THE DAILY WILDCAT Printing the news, sounding the alarm, and raising hell since 1899
DAILYWILDCAT.COM
MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014
VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 1
New year, new convocation BY JOCELYN VALENCIA The Daily Wildcat
For the first time in UA history, the New Student Convocation was held outdoors on the UA Mall on Sunday . In previous years, the ceremony was held in McKale Center, but because that site was unavailable due to its current renovations, the university had the opportunity to try something different. “Normally, we use McKale and have
a more academic ceremony with the deans,” said Kasey Urquidez , associate vice president for Student Affairs and the dean of undergraduate admissions. “This year the deans were more in favor of us trying something new, too, just to make it a little more festive with the traditions, and … that excitement about starting classes the next day, so we did it on the
CONVOCATION, 6
SPORTS - 8
WHAT YOU MISSED DURING SUMMER
BRITTNEY SMITH/THE DAILY WILDCAT
ARTS & LIFE - 15
THE NEW STUDENT CONVOCATION took place on the UA Mall on Sunday. ASUA President Issac Ortega spoke at the New Student Convocation.
REACHING THE TOP
CENTRAL SPOT OFFERS FANCY SWEETS
Fraternity council open to changes BY ADRIANA ESPINOSA The Daily Wildcat
REBECCA NOBLE/THE DAILY WILDCAT
PHILOSOPHY JUNIOR LUKE STAUFFER (left) and psychology junior Ryan Richards (right) race each other to the top of the rock wall during the Residence Hall Association Block Party on the UA Mall on Saturday.
SEE MORE PHOTOS OF DORM MOVE IN, FRESHMEN ON CAMPUS, AND MORE INSIDE - 3
ARTS & LIFE - 16
A new recruitment process to pledge for a fraternity at the UA was introduced in this fall. According to Adam Geyer, president of the Interfraternity Council at the UA, the process was altered to give potential new members, or PNMs, the chance to see every fraternity on campus and to help all 17 chapters achieve their class size goals. “We kind of formalized a process so that throughout the week, every PNM visits each fraternity, and as the week goes on, they mutually select each other,” Geyer said. “So by the end of the week they have a good idea of which fraternity is a good fit for them.” With 900 PNMs this fall, the new rushing process was designed to make sure that every PNM was able to see every fraternity chapter on campus. In previous years, the process was more informal, Geyer said. Previously, the process took place after fall classes began. Chapters would host events throughout the week, and PNMs were able to decide which events they wanted to attend. This ultimately led to an uneven
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Sun Link offers free 30-day passes
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BY CHRISTIANNA SILVA The Daily Wildcat
DAILYWILDCAT.COM Main Gate Square
WEATHER The University of Arizona
4th Avenue District
HI
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STORMY Welcome, Canada Back, Sweden Wildcat, Canada
Mercado
Downtown/Centro
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QUOTE TO NOTE
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Communications junior Kaeli Johnson also lives off campus, and while she utilized the free pass, she doesn’t plan on using the streetcar often.
LOW
“I kind of think it’s a waste of money for how short it is,” Johnson said about the four-mile track. “It honestly just seems like it’s catering more toward Greek Life, because it
starts near the sorority houses and ends at the bars.” The Sun Link’s route attempts to tie in as much of the UA community
SUNLINK, 6
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The Sun Link Tucson Modern Streetcar, known as the Sun Link, is offering free 30-day passes to UA students and faculty from Aug. 15 to Sept. 14 through a partnership between the university and the Sun Link . The Sun Link is a streetcar that runs on electricity from Warren and Helen, through the UA and down through Mercado, connecting the UA community to the local community. It’s a four-mile track with a streetcar at each stop at 10-30 minute intervals. The free pass is beneficial to students living off campus. Meghan Witteman, a philosophy, politics, economics and law sophomore, said this is her first year living off campus. She is ecstatic that she doesn’t have to either pay for a parking pass or walk in the Tucson heat to her classes. She said she can’t wait to try out the streetcar for a free month and that she was planning on paying for the Sun Link anyway. “It’s a wonderful idea,” Witteman said. “I think if everyone tries it for a month, they could discover that they really like it and it could decrease U of A’s carbon footprint. It stops pretty often too, so it’s super convenient.” Not all students at the university are as excited as Witteman.