March 18, 2013

Page 1

WILDCATS LEARN NCAA SEEDING

SPORTS - 6

COMMUNITY GETS MUDDY FOR GOOD CAUSE

NEWS - 2

SOUND COMES FIRST ON ‘WONDROUS BUGHOUSE’ ARTS - 18

ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Printing the news, sounding the alarm, and raising hell since 1899

MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013

DAILYWILDCAT.COM

VOLUME 106 • ISSUE 117

PAC-12 TOURNAMENT

VEGAS PAYS OFF Despite risk in move from L.A.’s Staples Center to MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pac-12 tournament’s debut in Las Vegas appears to be a success

Student fees bill moves to Senate BRITTNY MEJIA Arizona Daily Wildcat

ZACK ROSENBLATT Arizona Daily Wildcat

L

AS VEGAS — So, how about that ride in? The Pac-12 tournament made its debut in Sin City, but was it a success? That gets a resounding yes. There certainly was risk involved with moving the tournament from Staples Center in Los Angeles to MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but it had to be done. Staples Center became a landmark for desolation when it came to Pac-12 basketball, as fans just didn’t want to make the trip to L.A. Everyone wants to make a trip to Las Vegas. “I commend the league for taking a chance and doing something different,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. Said Arizona head coach Sean Miller : “We all knew when we came to Vegas this tournament was going to be an incredible tournament.” Altman’s Ducks won in exciting fashion on Saturday night, 78-69 over UCLA . The game capped off a week of loud, exciting basketball filled with drama (just Google “Sean Miller he touched the ball”) and exhilaration (seven of the 11 games played were decided by six points or less). It was a star-studded affair — Miami Heat president Pat Riley, hip-hop and reality TV extraordinaire Flavor Flav were among those in attendance at a few games, and Boyz II Men sang the national anthem at Friday’s Arizona-UCLA game. KYLE WASSON/ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Walking around MGM, LFRESHMAN CENTER KALEB TARCZEWSKI jumps for the tipoff against Colorado in Thursday’s win over Colorado. The Pac-12 moved odds were you’d run into a player or two, as all 12 teams its location from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for at least the next three years. were staying at the hotel. in December. tournament here in Las Vegas. athletic director Greg Byrne Brock Motum, Washington Also, there’s the inherent risk Our fans came and traveled and meandering around. UA head State’s star big man, could be of bringing college students to I think they had a great time.” football coach Rich Rodriguez seen sitting at a slot machine, Las Vegas, where trouble is easy So where was the risk? was there, too. signing autographs for fans to be found. Well, for one, the MGM “We were incredibly pleased even after the Cougars had “Obviously there’s a whole Grand Arena had only ever with our first year in Las already been eliminated. bunch of things you can get housed one basketball game, Vegas,” said Danette Leighton, That’s not to mention the yourself in trouble with,” said and that was a tune-up for this the Pac-12’s chief marketing likes of Larry Scott, the Pac-12 tournament with Oregon State officer. “I think it was a great commissioner, and Arizona BASKETBALL, 8 and the University of San Diego first impression for our new

AZ focuses on DREAMer tuition STEPHANIE CASANOVA Arizona Daily Wildcat

University and community college leaders across Arizona have thrown their support behind lowering the cost of tuition for undocumented students, but offering in-state tuition to those students faces legal challenges created by state statutes. Following the Pima Community College governing board’s vote to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students, the three university presidents also expressed their support in helping make tuition more affordable for students who arrived in the United States as children and who have lived in Arizona most of their lives. According to research by the Pew Hispanic Center, up to 1.7 million people may qualify for protection from deportation and other public benefits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an executive order issued by President Barack Obama in June 2012. The program, which went into effect in August 2012, provides a two-year work permit to individuals younger than 30 years old and who were brought to the U.S. before they were 16. Applicants must have obtained a high school

HAILEY EISENBACH / ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

THE ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS is discussing reduced tuition for students approved for deferred action status by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

diploma or GED or be currently enrolled in school, among other requirements, to qualify for approval under DACA.

Governing boards’ decisions based on conflicting statutes

Despite PCC’s recent decision, the Arizona Board of Regents released a statement saying students who received deferred action status do not qualify for in-state tuition according to Arizona law. The community college’s decision, however,

referenced a different section of Arizona Revised Statutes and said the law allows those with deferred action status to receive certain benefits, including more affordable tuition, according to C.J. Karamargin, vice chancellor for public information and federal government relations at PCC. In January, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officially declared that individuals approved under DACA are considered “lawfully present” by the Department of Homeland Security. Arizona grants “state or local public benefits” to “lawfully present” individuals, Karamargin said. These benefits are outlined in federal law and include loans, grants, licenses, unemployment and retirement, health and disability and postsecondary education benefits. PCC understands this section of the law to mean it is permissible to grant undocumented students instate tuition once they qualify for deferred action, according to Karamargin. “This is a decision that will allow us to fulfill our mission as an academic institution,” Karamargin said. “Our role is education, not border enforcement. There are departments of government, federal and

DREAMERS, 2

A state bill that would prevent Arizona universities from collecting student fees for groups not recognized as a university student organization will advance Tuesday to the Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee will weigh House Bill 2169 this week, after it passed 35-24 in the state House. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), said his proposal was prompted by a statewide student lobbying organization’s controversial use of student fee money to contribute to the Vote Yes on Prop. 204 campaign. HB 2169 would bring money that is mandatorily collected from students under the protection of state law, and “prevent people like this student group from abusing” it, Kavanagh said in an earlier interview. Last fall, the Arizona Students’ Association donated more than $100,000 to the campaign using funding raised through a $2-per-student, persemester fee collected on behalf of the organization by the universities. Proposition 204, which failed in November 2012, would have extended a statewide one-cent sales tax increase to fund education. ASA “works to make sure that higher education in Arizona is affordable and accessible,” according to its website. HB 2169 is one in a series of obstacles ASA is facing as a result of the increased scrutiny created by the controversy. Last month, the Arizona Board of Regents voted to make the $2 collected from every Arizona student for ASA an opt-in fee. Students will now have to explicitly consent to the fee prior to payment. Some ASA members said the bill’s passage would hinder student voices heard by the Legislature.

BILL, 2

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QUOTE TO NOTE

When you only have one parent, that’s all you have. You don’t want to be parentless at 21. There’s so much you want to experience with your mom.” SPORTS - 6

WEATHER HI

SUNNY Spring Arbor, MI Spring Bay, IL Spring Branch, TX

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