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ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Printing the news, sounding the alarm, and raising hell since 1899
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
VOLUME 106 • ISSUE 25
DAILYWILDCAT.COM
UA first university for head chef DaVID WeIssMan Arizona Daily Wildcat
Most prospective university employees don’t have to cook a meal for the hiring committee. But Kevin Lau, the UA’s executive chef, did just that before being hired six months ago. While Lau hasn’t ever worked for a university, managing a kitchen isn’t anything new for him. A chef since 1985, Lau has worked at hotels, resorts, convention centers and country clubs across the U.S., and even cooked for former presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton. Lau’s career began shortly after his father passed away. He never had the opportunity to go college and focused on working to support
his mother. A friend suggested he go to culinary school, but he could not afford it. But an opportunity as a chef apprentice at the Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pa., put Lau’s foot in the door. Lau said that working as the executive chef is a very different experience from his previous jobs, with a much slower pace. “At hotels and clubs, you have to deal with the constant change of menus and banquets,” Lau said. “At clubs, my menus would change on a daily basis.” On the other hand, Lau said, university menus tend to stay consistent and don’t have as many items. Although working at the UA is a change from his jobs in the past,
Lau said he was enthusiastic about taking the position. “I asked myself if they needed my help and if I could make a difference, and I said yes to both and here I am,” Lau said. “I took the job and I’m happy I did. It’s a great university.” Lau’s duties include anything involving fresh food preparation on campus, putting him in charge of the production kitchen and the warehouse. Lau presides over a massive operation, as he estimates that the Arizona Student Unions buy $100,000 worth of consumable food a day and go through $3,900 a month in plastics and paper products, Lau said. While food preparation is an
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eXecUtiVe chef KeVin laU is no stranger to a kitchen, but his new position is his first at a university. Lau said he plans to implement healthier and fresher food options on campus.
OREGON TAMES WILDCATS Arizona’s trip to Eugene doesn’t go so well, as the Ducks dominate the second half in a 49-0 shutout.
Mini grants allocated to small-scale efforts to go green DaVID WeIssMan Arizona Daily Wildcat
MaSon trinca/DailyeMeralD
In an effort to promote small sustainability projects on campus, the Green Fund Committee has set up a new mini-grants program intended to fund small-scale projects led by students and faculty. Grants support projects such as increasing renewable energy at the UA, improving outdoor and indoor water efficiency, reducing waste and educational initiatives. Each project has a funding cap of $1,500. The Green Fund Committee has allocated a total of $20,000 per fiscal year to be used for these projects. The $20,000 for mini-grants comes out of the committee’s yearly allocation of $400,000 for larger projects, such as the UA community garden. Funding for the committee’s projects comes entirely from tuition. “The mini-grant was designed to further enhance the funding power of the Green Fund as well as assist those projects that are smaller in size or those that may not align with the regular allocation schedule of the Green Fund,” said Lauren Erdelyi, natural resources,
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receiVer tyler SlaVin drops a surefire touchdown pass against Oregon on Saturday. This was the second potential touchdown drop from Slavin in the 49-0 blowout.
PTS aims to make UA cycling safer With streetcar tracks in place, instructors teach safe riding techniques YaZMIne MOOre Arizona Daily Wildcat
Parking and Transportation Services is now hosting a class to teach cycling campus-goers the ins and outs of safe campus cycling. The free weekly class, which includes a one-hour bike ride through campus and the surrounding areas, is intended to familiarize riders with cycling through the area, focusing on the streetcar tracks that were recently put in place, said Charles Franz, program coordinator for PTS. The first class was held on Sept. 4 with one person in attendance. The following week, eight people showed up, and this past Wednesday about 15 people attended. Franz said that classes like this take time to grow and develop, but that gradually the class will be-
come more popular. While attendance has been sparse, those who do attend have said the class is necessary. Class attendee Kara Mills said her daughter was hit by a car while riding her bike to Tucson High School a few years ago and was too scared to ride to school again. After taking the class, Mills said, her daughter felt more confident. “It was a great experience for both of us,” Mills said. “I highly recommend this class and plan to take others.” While the class is open to the general public, students make up about 95 percent of each class. The Pima County Department of Transportation hopes to keep the class at a maximum of 12 people so the crowd isn’t too difficult for the instructor to handle. For now, the same instructor runs the class each week, but over time new instructors will join to
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parKinG anD tranSportation SerViceS is holding hour-long classes that include a bike ride through campus. The class aims to teach techniques for safe campus cycling.