Streak snapped
Women’s basketball drops first game of the season in McKale Center in 73-63 loss to the California Golden Bears.
Surf like an Egyptian
Columnist Nyles Kendall explains why Internet access is a human right.
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UA students exiting Egypt By Luke Money ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
Two UA students studying abroad in Egypt are evacuating from the country as a result of ongoing political turmoil. Meredith Hay, the UA provost, sent a message to the campus in which she assured everyone that the two students in Egypt at the time of the protests had decided to leave the country. “UA personnel have been in frequent contact with each of the UA students in Egypt since the protests began,” Hay wrote. “We have worked with our study abroad partners to offer the necessary resources to these individuals to ensure their safety and security, and will continue to do so as they leave the country.” The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning against Egypt, as the country continues to be embroiled in protests against longtime President Hosni Mubarak. That warning also orders the departure of all non-vital emergency personnel from the country. The two students were involved in a study
abroad program run through the UA’s Near Eastern Studies Department. Leila Hudson, an associate professor in the department, said the decision to recommend the students leave the country was made on Tuesday. She also said she had been in touch with the students since Egypt lifted the ban on Internet use in the country on Wednesday. “By Wednesday morning, when the Egyptian president (Mubarak) made his speech in which he did not indicate that he would make a transition, that sort of foreshadowed the violence,” Hudson said. “At that point, things began to get ugly and we began to think about these students.” Hudson praised the quick action of the UA Campus Emergency Response Team, which compiled data on all students studying abroad in the region so the UA could contact them. One of the students will be traveling to Europe to wait and see if the situation in Egypt improves. Hudson did not know the plans of the other student. Hudson said that the UA does not currently have any students studying in other countries
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with active protests, such as Yemen or Lebanon, but that there is one student in Syria, one in Jordan, and “several” in Turkey. “None of those students are under recommendation to leave as of now,” Hudson said. Hudson said the UA’s recommendation was to help ensure the safety of the students. “The UA wanted to do anything that we could, whether that be facilitating communications or making sure we take care of financial issues, so that they knew their safety was our primary concern and we would do whatever it would take to help them,” Hudson said. Hudson said she could not provide any personal information about the students due to restrictions pertaining to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Hay wrote that no UA personnel were currently in the country, but any who were planning to travel to the Middle East should contact Gail Burd, vice provost for academic affairs, “to initiate the approval process and discuss potential options for deferring travel.”
Pima transfer student eyes presidency By Eliza Molk ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
Hector Araujo is one of three men running for president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. He is a political science junior. Daily Wildcat: What made you decide to run for president of ASUA? Araujo: I was always interested in attending the UA since my freshman year because I worked with “Anytown Arizona,” a volunteer and counseling program that had a week-long program held at the university. That convinced me to attend the UA, but it was after the registration date, so I could not apply for my freshman year. So I went to Pima (Community College) and ran on the cross-country and track team which landed me a scholarship. Through getting involved, I knew running for president is something I always wanted to do. There is no doubt in my mind that I could be president here — in just two years at Pima, we made student government a tangible and realistic thing. At the UA, there are a lot of important issues I feel I can help out with and create new things.
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Do you think your experiences at Pima would help you as the future president of ASUA? I believe it will, and that it will give me a different perspective. Although I haven’t been fully submerged in the UA quite yet, I see the different demographics. Putting all my experiences together will give me a wider perspective.
Wildcats climb to the top of the Pac, page 10 for full story.
Are you nervous about running since you have not been ELECTION, page 2
Tucson freezes over; water lines burst By Luke Money ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Wildcat
A constant stream of water flows from a burst pipe on Thursday in the Tyndall Avenue Parking Garage. Record low temperatures across the city have caused pipe problems, natural gas shortages and disrupted water service.
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Go online to check out Daily Wildcat photojournalist Gordon Bates’ blog about the Hungarian demonstrations against media restritions.
Several dozen buildings on campus, and thousands more in Tucson, have had their water and gas services affected by yesterday’s record-low temperatures. Chris Kopach, the director of Facilities Management, said that 30 to 40 buildings on campus were flooded as a result. “We’ve had flooding all day,” Kopach said. “Ever since things started thawing, that’s when we had flooding.” According to Kopach, many of the buildings that were flooded were smaller houses north of campus, off of Helen Street. The “Swede” Johnson building and Steward Observatory were closed today due to damage caused by flooding. “The Swede Johnson & Vine Building are closed today due to water issues. We apologize for any inconvenience,” read a paper sign that was taped to the main en-
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trance door. “Our facilities staff are working very diligently to get everything back up and in working condition,” Kopach said. The James E. Rogers College of Law did not experience any water damages or difficulties, though it was in the same area as many older houses and buildings along Helen Street. The Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library also didn’t experience any problems. Students were still able to enter and use the facilities for studying and research. The third floor of the Henry Koffler building also was flooded, and Kopach said the water flow looked “like a waterfall.” Kopach estimated the flooding began around 11 a.m., when pipes that were frozen overnight began to thaw. Some 15 fire risers that supply water to FREEZING, page 2
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Girl power The Arizona Daily Wildcat looks into female faculty ratios at the various colleges on campus.
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