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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013
Students step into virtual city
VOLUME 107 • ISSUE 52
RETURN OF THE GYROS
NEWS - 6
STUDENTS HOST MULTICULTURAL SHOWCASE
BY ADRIANA ESPINOSA
The Daily Wildcat
UA students will get the chance to learn about the history of Harlem, N.Y., through a virtual world next year. Bryan Carter, assistant professor of Africana studies and the creator of Virtual Harlem, will be introducing a virtual classroom to the UA in 2014. Virtual Harlem is a representation of Harlem as it existed between 1920 and 1934, during the Harlem Renaissance era. Understanding the setting and lifestyle of this era is key for those studying in the Africana studies department at the UA, Carter said. While Virtual Harlem already exists and is open to anyone who wishes to create a personalized avatar on OpenSimulator and participate in the virtual world, students will be able to contribute to the world through the virtual class next year. The content students create, including artwork, music, presentations and poetry, will remain in Virtual Harlem. Students in the new class will also create avatars and interact with one another and with the environment through presentations, role-playing, performances and visits to virtual spaces. “Unlike a video game, a virtual world is unscripted,” Carter said. “You can do anything in that world.” Carter began working on Virtual Harlem when he was a professor at the University of Missouri from 1996 to 1997. The project is a collaborative learning and research environment, enabling interested students, scholars and entertainers to interact in a virtual space. “I really wanted to encourage my students to experience the Harlem Renaissance in a
VIRTUAL HARLEM, 2
SPORTS - 8
WILDCATS FOOTBALL NO. 5 IN PAC-12
ARTS & LIFE - 3
GREEK MAKES A RETURN TO THE MAIN GATE AREA
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YANNI MARKOU, a chef at Pelio Grill Greek Taverna and Catering, serves up a gyro for a customer on Tuesday. The restaurant opened last Wednesday on University Boulevard and Park Avenue. See the full review on page 3.
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Decisions come early Energy film for some UA hopefuls to show on campus
AMY PHELPS/THE DAILY WILDCAT
ELIICIA VILLASENOR, a senior at Flowing Wells High School, was accepted early to the UA through the Wildcat Promise application process. She will attend the UA next fall and plans to study business management.
BY MARK ARMAO
The Daily Wildcat The UA has undertaken a new initiative to help alleviate some of the stress university applicants face each year waiting to hear whether they have been accepted or not. The Wildcat Promise initiative informs early applicants of the school’s decision shortly after they apply. The initiative is different from Early Decision in that students who are accepted through Wildcat
Promise are not required to attend the UA. The initiative has already allowed approximately 4,000 applicants to learn their admissions decision for the 2014-2015 academic year about a month after they applied. “We have a lot of students that know they want to come to the University of Arizona,” said Kasey Urquidez, associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of
PROMISE, 2
College to co-sponsor the event, as the college’s themes of learning this year include sustainability and the examined life. Patricia MacCorquodale, dean of the Honors College, said the film connects most strongly with the theme of the examined life. “It’s about having students look at their passions and interests and think about how they can connect BY JAZMINE FOSTER-HALL those to their life journey, and I The Daily Wildcat think the film really ties into that as well,” MacCorquodale said. Lights, camera, action: The The film has been shown at Department of Geosciences and more than 400 college campuses the Honors College are working since its release. Tinker said that together to sponsor a film he decided to make a movie screening this Wednesday. The of his work because films are film “Switch”, created by University the most effective media for of Texas professor and State reaching younger Geologist of Texas audiences. Scott Tinker, is about “The issues are ‘SWITCH’: What the conservation of going to be here energy in every form, is the future of for many decades, from solar power to energy? and so it’s really oil. students in college Wednesday, George Davis, today that are 4 p.m. a UA professor of going to be solving Student Union geosciences, brought them,” Tinker said. the filmmaker to Memorial Center Of the 400 the UA to show and Gallagher campuses the discuss his work. Theater movie has been Davis said energy shown at, Tinker conservation is an has gone to about important issue that is addressed 20 of them for question and thoroughly within the film. answer discussions, which he “The beauty of this film is that said are his favorite part of the it covers every form and source of screenings. energy, from the biofuels to non“That’s where I learn what traditional energy sources to the people are thinking,” Tinker said, traditional energy sources,” Davis “and it’s also a good way for other said. “It’s able to manage all this people to learn what other people in a very objective way and come are thinking, which is always eyeto a conclusion that is all about opening,” individual choices.” MacCorquodale said students The concept of individual SWITCH, 6 action is what brought the Honors
UA Graduate School Day Student Union Memorial Center 3rd Floor Ballroom Today! 1pm - 4pm
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When we elect officials or let individuals have unbalanced power to dictate what ideas we are exposed to, it changes the discussions and limits what we think we know.” OPINIONS — 4