University of Arizona - Desert Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

Page 17 text:

INDECISION 2004 Alistair Chapman nearly lost his position as the 2004-2005 student body president. Josh Shapiro, Chapman ' s opponent in the March elections, filed 16 elections code violations against Chapman. Chapman filed two against Shapiro. Shapiro ' s claimed the election commissioner and one of the sponsored debates had been biased. Had Chapman been found guilty of four of the violations, he would have been disqualified from the presidency. But 14 of the 16 charges against Chapman were dismissed because Shapiro failed to provide specific details of the violations.

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Yenr in More than 100 minors were arrested and 57 were taken to jail on Aug. 31, 2003, when Tucson law enforcement agencies surrounded a west-side apartment party. Many arrested at the party at Jefferson at Star Ranch apartments, 41 S. Shannon Road, were UA students. Two weeks later, 25 arrests were made by UAPD while patrolling greek bid night parties on campus. On Oct. 17, 2003, police arrested 36 people for minor in possession while the people rode a bus to a Gamma Phi Beta sorority date dash at a local hotel. The next week, police led an effort to curb underage drinking in bars when they arrested three people and cited seven establishments for serving to minors. The arrests and busts marked an increase in police patrolling for underage drinkers. The busts, however, drew ire from students, who disagreed with police tactics used during the raids. At a community forum in October, Tucson City Councilwoman Kathleen Dunbar reminded students that drinking underage is a crime. If you are under 21 years old and you are drinking alcohol, you are violating the law, Dunbar said. It is zero tolerance. BUSH WACKED President George W. Bush declined an invitation by Likins to speak at this year ' s commencement ceremony after the UA consolidated the two scheduled ceremonies into one and moved the event outdoors. In mid-February, Likins sent a formal invitation to Bush to speak at commencement after a faculty member connected to the White House said that Bush would welcome an invitation to speak at the ceremony. Without receiving any word from the White House, the UA administration decided to combine the morning and afternoon commencement ceremonies into one and moved the event from the McKale Center to Arizona Stadium. Likins extended the invitation to Bush after he asked former NBA star and UA alumnus Steve Kerr to speak. On March 15, Likins learned that Bush would not be speaking, as he agreed to speak at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., Concordia University in Mequon, Wis., and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. Commencement was again divided back into two ceremonies and moved into the McKale Center with Kerr addressing both ceremonies.

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TOWERING INFERNO The Aspen Fire in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson had the whole city watching as it burned down the village of Summerhaven on Mt. Lemmon before fall classes started in 2003. The blaze got national attention and spurred a visit from President Bush. Campus was excited when the Showtime reality series Fresh- man Danes announced plans to film the show on the UA campus. Producers filmed on campus in the fall, but the show was cancelled before UA episodes got off the drawing board.