Facebook adds new photograph controls Users can now decide whether they want to be identified in pictures By Eliza Molk DAILY WILDCAT
You no longer have to worry about your best friend documenting your 21st birthday power hour online — Facebook will now let you choose if friends can link your name to a photo before its cyber-
space debut. Previously, friends could “tag,” or add your name and link to a photo of you on Facebook without your consent or knowledge. You could “untag,” or remove it, but only later after people may have seen the undesired photos. Now, all Facebook users can choose to pre-approve tagged photos before they are circulated. Regina Deil-Amen, an associate professor at the Center for
the Study of Higher Education at the UA, researched how social media can help different higher education student populations succeed, and how colleges can use social media for different purposes. She said the more professional people are with their social media, the more useful it can be for their lives. Deil-Amen explained her research showed that networking and who you know “really makes
a difference.” Social media, she said, can provide you with a wider network, more professional contacts and be used for purposes other than “pure entertainment.” “The people you interact with now could be future colleagues,” she said. “You don’t want your reputation to be in jeopardy by the way you’re using social media technology.” The new Facebook privacy feature will not affect whether or not
friends can put a photo of you online, just if there is a name or a “tag” attached to it with a link to your page. Pre-approving a photo tag was the most requested change to Facebook by users, according to Kate O’Neill, product manager for Facebook. Several students are pleased with the pre-approval setting because it means they have better control of FACEBOOK, 3
Folklorico club finds its groove on campus Traditional Mexican dance gives students opportunity to join in By Samantha Munsey DAILY WILDCAT
of food. Jillian Mackillop, a junior studying English and psychology, said the price of restaurants influences her decision more than health, and she often chooses fast food like Burger King because healthier options are too expensive. Mackillop also mentioned that there aren’t enough cheaper options on campus. “A lot of people do like fast food, and having it on campus encourages people to eat it when there aren’t a lot of other affordable options,” Zayon said. “When it comes down to it, a lot of us are broke college students — the less money to spend on food the better, but that means more people will be eating fast food.” Despite some students’ complaints about pricing, restaurants like Core maintain their popularity. According to Leigh Ann Cionni, Core student lead, the restaurant has
Students may have noticed an array of multicolored skirts and the sound of shoes striking the pavement of the stage by the Second Street Parking Garage. What may seem like a frantic form of clogging to the untrained eye is actually a traditional Mexican style of dance called folklorico, and this is the group where UA students can come and learn the steps. On Monday, Marcella Marin, a junior studying molecular biophysics and biochemistry, clapped out a beat, her bright red skirt sweeping the grass as a group of performers mimicked the rhythm of her movements. “The reason why we are out here is so we can use our shoes,” Marin said, pointing to a dancer wearing what almost looks like back boots. “You can scratch up a lot of floors.” Grupo Folklorico Miztontli has been involved in performing for the Tucson community and statewide since it began taking participants in 2007. “I wanted to create a positive dancing community,” said Denise Garcia, a range management graduate student who is also a founding member of the group. “Most of the people who join have never done this type of dancing in their life. So to see them proud and wanting to show what they have learned makes it great to be a part of the
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KEVIN BROST/ DAILY WILDCAT
Maxwell Trego uses his CatCard to purchase food at IQ Fresh in the Student Union Memorial Center on Tuesday. IQ Fresh is one of the campus eateries that advertises healthy options for students.
Students seek healthy, affordable eating options By Alexandra Bortnik DAILY WILDCAT
With more than 35 campus restaurants to choose from, and more in the works, no student’s eating routine should be mundane. However, it doesn’t seem to be lack of options that students’ are displeased with, but rather the availability of healthy options, and for some, more affordable ones. For Rebecca Zayon, a marketing senior, healthiness is a greater factor than price when it comes to food. Zayon also emphasized the lack of healthy choices on campus. “Where, besides Core, can you get a good salad?” Zayon asked. In response to students’ concerns with healthy eating, Nicolas Adamakis, director of marketing for Student Affairs and assistant director of Arizona Student Unions, mentioned the newly added “healthy options” link on the union’s website. The link on each menu will show
students the five healthiest options available to them. “And we plan to roll out next spring a fully functional, interactive site where students can easily select any menu item being served in our restaurants and get complete nutritional information, online through the Arizona Mobile (smartphone application),” Adamakis said. For David Shapiro, a senior studying retailing and consumer sciences, the speed of service and health of the food are his two biggest factors when choosing where to eat on campus. “The only place that’s healthy and semi-quick is IQ Fresh, but that can get really hectic,” Shapiro said. “The healthy options on campus are not even close to being competitive with the unhealthy options.” Although some students feel there is a lack of healthy, affordable eating on campus, Adamakis said he is
focused on meeting students’ needs. “Our students are very aware of their food choices and are making better decisions about what they consume, so we always have to be more responsive to their needs, as our menus grow and are refreshed. It is a priority for us to have more healthy options available,” he said. Adamakis also pointed out that students who purchase one of the meal plans receive a financial boost since every meal they purchase is exempt from the state sales tax. However, for those clipping coupons and counting pennies, healthier options can sometimes still stand on the pricey end of the spectrum. In particular, Shapiro said the food marts on campus are over priced. “A lot of freshmen can’t drive to Safeway and their only option is to pay $8 for a box of cereal,” he said. James Clark, a creative writing senior, said he likes Panda Express because it’s cheap and you get a lot
Grant rooted in buffelgrass issue By Conrad Pursley DAILY WILDCAT
ZACHARY VITO/ DAILY WILDCAT
Xubin Zeng, professor of atmospheric sciences at the UA, studies local monsoon patterns in his office on Tuesday. Zeng is conducting a study to document weather trends in Arizona.
A new grant has given UA researchers the funds necessary to investigate the ecological effects of local invasive grasses. Processes and Patterns in the North American Monsoon Macrosystem is a $2.9 million grant and while reasearchers will not exclusively study invasive species, specifically grasses, in the region, they remain a key concern for the study. Invasive grasses tend to choke out native Sonoran plant life, and are spreading rapidly through the region.
Quickies >>Want to play intramural sports?: Better round up a team quickly! Tomorrow is the last day to register for flag football, indoor soccer, 6 vs. 6 indoor volleyball and singles tennis. Sign up at the Student Recreation Center.
These grasses are typically very dry and can easily catch fire from lightning and man-made accidents. In the case of buffelgrass, it can regrow after a severe burn, leaving desert areas more susceptible to future fires. Xubin Zeng, the director of the UA Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Center, said the root of the invasive grass problem runs even deeper. Zeng said buffelgrass provides an intermediary that allows valley fires to spread onto the mountains. This could further alter the environment, since plants keep the soil intact and keeps topsoil from washing away
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during rainstorms. This research will, among other things, try to estimate how these invasive grasses play off the monsoon. “What drives the strong monsoon activity during the summer is the intense heating of the Earth’s surface,” said Russell Monson, UA professor at the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, and principal investigator of the study. Monson went on to say the spread of these grasses has the potential to alter the surface temperature, and, in turn, affect summer storms.
If left to natural processes, this could result in a drastic change in plant life and the intensity of the monsoons. “People don’t like invasive grasses,” Zeng said. “That’s why we pull them out.” Michele MacMillan, a political science senior, and the administrative program director for UA Students for Sustainability, said she believes that many students aren’t educated about buffelgrass and the dangers it poses to the desert ecosystem. “Students that are aware of it are BUFFELGRASS, 3
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