TO CLIPS INDEX - Clips for April 2, 2008

State hopes to overrule voters on budget
The Arizona Republic - April 2, 2008 12:00 AM
Staring down a deficit abyss of about $3 billion for this year and next, Arizona lawmakers
complain that their efforts to cut spending and balance the budget are stymied by voters.
Health care for the poor. Spending on schools. Money for clean elections and land
conservation. Early-education and health programs for kids, funded by tobacco taxes.
Major state programs and big bucks - all off-limits because they are protected by voter-
approved initiatives.

'Transformation' continues for nursing school with groundbreaking on addition
The Arizona Republic - April 2, 2008 12:00 AM
A nursing program that was born in a library basement began building a modern, $30
million addition on Tuesday. The five-story building in downtown Phoenix is a symbol
of how Arizona State University's College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation has
changed over its 50-year history, said the school's dean, Bernadette Melnyk. "The
college has undergone a transformation unlike any other nursing school in the country,"
the dean said. "We are setting a new standard for colleges of nursing."

Health coverage OK'd for partners of state workers
The Arizona Republic - April 2, 2008 12:00 AM
The domestic partners of state employees, gay or straight, will be eligible for health
coverage and other benefits under a plan approved Tuesday by a state oversight panel.
The Governor's Regulatory Review Council, with three members missing or abstaining,
voted 4-0 to approve the benefits expansion. It was proposed late last year with backing
by Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Evasive Olson back to work with Cats
Arizona Republic - April 2, 2008 12:00 AM
Assistant O'Neill will not remain with staff
Lute Olson said he's "really excited" to be back as Arizona's basketball coach. He sure
didn't seem that way Tuesday. In his first news conference since returning from a season-
long leave of absence, a testy Olson sparred with reporters and provided few specifics for
the leave, which was the subject of endless rumors and speculation in this basketball-
obsessed city.

Roots of No Child make it worth saving
Arizona Republic - April 2, 2008 12:00 AM
Legislation proposed at the Arizona Legislature would allow the state to opt out of the No
Child Left Behind Act. Proponents of the legislation are justified in their reaction to a law
that has, at best, under-performed. However, the original version of NCLB, the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, is the foundation for realizing quality public education.

ASU West courses respond to aging
Arizona Republic - March 17, 2008 07:52 AM
Matthew Crumb, media-relations manager for the Arizona State University at the West
campus, submitted the following article: While the population of the United States is
projected to grow by 30 percent over the next two decades, the population of people 65
and older is expected to grow by 100 percent. New bachelor of science and master of
science degree programs in aging and lifespan development offered by Arizona State
University's College of Human Services, will prepare professionals in many fields to
respond to the needs of America's aging population.

ASU needs more safety measures
East Valley Tribune - April 2, 2008 - 1:21AM
ASU needs better tools to track and assess students’ behavior and to upgrade its
emergency notification system for when worst-case scenarios become real, a
university committee recommends. ASU reviews safety effort to prevent bloodshed.
Those are among 46 recommendations in a draft report written by an Arizona State
University committee that studied investigations of last year’s massacre at Virginia
Tech.

ASU students to strip to undies for charity
East Valley Tribune - April 1, 2008 - 10:39PM
Arizona State University students are planning to donate the clothes off their backs -
literally. Student Rubin Green is planning ASU's first Undie Run for Charity, and more
than 2,000 students have already signed up. The late-night run is to begin at 11:55 p.m.
April 29, the night before finals begin. Green said students are planning to meet at
Parking Structure 5 on the north side of campus near the Fulton Center.

Lawmaker wants education rankings evaluated
East Valley Tribune - April 2, 2008
Measure would create panel to compare states by quality, residents’ wages
Reports that rate Arizona against other states on education shouldn’t be taken at face
value, a state lawmaker contends. Sen. John Huppenthal, RChandler, is sponsoring a
bill that would create an appointed committee to compile rankings of states by education
quality and residents’ wages and evaluate them to determine where Arizona truly stands.

Board OKs benefits for domestic partners
East Valley Tribune - April 2, 2008
Governor’s panel approves move despite objections
Rejecting claims of illegality, the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council gave the final
go-ahead Tuesday to extend benefits to the domestic partners of state and university
employees. The 4-0 vote by the panel, all hand-picked by Gov. Janet Napolitano, came
despite objections from foes that the change will encourage what one called an
“aberrant” lifestyle.

Guest Opinion: It's wrong time to raise spending or cut taxes
Arizona Daily Star - March 31, 2008
The late Sen. Barry Goldwater once asked, "Where is the politician who has not promised to
fight to the death for lower taxes — and who has not proceeded to vote for the very spending
projects that make tax cuts impossible?" Well, we're Goldwater Republicans who think the
late senator's words still hold wisdom. That is why we broke ranks with fellow Republicans
recently when the House passed HB 2220, a proposed permanent repeal of the state
equalization property tax.

Olson surprises UA officials by saying O’Neill is out
Arizona Daily Star - April 1, 2008 - 11:14PM
During a confrontational 48-minute news conference Tuesday, Lute Olson further reestablished
control of the Arizona Wildcats basketball program while announcing he would remove Kevin
O’Neill as assistant coach. Olson said if O’Neill did not land a job elsewhere and came back
next season, the university would “be responsible for the second year of his contract.” That
apparently was news to UA athletic director Jim Livengood and O’Neill alike.

AZ business leaders pessimistic
Arizona Daily Star - April 2, 2008
Arizona business leaders are growing increasingly pessimistic about the economy, judging
from a confidence index tracked by the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management
and Compass Bank. The Arizona Business Leaders Confidence Index declined by 3.5 points
in the second quarter to a reading of 36.9 — the lowest reading since the survey began in mid-
2003. A number below 50 indicates worsening conditions. The index has declined in each of
the past four surveys, stretching back to the second quarter of 2007.

Swedlund Blog: U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings
Arizona Daily Star - March 28, 02:55 PM
The University of Arizona has nine specific graduate programs that are among the top 10
nationally in their fields, according to the latest graduate school rankings by U.S. News &
World Report. The UA garnered top-10 rankings in audiology, analytical chemistry, Earth
science, geology, information systems, pharmacy, rehabilitation counseling, social
psychology and speech-language pathology.

Denogean: Lute's back in charge in all his bristly glory
Tucson Citizen - April 2, 2008
Coach Lute Olson strode, looking happy and healthy, into the room filled with 30 journalists
early Tuesday afternoon for his first news conference since returning from a season-long
leave of absence. But the moment he sat down, centered behind a long table, he seemed
alone and vulnerable. And justifiably so. Both the media and Tucsonans watching the event
live on Fox Sports Net Arizona would be scrutinizing him, waiting for any misstep that would
prove he's lost it. Olson says he's ready to coach the University of Arizona men's basketball
team again, but would Tucson agree?

Olson: AD told him to be mum
Tucson Citizen - April 2, 2008
Coach says he's fit and ready to tackle rigors of coaching
Lute Olson said Tuesday at a regionally televised news conference that University of Arizona
Athletic Director Jim Livengood told him to remain silent during his medical leave of absence,
which Olson said began Dec. 7. In addition, the coach said he provided UA with a guarantee
that his condition is resolved and he is fit for work. "Do I look like I have a condition?" Olson
asked reporters.

Mars research by UA the topic of free lectures
Tucson Citizen - April 2, 2008
Mars exploration is becoming a hotter and hotter topic as the University of Arizona-led Phoenix
Mars Lander mission nears its target. Four free lectures on Mars research will be held at 11 a.m.
Saturdays in April at the UA's Biosphere 2, said Pierre Meystre, director of the B2 Institute at the
Biosphere. The $420 million Phoenix mission, which left Earth on Aug. 4 on a 423-million-mile
journey, is slated to land in Mars' arctic region May 25.

Christine Olson seeks trial in divorce from Lute
Tucson Citizen - April 2, 2008
The attorney for University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson's estranged wife has asked a
judge to set a five-day trial in the couple's divorce. The request, which was filed Friday in Pima
County Superior Court, says Christine Olson and her attorney, Kathleen McCarthy, can be ready
for trial in six months. If Lute Olson and his attorney, Leonard Karp, don't contest the need for a
trial, Judge Sarah Simmons will set a court date.

UA professor adding focus on organizational ethics
Tucson Citizen - April 2, 2008
News breaks that the CEO of a multinational company is embezzling funds. The media are in
a frenzy. The public is outraged. A commission is formed to study the crime. "The commission
says, 'We're shocked!' Then we return to business as usual. We assume it's just a case of bad
apples," said Neil Vance, head of a new ethics program - with a component for community
members - at the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management. Vance believes there's
more to it.

Our Opinion: Fog hangs over Lute's absence
Tucson Citizen - April 2, 2008
Lute Olson is back as head basketball coach at the University of Arizona, but his return came
in a mist of finger- pointing and unanswered questions. In an hour-long press conference
Tuesday, Olson jabbed at reporters who had the temerity to try to sort through his conflicting
statements about his season-long leave of absence. At various times, Olson has said he
stepped aside for a personal reason that was not a "health scare," that it was a "medical
condition," that it was stress caused by his divorce and was stress and anxiety caused by
"a combination of things."

West breaks scholarship record
ASU Web Devil - April 1, 2008
Campus gives out $700,000 this academic year; teaching school tops financial aid list ASU's
West campus is growing not only in size and number of students, but also in the amount
of scholarships being awarded. West campus gave out about $700,000 in scholarships to its
students this academic year, breaking the campus's previous scholarship record, according to
Stephen Des Georges, a spokesman for ASU West.

Domestic partners to get health insurance Oct. 1
UA Daily Wildcat Online - April 2, 2008
UA foresees boost to hiring, retention efforts
Domestic partners of UA employees will be eligible for health insurance coverage beginning
Oct. 1, thanks to a proposal approved by a state review panel yesterday. University officials said
the change will greatly benefit recruitment and retention of faculty and staff. "We don't have to
disappoint people like we used to," said Allison Vaillancourt, the university's associate vice
president of human resources.

Payson student wins coveted Flinn scholarship
Payson Roundup - April 1, 2008
Those who think brains and brawn don't mix have never met 18-year-old Mark McCarty. Mark
McCarty has won a Flinn Foundation scholarship, which goes annually to the top 20 highest
achieving students in the state. Only two months after the Payson High School senior show-
cased his brute strength by winning the 152-pound 3A state wrestling championship, he
staged a stunning show of intellect by being named the recipient of the most lucrative and
prestigious college scholarship in Arizona.

Location woes helped sink Academy
Daily News-Sun - April 1, 2008 - 9:24AM
Recreation centers officials leveled the Lifelong Learning Academy in Sun City last week
when they decided not to renew its contract with ASU, but the program's collapse may have
begun two years ago. "We were hurt pretty badly when the Sundial Recreation Center roof
problem happened," said Diane Gruber, ASU Lifelong Learning program director.

Northern Arizona University Research Facility Earns LEED Platinum
BuildingGreen, Inc - April 1, 2008
The Applied Research and Development building at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff,
AZ, has achieved a Platinum rating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System.
The 60,000-ft2 building, designed by architecture firm Burns Wald-Hopkins in Tucson, earned
60 out of 69 possible points and is expected to achieve over 60% energy savings compared
with a similar conventional building.

County will pay $100,000 to UA for well study; volunteers needed
Willcox Range News - April 1, 2008, 23:46 pm
BISBEE - A study to determine water use by rural county residents will be under way July 1,
thanks to a unanimous vote of the Cochise County Board of Supervisors during their meeting
March 11. Though the supervisors have already approved the study, which will be done by the
University of Arizona, it was necessary to set up an agreement as to the disbursement of funds.
The county will pay costs involved with the rural well water use study up to $100,000.

Getting Them In, Getting Them Back
Inside Higher Ed - April 2, 2008
A quick word association: “underrepresented students.” What comes to mind? The smart money’s
on “racial minority students from urban areas,” or some form of that answer. Often forgotten, but
most often included in such definitions, is the subgroup rural students. There’s good reason to
think of the urban ills first. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that high
school dropout and unemployment rates are higher in cities than in rural areas. The median
earning level, when adjusted to reflect regional cost differences, is also lower in urban centers,
according to the report.