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ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
thursday, october ,
tucson, arizona
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Medical marijuana restrictions debated By Yael Schusterman ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved the staff recommendations to place tight restrictions on zoning if the Medical Marijuana Act passes in the November election. Proposition 203, the Medical Marijuana Act, identifies illnesses that would qualify patients to use marijuana.
It was placed on the ballot by citizen initiative and follows 14 other states that have already legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Pima County Attorney, Barbara LaWall, presented the staff recommendations from the Pima County Development Services to the Board of Supervisors during Tuesday’s meeting. She stated that Proposition 203 does not require a pharmacy to
dispense the medical marijuana; therefore it will not be distributed like any other medication. It permits that the drug be grown at two locations: on site at a dispensary and at one off-site location per every dispensary. There are no limitations on quantity LaWall said, adding that the staff anticipates a high demand from the public. Those patients who qualify will be able to purchase 2.5 ounces of
medical marijuana every 14 days and will require a card containing their personal information and tracking number so the state can monitor how much marijuana they have been given. If the proposition becomes law, LaWall said the staff wants to ensure that the marijuana dispen-
Photo courtesy of Thomas Rankin
saries will not be located near drug-free schools, drug-free rehabilitation centers or allowed in residential neighborhoods. She said they should only be in commercial MARIJUANA, page 8
Theta Chi joins UA frats New chapter hopes to change stereotype By Abigail Richardson ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
Erich Healy/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Associated Students of the University of Arizona Sens. Deanna Mariner and Garrett Voge listen to Rachel Beech, director of new student services, speak about the Student Affairs Outreach Program at the ASUA Senate meeting on Wednesday.
Cohorts program fails
Upperclassmen disconnected from transitioning students By Jazmine Woodberry ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Rachel Beech told it straight to the senate – its previous program had to go. “The cohorts just weren’t working,” said Beech, director of new student services in the student transitions office, who spoke to the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate at its Wednesday meeting about the office’s new direction for the program. The cohort program, started in the fall 2009 semester, supported the up to 1,000-student
Centennial Hall classes. Cohorts are upperclassmen who guide freshmen through the transition to college as well as through difficult or large classes. Cohorts from semesters past, however, remained disconnected from incoming students. They were neither enrolled in nor teaching assistants for the classes they were tasked to support, so they could not provide the directed support that students asked for. A system of support, now deemed Student Affairs Outreach, takes the place of these cohorts in groups that need extra aid or re-
main disconnected from campus, either Arizona Assurance scholars or students living off-campus their freshman year. “We wanted something that helps students’ progress academically,” Beech said, noting special attention is given to students in high-population freshman classes, such as Spanish 102, Chemistry 151 and Elaine V. Marchello’s Traditions and Cultures 104 general education class. Weekly “Wildcat Connection” emails connect students to “digital RAs” as Beech calls them, serving to provide a virtual way
to give to students what resident assistants give to on-campus freshman, class help and emotional support. The emails aid students in the Arizona Assurance program, an individually tailored freshman scholarship program, or those who live off campus during their first year. Beech’s information was followed by the other informational piece, representatives from the Task Force on Classroom Responders. “This effort has been tried ASUA, page 3
Leadership. Academically focused. Gentleman-like. Athletic. Social. These are the characteristics that the new fraternity on campus, Theta Chi, expects their members to embody in order to break the traditional stereotypes of fraternity men. “I went through the rush process, and I wasn’t happy with the way that other fraternities marketed themselves,” said Jared Jacobovitz, the president of Theta Chi and economics senior. “I wasn’t happy that everything was about the party instead of what, in my opinion, Greek Life should have been, which is more about helping the community and bettering yourself.” A book called “The Accidental Billionaires,” by Ben Mezrich, inspired Jacobvitz’s vision for the new fraternity. The book is about the creation of Facebook but also talks about the Harvard Final Clubs. “They are the most prestigious clubs on campus that everyone wants to join,” he said. “It’s a collection of people who are doing something with their lives but will eventually become a network of people who have the same core values and beliefs. That’s what I wanted to build on this campus.” Theta Chi currently has 35 members and is growing rapidly. FRATERNITY, page 8
Campus Health screens for depression By Brenna Goth ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT More than 25 percent of American adults suffer from mental illnesses each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Campus Health Service and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona are bringing events to campus
this week to inform the UA and Tucson communities as a part of Mental Illness Awareness Week, which includes educational events nationwide. Mental illnesses are classified as one of three types: mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder, thought disorders, such as schizophrenia, or anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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“These are biologically based diseases,” said Scott Whitley, resource specialist and trainer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona. “They can be treated, and if treated correctly, controlled but not cured.” College-aged students are among those most often diagnosed with depression, according to Debra Cox-Howard, mental health clinician for Counseling
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and Psychological Services. “The most depression that we see is in people ages 17 to 30,” Cox-Howard said. “We’re trying to figure out why, and why it’s more and more prevalent every year.” Counseling and Psychological Services will participate in National Depression Screening Day on Thursday. Volunteers from the Student
University of Arizona Wind Ensemble Concert, 7:30 pm at Crowder Hall. Opening of the 2010 season the concert will perform music by John Williams, “Star Wars Triology.”
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Health Advisory Committee will pass out surveys to students at the UofA Bookstore. The survey includes about 40 questions about feelings and behavior. “We score them right there and talk to people about the results,” Cox-Howard said. “It gives (students) an opportunity to heighten awareness and provide them with HEALTH, page 3
Bad Behavior: The Crime Show, a storytelling performance featuring comedians at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., 7p.m.
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