3.20.12

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Tossing out toxins

ABOR may up full-time credit qualifications By Soinneah Monks DAILY WILDCAT

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Professor proposes to ban toxic dry-erase markers from classrooms By Kevin Reagan DAILY WILDCAT

After months of living in pain, associate professor of geography and development Marv Waterstone thinks he may have found the cause for the mysterious bouts of illness he experienced while teaching at the UA. Dry-erase markers. Now, Waterstone is doing what he can to ban all markers containing sensitive toxins from the entire campus. Dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches and nausea were a few of the symptoms Waterstone experienced at random intervals whenever he was in his classroom. Once it started to interfere with his ability to teach, he decided to figure out what was making him sick.

“Every time I went outside I felt better,” he said, “and it was clear to me that it wasn’t coming from my office.” When he approached the whiteboard in his classroom, he noticed the symptoms manifesting, and after doing some research on the Internet, he diagnosed himself with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, or MCS. The sensitivities of this syndrome are similar to allergies, but also cause unusual symptoms like those Waterstone experienced. “People have symptoms of MCS, but don’t know how to associate the cause,” Waterstone said. Perfumes, pesticides, cigarettes and dry-erase markers are some of the most common triggers for an MCS attack. Dry-erase markers containing the organic chemicals xylene and toluene are

what Waterstone pinpointed for causing his symptoms. An overexposure to these chemicals result in having similar effects as drinking large amounts of alcohol on the brain. On Feb. 6, Waterstone asked the Faculty Senate to propose a resolution that the campus only allow non-toxic dryerase markers be purchased and used in classrooms. “There is a range of sensitivities and a range of chemicals on this campus,” Waterstone said, “which all produce differential effects.” The resolution passed, and affiliates of the UofA Bookstore were quick to comply with Waterstone’s request. Bookstore employees examined all of

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Director ties heritage to new job By Stephanie Casanova DAILY WILDCAT

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lose ties with both the UA and his personal heritage allowed Kyle Ethelbah to become the new Native American Student Affairs director in January. Ethelbah, a White Mountain Apache native, graduated from the UA in 1997 with a degree in cultural and linguistic anthropology. Now working as the program director for Native American Student Affairs, Ethelbah has exceeded his colleagues’ expectations in his new position so far, said Karen Francis-Begay, special adviser to the president for American Indian Affairs. “He really understands the whole notion of access and equity for Native American students, and so he’s channeling

a lot of his knowledge and the networks he has to really build in a strong foundation,” Francis-Begay said. “He’s bringing some much needed attention to the whole issue of retention and graduation, a concern that we’ve had for some time of our Native American population at the UA.” Ethelbah grew up on a Fort Apache reservation in Whiteriver, Ariz. Having lost his mother as a baby, he was taken in by his grandmother, who raised 10 children of her own in addition to four grandchildren. Ethelbah’s father couldn’t care for him due to his active alcoholism. “There was a lot of things that I’d seen growing up, including substance abuse, including a lot of dysfunction just because of what happened historically with us,” Ethelbah said. “But I

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The new Native American Student Affairs Director, Kyle Ethelbah, says he wants to work directly with students to increase graduation rates.

also saw a lot of strength and perseverance.” After working with TRIO, a federal outreach program aimed at providing services for students from disadvantaged

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backgrounds, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for 12 years, Ethelbah said he wanted to return to his native state to

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NOTING This day in history

>> 1852: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was published. Check out the pdf on Issuu >> 1969: John Lennon married Yoko Ono in issuu.com/arizonadailywildcat Gibraltar. flickr.com/arizonadailywildcat

Golf, Ill. Driver, Ark.

Future UA students may be required to take 15 units instead of 12 in order to maintain full-time student status. The idea of increasing credit hour requirements has only been briefly discussed and is far from being moved to the Arizona Board of Regents’ Academic Affairs Committee, according to Sarah Harper, a spokeswoman for the board. The idea was brought up during the regents’ Financial Aid Task Force meeting, where they discussed the potential benefits of changing full-time student status for those who qualify for financial aid. Members of the task force in favor of the idea said it could be a “performance incentive” for these types of students to graduate on time or early if they are required to take a larger amount of credits per semester. Changing full-time student status may encourage students to want to graduate quicker, which would save them money and allow them to pay back student loans faster and easier, said Bob McLendon, vice chairman of the board. The idea was originally addressed, he said, because of how much money students end up paying back to the state through loans upon graduating. For students on financial aid, this change could prevent student loan debts, he added. Some students, like athletes, said they could be negatively impacted by the change if implemented. “It’s perfect taking 12 credits because it allows us to get good grades in our courses while also being able to focus on football,” said Ben Sullivan, a UA football player and pre-business freshman. “We don’t get behind either from just taking 12 credits, because most of us enroll in summer classes as well.” With practice and meetings nearly every day in addition to class and homework, Sullivan said the change could hurt his and his teammates’ grade point averages. Other students who are used to taking 15 credits or more per semester said they would be unaffected by the change if it were to go into effect. Ashley Inouye, a business sophomore, said she has to take a minimum of 15 credits in order to keep her scholarship in the Honors College. “This change would not impact me directly,” she said. The issue will be presented to the board’s Academic Affairs Committee and brought to the board itself for voting if passed by the committee. There has been no discussion within the board as to whether the change could cause students to take more or less time to graduate.

Do you need a driver’s license to drive a golf cart on campus?

It depends, but typically yes. If you want to drive a golf cart owned by and registered with the UA, then you have to have a driver’s license — it’s UA policy, according to John Murphy, fleet safety officer with Risk Management Services. This is because UA golf carts can operate on roads in addition to sidewalks and various campus areas. People who drive privately owned golf carts do not need a driver’s license to operate their vehicle if they are not driving it on the road, making it very hard to get on or around campus, Murphy said. Those who Have a question? do could get a Email askuaeureka@gmail.com ticket for driving or contact the Daily Wildcat on a non-registered Twitter with #uaeureka. vehicle. “That would be like if you’re operating a quad or something similar without a license plate,” he said. “It’s not supposed to be on the road.” As far as UA golf carts are concerned, Risk Management requires that all of them be “street legal,” meaning they must be equipped with all the things a normal vehicle has, said David Heineking, director of Parking and Transportation Services. This includes having things like turn signals, brake lights and windshields. Typically, UA golf carts are for department use only, said Sgt. Juan Alvarez, public information officer with the University of Arizona Police Department. However, if a UA community member needs to use a golf cart on campus,

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