DW
IBEKWE GETS IT DONE
Junior forward nabs her 1,000th point as a Wildcat in Arizona’s win over Huskies
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SPORTS
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The independent student voice of the University of Arizona since 1899 monday, february , dailywildcat.com
tucson, arizona
Proposed fee could help UA sports By Alec Nielson ARIZONA NEWS SERVICE
Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Recent rains fill the hole dug in the practice field north of Arizona Stadium, which is now construction ground for the university’s landmark makeover.
PHOENIX — Arizona’s universities could upgrade their football stadiums and other athletic facilities using money from new local businesses, under a proposal moving through the State Legislature. The legislation is aimed mainly at Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium, but the proposal could also raise cash for sports buildings at the UA and Northern Arizona University. The heart of the proposal, sponsored by Rep. Warde Nichols, R-Gilbert, would let universities charge a fee on new businesses in a special district within the boundaries of each university. The county Board of Supervisors would set up the districts upon an
agreement with the Arizona Board of Regents. Each university could then sell bonds to use for the construction or reconstruction of athletic facilities. The universities would set the fee, which could not exceed the cost of local property taxes. Some lawmakers have expressed concern that that counties will lose money because businesses will choose to build within the university district to take advantage of a fee that is lower than local property taxes. But since businesses on state land don’t pay a property tax now, Nichols said his bill would actually put businesses in the area on more equal footing. The proposal would be a boon for ASU, which needs $170 million just to keep Sun Devil Stadium functioning,
said Steve Nielsen, ASU’s assistant vice president of university real estate development. But the UA might not gain much, even if lawmakers approve the bill. While the UA supports the bill, it just doesn’t have enough businesses on campus to raise the kind of money needed for major projects, said Greg Fahey, the UA’s associate vice president for government relations. “Maybe in the future we could make use of it,” Fahey said. Nichols said this idea would help the universities fund projects they’ve said they need. But he acknowledged uncertainty about how much money the districts would raise for each school. “There is a certain aspect of guessing,”Nichols said, adding that potential funds would hinge on the number of STADIUM, page 3
UA ranks on Peace Corps’ top college list By Laura Donovan ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
Gordon Bates/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Jessaca Haag, a psychology senior, took the runway Friday night in a tryout for an annual fashion show hosted by the National Society for Black Engineers. Auditions were held in the Presidio room in the Student Union Memorial Center. The Barbizon Modeling Agency decides which models to use in the fashion show and concert March 7.
Students audition for fashion show By Bethany Barnes ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Students strutted their stuff on Friday hoping to be a part of the National Society for Black Engineers’ Semi-Annual Spring Fashion Show and Concert. Tryouts were held by the Barbizon modeling agency. Barbizon will help coordinate the fashion show and offer expertise. The event took place for the first time last semester. “I thought it was really well put on, so I wanted to be a part of it,”said Shannon McKinley, an engineering junior and
What: Workshops for freshmen on academic probation
When: Feb. 15 - March 8
For more information, contact Victor Mercado at 626-1921 or visit the Think Tank Web site at www.studentaffairs.arizona. edu/programs/thinktank/ services
one of the aspiring models. “It is a really great way to show your support for the local NSBE (National Society for Black Engineers) and a great opportunity for a career in runway shows and modeling,” said Kristy Benson, one of the Barbizon modeling instructors. “I really had a good time,” said Jessaca Haag, a psychology senior who had been in the fall show. Haag does local modeling for a boutique called Rockin’ Queen, but said this was the first time she had worked with a modeling agency. “They taught us different walks and different poses,” Haag said. “I learned
a lot from doing it last time.” The show is raising money for NSBE to attend the national convention in Toronto on March 31. The event will have a diverse group of 20 models, both male and female, and include a fashion show, a raffle and a concert. The show will include DJ Unknown and DJs from Hot 98.3. Pricing will be around $10 or $15 depending on the talent the club is able to book. Dillard’s is providing the clothing and the makeup for the fashion show. Each model will wear two outfits and receive a discount on the clothing they model.
The semi-annual spring fashion show is currently scheduled to take place on March 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hotel Arizona.
Think Tank aids academics By Luke Money ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Freshmen on academic probation can find help by taking advantage of a series of workshops being offered by the Think Tank from Feb. 15 through March 8. The Think Tank is a campus-based, consolidated academic support center, which offers tutoring in a variety of subjects including second languages, math and science. “The problem we face is not necessarily students being placed
on academic probation, it’s that some students decide not to come back to the university before we can help them address some of the issues which lead to them being placed on probation in the first place,” said Victor Mercado , the academic resource coordinator for the Think Tank. According to statistics furnished by the UA Office of Institutional Research and Planning Support, more than 20 percent of freshmen in 2007 didn’t return for their sophomore year in 2008. “Of course our wish is that every
student would come back,” Mercado said, “and we understand that is a far-off possibility. But what we at the Think Tank try to do is help students in a different way so that they are working more on growing as learners rather than focusing on their GPAs.” In addition to tutoring, the Think Tank also offers peer mentoring and supplemental instruction services, both of which put students in the position to help their fellow classmates. “Nobody can really articulate
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THINK TANK, page 5
The Peace Corps ranked the UA 20th in its annual list of Peace Corps Top Colleges and Universities. For the first time since 2007, the UA has earned a spot on the list, which includes Cornell University, Syracuse University and the University of Washington, among many other universities and colleges. The report ranks colleges and universities based on the size of the student body and the number of alumni serving overseas. The UA was also selected because of its prestigious Peace Corps Fellows program, which is ranked second in the nation, said Kate Kuykendall, Peace Corps public affairs specialist. “The UA came back so strong in part because of the thriving Peace Corps community on campus,” Kuykendall said. “The Fellows program holds on-campus events, Fellows alumni share experiences with other UA students, who in turn go on to become volunteers.” The UA currently has 52 alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers in 32 of the 76 countries that the Peace Corps serves. The majority of UA alumni do Peace Corps work in Mozambique, Peru and Zambia, Kuykendall said. Most of the volunteers are working in education, health and business development. “The Peace Corps phrase‘It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love’ is absolutely true,” said Nikolaus Eichman, a business administration master’s student and former Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. “It was a life-changing experience.” Eichman participated in the Peace Corps from 2005 to 2007 and chose to attend the UA for graduate school based on the Eller College of Management and Peace Corps Fellows programs. “The UA has strong business school, and I liked proximity to Mexico because of my work in Latin America,” Eichman said. “The location makes it easy for work I continue to do on my own.”
On March 2, there will be a Peace Corps fair on the UA Mall with more than 100 returning volunteers talking about their countries of service.
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