Weiss and Lucy Valencia ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT While times may change, a tattoo won’t. Getting a girlfriend or boyfriend’s name emblazoned on your arm may seem like a great idea, the relationship may not last forever, even if the tattoo does. Jennifer Allison, a physician’s assistant at Pima Dermatology, is in the business of fixing tattoo mistakes. “Some people aren’t with the person whose name is on their arm anymore,” Allison said. “Others were maybe into drugs or had a little more of a wild side when they were young, and now have children asking them, ‘Daddy, what’s that on your arm?’” Getting a tattoo and later removing it is irresponsible and a waste of money, said Austin Kelly, an applied mathematics senior. “I think they’re just trying to fix a mistake they made earlier in their life.” Allison has worked with victims of abuse, some of whom have had “property of” and a person’s name tattooed on them. Many of these victims also cover up their scars with a tattoo. She has seen ex-gang members, who want to start over with their lives but have been branded by tattoos. She even treated a refugee from Ecuador, who had been brought into a gang, held down and tattooed on his face before he came to the U.S. looking for a job. “He couldn’t get a job in the U.S. after escaping here because he had tattoos,” she said. “Now this man got a job, got married, had children and is very successful.” People may not be aware of the health risks involved

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David Williams, CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visited the Chi Omega sorority house on Tuesday night. Williams visited to thank the sorority for its contributions to the Phoenix based non-profit organization.

By Alexander Vega ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT The president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, David Williams, thanked the women of the UA chapter of the Chi Omega sorority for their service and fundraising late Tuesday. Williams spoke on campus at the Chi Omega chapter house to an audience of more than 50 Chi Omega sisters. It was the first time as CEO that Williams spoke to an individual Chi Omega chapter about the foundation. Sisters crowded on the common room floor in order to see the CEO’s presentation after exceeding seating capacity. “It’s an honor,” said Nicole Tolhurst, Chi Omega philanthropy chairwoman. “It’s a national sorority and he’s speaking to us out of everybody.”

Chi Omega donates all the money they make in fundraising events to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Tolhurst said. At the UA, the Zeta Beta chapter of Chi Omega holds two major fundraising events each year, a concert in the fall and a football tournament in the spring. Members of the UA Chi Omega chapter have an annual goal to try and raise at least $5,000 for the foundation, Tolhurst said. Alyssa Mccutcheon, former Chi Omega president and philanthropy chairwoman, said she was happy to see that Chi Omega’s actions being recognized on a larger scale. “Chi Omega is a great group,” Williams said. “We’re very fortunate to get their help.” Since partnering with the Makea-Wish Foundation in 2002, the national Chi Omega sorority has raised about $1 million each year,

Williams said. Nationally, Chi Omega has volunteered over 440,000 hours for the foundation. Williams emphasized the importance of Chi Omega’s contribution to the foundation, comparing the contributions of the sorority to Macy’s and other large corporations. Williams spoke to the chapter casually, without a tie and with his sleeves rolled up, about the importance of service and working for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Williams urged the sisters of Chi Omega to consider volunteering and even making a profession out of working in a nonprofit organization. “Service can be part of a requirement for a school or organization and that’s fine,” Williams said. “I encourage service because it’s one of the greatest things you can do.” About 25 Chi Omega alumnae

work at the Make-a-Wish Foundation national headquarters and Williams said he always likes seeing Chi Omega members apply for internships and positions. Williams’ presentation consisted of a video showing two “wish stories,” and he reflected on his time as CEO about the importance of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in children’s lives. Williams said his favorite wish story he’s heard of is always the most recent one he’s heard of. “Hopefully they’ll be energized while they’re here,” Williams said about the impact of his speech on the local chapter. “You can make a difference just by being a neighbor.” If students would like to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation and play some football, Chi Omega will be hosting the Chi O Kickoff Classic 2011 on Mar. 6 on the UA Mall, Tolhurst said.

Manual against mini-dorms

Tattoos for Jews By Eliza Molk ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

City Council gives preliminary approval to design measures By Brenna Goth ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT A design manual limiting the construction of mini-dorms near the UA is one step closer to being passed after receiving the City Council’s preliminary approval last Tuesday. Multiple-bedroom mini-dorms typically house students and have been a point of contention in the Jefferson Park neighborhood for more than 10 years. The council approved homeowner recommendations for limiting construction and renovation in categories like house size, height and architectural style over less stringent suggestions from developers and City of Tucson staff. Developers sought to make all construction restrictions advisory while the council approved them as mandatory. Local developer Michael Goodman said the manual would severely limit development and therefore housing options for students. Goodman builds mini-dorms in the neighborhood and said they provide a necessary service to the city. “I’m building projects that are nicer than anything in that neighborhood,”

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he said. The approval is encouraging, said Bob Schlanger, a Jefferson Park resident and a member of the design manual’s advisory board. He said the manual faces several more steps before actually being passed. “Yes, it’s a good sign and a positive move, but it’s by no means the end of the line,” Schlanger said. The council voted 5-2 to give preliminary approval to the measure, though it will have to come back to the council for final approval at a later date. Councilman Steve Kozachik and Mayor Bob Walkup voted against the standards. Kozachik said the council had three options: pass standards suggested by developers, homeowners or the city. He said reaching a consensus between the developers and homeowners is impossible, though they have met for more than a year to discuss the manual. “Both sides are at the point where they’re at such a level of animosity with the other that trying to get them into the same room at the same time to reach a compromise just isn’t going to be productive,” Kozachik said. Kozachik said the suggestions of homeowners would leave the city vulnerable

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to being sued. Goodman has already sued the city under Proposition 207, the Private Property Rights Protection Act. The act requires the government to provide compensation to property owners when laws or regulations reduce property values. “I’ve already filed four lawsuits against the city and now I’m going to have to file another one,” Goodman said. Kozachik said Goodman currently has a lawsuit against the city for over $3 million regarding the design manual passed in Feldman’s neighborhood. He said the City of Tucson staff recommendations were a compromise between the groups and may protect the city from another legal battle. “They (the recommendations) were kind of a middle ground between the neighborhood and the developers,” Kozachik said. “According to the city attorney, the more restrictive you make the building codes, the more vulnerable you are to being sued successfully.” Schlanger said homeowners were adamant that their input become mandatory in the manual.

While Jewish law explicitly prohibits having a tattoo, there is no basis for restricting burial rites for Jews who violate this rule, contrary to popular myth. The Torah, or written Jewish law, states “you shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.” This, as well as the Jewish concept that Jews are created b’tzelem Elokim or “in the image of God,” is sometimes interpreted to mean Jewish people are banned from getting tattoos, according to information provided by the Hillel Foundation. While, in Judaism, voluntary tattooing shows disrespect for the gift that is the body, it is no worse then violating any other “halacha,” or Jewish laws. “In Judaism, sins aren’t weighted. They are all things that you are not supposed to do,” said Laura Wilson Etter, the director of engagement at Hillel Center. She explained that eating pork (prohibited in Jewish dietary law), or not keeping Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, is just as sinful as getting a tattoo. Regardless, it is “more important to be doing Mitzvot (good deeds) than to worry about what you have done wrong,” according to Wilson Etter.

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