ARIZONA SUMMER
Euro trip Former UA point guard Nic Wise opens up about his experience playing overseas.
WILD CAT TUCSON, ARIZONA
JULY 20 - 26, 2011
SPORTS, page 12
dailywildcat.com
Shelton’s parting words Outgoing UA president reflects on his five-year tenure By Luke Money ARIZONA SUMMER WILDCAT For five years, President Robert Shelton led the UA during some of the most difficult economic times in its 125-year history. Two weeks ahead of his departure to become executive director of the Fiesta Bowl, he doesn’t deny the strain of the past few years. “The constant demands on my time just started taking their toll,” Shelton said. “The Fiesta Bowl came up on short notice and I just felt it was time for a change.” That change comes in the aftermath of some of the steepest budget cuts in school history, the latest in a slide that has seen the UA’s state funding drastically decrease since 2008. But Shelton said he does not believe his departure will set the university back. “I think for the next few years you’re going to see a lot of stability from a budget perspective,” he said. Shelton also praised institutional fundraising efforts, which have set records for donations even during the recession. As for the lasting impres-
sion he made on the UA, Shelton said he thought the university’s commitment to financial aid stands out, including programs like Arizona Assurance , which provides aid to low-income, in-state students. He also said steps taken to cultivate the UA’s research profile nationwide have kept the university’s name “in the spotlight.” “All of these advances and successes are a collaborative effort,” Shelton said. “They’re certainly not just mine.” Shelton characterized his biggest failure as an inability to communicate effectively with the state Legislature, particularly on matters of funding for the university. “I feel that I still haven’t gotten the message about how important we are to this state, having a research institution is important,” Shelton said. “And, as much as I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to communicate that to all parties.” Shelton said the next UA president needs to be SHELTON, page 3 Ginny Polin/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Powerful storm uproots risk Recent Arizona dust clouds could lead to increase in valley fever infections By Amer Taleb ARIZONA SUMMER WILDCAT The colossal storm that recently swept across Maricopa County has passed, and though the dust has settled, the problems might just be starting. One such problem could be an increase in valley fever, a fungal infection that is caused when spores are released from the ground and inhaled, as they were during the dust storm. Symptoms typically include chest pain (similar to pneumonia), cough, fatigue and, naturally, fever. Valley fever cannot be prevented while living in areas where the fungus is endemic, or local, said John Galgiani, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence. “Don’t live in Arizona. Don’t breathe,” he said. “Those are two good ways (of prevention).” Galgiani said the illness would start showing in citizens who breathed it in very soon. It typically takes a person one to three weeks to develop symptoms after exposure. “It’s only now that some people will be feeling ill,” he said. “They’ll be seeing doctors this week and next week.” Only about a third of infected people
Photo coutesy of wikipedia.org
A dust storm that swept through Ransom Canyon, Texas, on Sept. 18, 2009. Similar dust storms have hit the Phoenix area as recently as July 18, raising some researchers’ fears about the possibility of higher rate of valley fever infection.
actually develop a case that requires medical attention. It may take weeks or months, but most people do eventually get past it, Galgiani said. He estimated there would be an increase of 3,600 infections, to around 5,000 in total, for Maricopa County in July and August due to the storm.
He formulated the number by examining another large dust storm that hit Kern County, Calif., and the increase in valley fever cases they saw because of it. Both Maricopa and Kern counties are filled with FEVER, page 2
Regents move toward funding change New model would be based on progress, not population By Eliza Molk ARIZONA SUMMER WILDCAT The state Legislature is requiring the Arizona Board of Regents to submit a new funding formula this year for the three universities that would link state funding with gains in certain performance areas. The formula is part of a national trend of performance-based funding. The performance metrics include things such as enrollment, graduation rates and research spending. On Thursday, the regents approved 33 metrics for growth and productivity as well as annual targets for each metric through 2020. Sarah Harper, the regents’ director of public affairs, said that, as it currently stands, the funding model would provide universities with a stable base of funding along with “new money” if the universities meet the performance metrics. She explained the model’s potential benefits are twofold because, with a stable funding base, the regents could keep rates from escalating to “unsustainable points.” In addition, she said, the model incentivizes the universities to operate more efficiently and become more productive. Performance-based funding is a growing trend stemming from the recent recession. Already, seven states use performance-based goals in their funding formulas for higher education, and five other states, along with Arizona, are considering adopting the model. In order for Arizona to move in this direction, however, the state’s universities and regents must focus on increasing the freshman retention rate. Daniel Fitzgibbon, a director of the Arizona Students’ Association, said this begins with the issues developing in Arizona’s K-12 system, as well as the UA offering courses like remedial math. “It’s an issue when freshmen are coming (to the UA) if they come unprepared or underprepared,” he said. The percentage of freshmen that return as sophomores has decreased from 79.9 percent in 2007 to 77.2 percent in 2010, but must reach 90 percent by 2020, according to the plan. Harper added that the universities continually explore and develop opportunities to enhance freshman retention rates, including mentoring, tutoring, advising, increasing the number of online courses and making more financial aid available. Associated Students of the University of Arizona President James Allen said this new model could benefit the UA because it moves away from per-student funding, a system that has been significantly cut the past few years despite increased enrollment. The only drawback, he said, is that certain metrics may not always illustrate the quality of an institution and that certain qualities may be overlooked or misunderstood, resulting in uncertain and unstable funding. “Generally, I think the model shows promise, and for our university specifically, it could be quite effective,” Allen said. The regents will review the recommendations for the new model at their board meeting in August. In September, the board is expected to approve a final recommendation to the state as part of its fiscal year 2013 budget request.