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Matijevic prepared } for bigger role d n e k e e {W with Wildcats DAILYWILDCAT.COM Friday, February 3, 2017 – Sunday, February 5, 2017
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VOLUME 110 ISSUE 54
NEWS | PAGE 3
DACA STUDENTS ASK REGENTS FOR PROTECTION, WANT CAMPUSES MADE SAFE FOR ALL STUDENTS
ARTS & LIFE | PAGE 10 DIVA LA PAZ RETURNS TO CAMPUS FOR THE 21ST ANNUAL SHOW ON FRIDAY
EMILY GAUCI/THE DAILY WILDCAT
ARIZONA BASEBALL INFIELDER J.J. Matijevic swings at a pitch during Arizona’s matchup with California at Hi Corbett Field on April 26, 2015. Matijevic hopes to be one of Arizona’s most productive players this season.
DON’T PARK HERE
Between August 2015 and May 2016, Parking and Transportation issued nearly 22,000 citations on the UA campus. The data says that if you park illegally, PTS will catch you BY ALEX FURRIER @badjazzmaverick
If you build it, they will illegally park by it. Few things in life cause frustration like a lack of free parking, and even the best of us will explore the moral grey by pulling into a spot we may not have the legal right to occupy. Anyone with a vehicle
who has taken a trip around the UA knows this to be true. Our friends at Parking and Transportation guard the sanctity of oncampus parking with the one weapon all sane citizens fear: the parking ticket. In a perfect world, parking citations would not exist. But look no further for a dose of reality than the nearly
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22,000 citations PTS issued between August 2015 and May 2016. After digging into the data, a clear pattern emerges: if you park illegally, PTS is going to catch you. The Holy Grail: Where to park to avoid parking tickets The Daily Wildcat created a density map compiled of 21,947
parking citations obtained through a public records request. The map plots the 219 parking locations where PTS officers issued the most citations in relation to the the number of citations issued. PTS officers cover quite a bit of ground and no single area of campus is safe from their vigilant eyes, as is evident by the map.
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“When driving a vehicle, I would routinely travel 10-15 miles on a shift, and this would include the patrolling of the garage,” said Rick Harbaugh, enforcement program coordinator at PTS. “However, I prefer to walk and average about six miles per day on a shift.”
PARKING, 4
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Friday — Sunday Feb. 3 — Feb. 5 Page 2
NEWS
Editor: Andrew Paxton news@dailywildcat.com (520) 621-7579
Marx, longtime education dean to step down Ronald W. Marx Community Engagement and Outreach Endowment Fund being established to honor second most senior dean at the UA BY TIRION MORRIS @tirionmorris
Dr. Ronald W. Marx, dean of the UA College of Education, is set to step down in June this year after serving for the last 14 years and is returning to faculty. With the dean stepping down, the College of Education has created the Ronald W. Marx Community Engagement and Outreach Endowment Fund to ensure his legacy. The fund will help future deans approve and fund project involving community outreach. Currently, the fund has about 70 donors, to all of which Marx is sending handwritten thank you notes. “It is a happy occasion to do that,” Marx said. “I don’t mind the cramps in my hand for that.” Marx is the second most senior dean at the UA and has been working in education since 1966. With multiple degrees in psychology, Marx worked at Simon Fraser University in Canada and then the University of Michigan before becoming a dean at the UA. “Initially, education interested me because it was an opportunity to have impact which is always worthwhile,” Marx said. While working with a small group of faculty at the University of Michigan, Marx was able to see his lasting impact on schools in both Detroit and Chicago. This fueled his passion for education and shaped his work here at the UA. “It made me realize how much power and influence good academic
work can have on kids’ experiences in schools,” Marx said. “When I came here as dean, I deliberately tried to craft a College of Education that had that applied mission.” Part of crafting that college has been working closely with the faculty. “The thing that I have really appreciated about Dean Marx is that his door is always open to faculty who have an idea,” said Kathy Short, director of Worlds of Words, UA’s unique children’s book collection. “He is willing to listen and to think with people about their ideas and, instead of setting up obstacles, to open the doors that are needed in order to get those projects to work.” Community outreach has been one of Marx’s goals during his time as dean. The College of Education requires students to do 60 hours of teacher shadowing before they are accepted into the major. “In the program you really have to get involved in the community,” said Megan Smith, a pre-education junior. “Sixty hours is a lot of time with kids, so it really makes you think if this is really what you want to do. I really enjoy it.” The dean has also worked to engage the community through Worlds of Words, a collection of thousands of children’s books, one of only two in the world. Marx worked closely with Short to move the collection into a new specially renovated space and to promote its student and community usage. Upon his arrival, a faculty member gave Marx a tour of the Education Building and showed him the Worlds of Words.
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“It was 20,000 volumes of books shoved into this little room,” Marx said. “My first thought was, ‘Why hasn’t this fallen through the floor?’ ” Marx and Short then started a two-year project to move the collection to an old and decrepit computer lab. They worked together on every aspect of the project from architectural designs of the remodel to furniture selection. “In every step of the way he was a support system,” Short said. “He cared about the project and he really evidenced that. He was part of every step of this renovation and was deeply committed to it.” It is now a bight and comfortable space for students to do homework, research and use the books, as well as for children from the Tucson community to come to read. “I come here to homework,” Smith said. “For some classes, we have to do annotations of books, so I come over to do those. I spend a lot of time here; it’s nice and quiet.” Part of the Worlds of Words mission is to engage young American readers with cultures outside of their own. The collection includes books set all around the world. “The notion of how do you develop empathy and understanding for cultural ways of knowing and thinking that differ from your own,” Short said. “Literature is one way to do that.” The College of Education is currently searching for a new dean to take over in June. Three candidates visited last semester, but none quite fit. The college needs to find someone by March or there will be
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COURTESY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
DEAN RONALD MARX STANDS in front of the College of Education. He will be stepping down from the position in June and returning to faculty.
an interim dean while they continue the search, as Dean Marx confirmed that he will not be staying on. “We are nervous,” Short said, “because he has been such an incredible dean.” After he steps down in June, Marx will still be an active part of the College of Education and the broader Tucson community, keeping up with his community and civic affairs.
“I still have some writing to do on my research program along with some opinion kind of pieces that I plan on writing about the state of education and education policy in the country,” Marx said. “I’ll do what academics do, I’ll do some reading and I’ll be writing and publishing.” Dean Marx also said he hopes to spend more time traveling and with his grandchildren.
THE DAILY WILDCAT • SPRING 2017
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The Daily Wildcat • 3
News • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
Regents hear DACA concerns, extend Miller’s contract BY JESSICA BLACKBURN ELIZABETH O’CONNELL @dailywildcat
The Arizona Board of Regents heard from students who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and also extended the contract of UA men’s basketball coach Sean Miller, during its meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2. DACA students voice their opinions to the regents UA student recipients and supporters of the DACA policy voiced their concerns at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting, with students from the UA, ASU and NAU being allotted four minutes each to express their opinions to the regents. “Associated Students of the University of Arizona recently passed a resolution to the student body senate supporting all DACA students,” announced Trey Cox, ASUA executive vice president. “We want to reassure, that in a time where nothing is certain, that we fully support all of our international students in the UA community.” UA DACA student Mira Patel urged the regents to establish its three institutions as sanctuary campuses for DACA, undocumented and refugee students. “I ask that you now implement policies that provide further aid and services,” she said. Ana Laura Mendoza, another UA DACA student, agreed. She further explained the obstacles that DACA students face on the UA campus. “I have seen border patrol and ICE agents on the UA campus several times,” she recounted to the regents. “I am full of fear just walking from one class to another, which is why we need sanctuary campuses.” Mendoza then listed the demands of UA DACA students to the regents. “We demand that there will be no Border Patrol on campus, that campus security will not collaborate with federal immigration authorities for the purpose of enforcement and no deportations at all on campuses,” she said. Irasema Fonseca, a UA student from an immigrant family, spoke to the regents about the rights of student immigrants, refugees and their families. “They are contributing members of society and they have a right to
ELIZABETH O’CONNELL /THE DAILY WILDCAT
THE ARIZONA BOARD OF Regents met on Feb. 2 in Phoenix. The regents heard from pro-DACA speakers from all three state universities at the meeting
an education,” she said. “This right is being threatened by the current bans established by executive orders and actions from the U.S. president and recently from our state legislator, particularly from Muslim countries ... It is time to take action.” Fonseca requested that the regents meet with UA students to discuss their needs. Regents President Eileen Klein offered to sit down with some of these students to hear their concerns. “I will say that it was the first I had heard of those kind of occurrences on campus,” she said. “I was glad students came forward and shared their experiences in a public forum, and I hope to hear first-hand some of those details to understand their concerns.” Sean Miller’s pay increased, contract extended through 2022
The Arizona Board of Regents unanimously approved to extend UA mens basketball head coach Sean Miller’s contract through 2022 and increase his pay to roughly $2.9 million per year. A donor has provided the university 175,000 units, which is equivalent to $4.2 million. The proposal of the extension to Miller’s contract asked for an additional 50,000 units, or about $1.2 million. Regent Rick Myers added clarification that the donor’s gracious contribution is under the control of the UA Foundation and not the donor. “The money is there for the specific use to encourage the retention of our key leaders in our sports program,” Myers said. “I think this board has been a good fiduciary and working with the university to ensure that the university maintains control of those funds with the
UA Foundation.” Greg Patterson, regents chair, discussed how it is important to see where sports fit and connect to the overall structure of a university. “Revenues from basketball is pretty astonishing at $22.3 million, expenses from basketball at 11.8 for a net profit on men’s basketball of $10.5 million,” Patterson said. “It is generally football that subsidizes everything else, but in this case the subsidy from men’s basketball at $10.5 million is just really remarkable.” Patterson made the point that, if a university is going to pay an employee who can lead an organization in incremental differences, then paying that person a lot extra will be a financially good move. And Miller is seen as that asset for the UA. “I just wanted to say that we are very proud of coach Miller being our head coach at the UA,” Erika
Barnes, the interim athletic director said to the regents. “He has taken us to three Elite Eights in his seven seasons. We are currently No. 5 in the country, and we’ve also led attendance the last seven seasons in the Pac-12 Conference.” Barnes said the regents have been supportive of all things for the UA. She added the regetns see the athletic department as a critical part for not only the campus but the community and national recognition. “I think it [Miller’s contract] shows the board of regents and the UA are both committed to Sean Miller,” Barnes said. “We wanted to make sure we can extend his contract out five years, which is the maximum for board of regents.” The only suggestion made during this discussion was for Miller to make it to the Final Four this season. Discussion was closed with Patterson saying “Bear Down.”
4 • The Daily Wildcat
PARKING FROM PAGE 1
World-renown parking ticket issuers To the bane of students and campus visitors, the job of a parking services officer never ceases. PTS issued a median of 2,432 parking citations each month for a variety of violations. “UA PTS has presented our enforcement philosophy at the International Parking Conference and to several other universities who have integrated our model into their parking services,” said Mark Napier, former associate director of operations at PTS. “We have integrated some technology to make officers more efficient and ensure that they have better information available.” While enforcing parking regulations may not make PTS officers the most popular figures on campus, they do much more than simply enforce rules. Harbaugh and other officers regularly assist motorists, including helping with flat tires, dead batteries and other automotive ailments.
News • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017 Harbaugh recalled one occurrence when a student required assistance with a dead battery. The student asked if Harbaugh would accompany her to class to vouch for the dead battery as the cause for her tardiness. The class of 30-or-so students broke out into applause after Harbaugh explained the situation to the instructor. How are people illegally parking on campus? The 11,459 parking permit violations account for over half of the nearly 22,000 citations given out over the course of last school year. In other words, pony up for that parking permit or suffer the financial consequences. We’d like to give a special shout out to the two violators caught for driving the wrong way, though. As for the parking locations with the most citations, good old Lot 6090—located between Arizona Stadium and Highland Avenue dorms—takes the cake with 1,779 citations. The Tyndall and Main Gate garages trail close behind with roughly 1,500 citations each, and the last of the parking-citation titans would be
PTS adheres to the old adage of hitting people where it hurts the most—especially true for college students—the wallet. The 21,947 parking citations add up to over $1.2 million in fines over the course of the school year, providing an ample financial incentive to respect parking laws.
ALEX FURRIER/THE DAILY WILDCAT
A DENSITY MAP SHOWS the frequency of parking ticket citations around different areas of campus given during the 2015-2016 academic year.
Lot 5072, located next to the Arbol De La Vida and Arizona-Sonora dorms, with 1,481 citations. Each location receiving roughly 1,500 citations over the course of 10 months means that five poor souls per day returned to their
vehicles with that ominous slip of paper peeking out under the windshield wiper. Get money, get paid, responsibly pay your parking citations To prevent illicit behavior,
Parking on the path to enlightenment Those illegal parkers learned their lesson the hard way. PTS is out there on the prowl searching for the moment you slip up. Park illegally at your own peril, lest you face the fiscal repercussions. Or find your better self and park legally for the good of everyone. “Please follow the parking regulations.” Napier said. “Not because you might get a citation, but because doing so makes you a better university citizen. The bottom line is, the perfect day would be a day that every parking services officer went out, worked all day and found no one to write a citation to.” Until that perfect day comes, know the numbers behind the citations and park smarter, Wildcats.
UA Life and Work wins sixth wellness award BY ANGELA MARTINEZ @anmartinez2120
For the sixth consecutive year, the UA’s Life & Work Connections has been selected to receive the Seal of Distinction, a national award recognizing their dedication for unifying and integrating work and lifestyles for UA employees. The national award is given to organizations that provide “a distinct mutually beneficial experience to their workforces as determined by the overall strength of their total rewards portfolio and success in creating positive work environments” according to WorldatWork, a nonprofit human resources association. “When we take care of the people who work with us, they take care of the university and the people inside the university,” Allison Vaillancourt, vice president of business affairs and human resources, said. “We want our faculty and staff to be fully invested, and for them to do that, they need to feel like we are supporting them.” The UA has won the award every year since the creation of the award in 2012. A total of 160 organizations from across the nation were chosen this year. Caryn Jung, senior coordinator for employee, student, child, elder care and work life programs said the university is unique in that they offer a wide variety of resources to help employees. Services include health and wellness programs, counseling services, flexible work arrangements and child and elder care resources. Jung said the services help faculty, staff and
students better manage and balance their work and life commitments. Emily Walker, a pre-physiology freshman said it’s important to earn enough income and be able to use services and have options like the UA offers. “You don’t always want to be focused on work and not have time for your family outside of work,” Walker said. According to the Sloan Work and Family Research Network, people between the ages of 30 and 49 are most likely to work long hours. “We believe it’s important to offer these services to faculty, staff and students in that it provides support for recruitment and engagement, and it allows individuals to customize services that can best meet their individual and family needs, and that supports their productivity,” Jung said. In addition to the array of services offered to UA employees already, an interactive version of the Family Resource Map was made through a collaboration between Life & Work Connections, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Facilities Management. The map is a mobile-friendly application which allows employees, students and visitors to find things like lactation spaces, diaper-changing stations and family restrooms. “More diverse types of people will want to be here because they know it’s a good place to work,” Vaillancourt said. “Whenever you’re known as one of the best employers in the community you get the best talent, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
REBECCA NOBLE/THE DAILY WILDCAT
NAVY AND MARINE ROTC students take turns carrying sandbags on their shoulders in a running drill during the 6 a.m. biweekly physical training session on the UA Mall on Monday, Sept. 28 2015. The university promotes many wellness programs on campus and in the community.
Vaillancourt said she believes that the strong support for their employees makes the university stronger and more welcoming. “We always need to think about what attracts people to work at the university—knowing that we’ve got resources to take care of elder care issues, child care issues, paid parental leave
and robust professional development programs sends a signal that we get to do good work here but we’re also getting some valuable benefits as a result,” Vaillancourt said. “If we didn’t have these kinds of programs, it would be harder for us to attract and retain the kind of people we need in order to propel the university forward.”
The Daily Wildcat • 5
News • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
POLICE BEAT BY LAUREN RENTERIA @lauren_renteria
Not his first time On Jan. 28, a University of Arizona Police Department officer came across a young man stumbling between First Street and Cherry Avenue just outside of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house. The man walked in front of the house and began to scream “fuck Sig Ep.” The patrolling officer noticed the smell of intoxicants on the man’s breath and significantly slurred speech. After the man identified himself as a UA student, dispatch informed the officer that the student had an outstanding warrant for a minor in possession. The student failed all of the impairment tests administered by the officer but told the officer he only drank one beer at an offcampus party. The officer arrested the student, and a responding officer searched the man and found around 24 bars of Xanax in a plastic baggy. The student told the officers that another fraternity brother gave him the bag to hold. The man said he knew what was in the bag but he didn’t take or sell any; he told the officers when a fraternity brother tells him to do something, he does it. The student was released for the minor in possession but then booked into the Pima County Jail for the Xanax. Are you from Rhode Island? On Jan. 28, a UAPD officer responding to a call regarding an intoxicated student at the KaibabHuachuca Residence Hall. When the officer arrived on the scene, he found the UA EMS team and members from Tucson Fire Department helping a vomiting student at the dorm. The officer asked the student for identification and the student gave the officer a Rhode Island license. The officer performed a records check and concluded that the student handed him a fake I.D. The officer tried to question the student about his drinking, but the student was too drunk to respond. The officer released the student to his friend and took the fake I.D. to UAPD as evidence.
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Friday — Sunday Feb. 3 — Feb. 5 Page 6
OPINIONS
Editor: Scott Felix opinion@dailywildcat.com (520) 621-7579
Trumps Supreme Court nominee ain’t half bad BY ANDREW ALAMBAN @DailyWildcat
T
he advent of Trump’s presidency brought radical changes to the country, even on its first week. With a gap needing to be filled in the Supreme Court, all eyes are on the nominee, Neil Gorsuch. Upon gaining approval from the U.S. Senate, Gorsuch’s appointment will shift the Supreme Court’s views back to the conservative side after a full year of deadlock since the death of former Justice Antonin Scalia. It’s still unclear whether the Senate will confirm Gorsuch, but if it does, things won’t look so different compared to when Scalia was in the Court. Gorsuch and Scalia are very similar. Gorsuch has been reported to look up to Scalia and would praise Scalia’s past decisions. He shared his view on interpreting the law through the “originalist” approach, which is a type of interpretation that reads the law word for word, unless terms are specified otherwise. Out of all the radical changes going on, Gorsuch’s nomination is probably not up there. To be frank, most of Gorsuch’s ideas aren’t radical at all. He believes in small intervention regarding legislation. In a democracy, people are intended to determine legislation. If the courts are constantly interfering with the process, then law-making can’t be called democratic. These judges aren’t elected into office, therefore the people usually won’t have a say in their decisions because they supposed to be independent of public opinion. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t have opinions conflicting with other sentiments out there. During his career as a judge, he has favored companies over people. Being one of the highest authorities in the land regarding cases, it is hard to trust a pro-business man to protect the people. I do have to give him the benefit of the doubt though, because as a judge in the 10th circuit, which is in Colorado, he did not have a sample size large enough to compare to a judge in the New York City area.
DAVID FITZSIMMONS/ THE ARIZONA STAR
Another area of concern is the LGBT community. After the great leaps and bounds the country made in 2015 with the legalization of gay marriage across the United States, the addition of Gorsuch could prove to be an opponent of progress. According to a National Review op-ed, Gorsuch stated that “American liberals have become addicted to the courtroom, relying on judges and lawyers rather than elected leaders and the ballot box, as the primary means of affecting social agenda ...” In addition, the issue of requiring transgendered students to use their preferred bathroom is right around the corner and Neil Gorsuch might be against the idea.
The Daily Wildcat Editorial Policy Daily Wildcat staff editorials represent the official opinion of the Daily Wildcat staff, which is determined at staff editorial meetings. Columns, cartoons, online comments and letters to the editors do not represent the opinion of the Daily Wildcat.
Gorsuch’s track records show that he doesn’t support them, having denied the claims of a transgender prisoner who wasn’t given their treatment of estrogen and was forced to stay in an all-male ward. For progressive Americans, Gorsuch is not the candidate they were looking for, and I’m sure opposing Democrats will do whatever is in their power to disapprove Gorsuch. After the death of Scalia, the Republican senators tirelessly prevented former President Barack Obama from selecting his replacement for Scalia. Since the position of Supreme Court Justice is a lifelong job, it’s important that the right person be chosen for the job. While
it may seem that the people might not have much say in this, nothing could be further from the truth. While people share their opinions with Trump, I do agree with his statement during his inauguration where he claimed that the power is being transferred back to the people. The ones who get the final say in Gorsuch’s approval will be the U.S. Senate and, in turn, you. Because they represent you. Don’t hesitate to call your senators to voice your dissatisfaction, or support, for Gorsuch. We are fortunate to live in a democratic society where we can have enough confidence in our representatives to do what we elected them to do.
Contact Us The Daily Wildcat accepts original, unpublished letters from readers. Email letters to the editor to opinion@dailywildcat.com. Letters should include name, connection to the university (year, major, etc.) and contact information. Send snail mail to: 615 N. Park Ave. Tucson, AZ 85719. Letters should be no longer than 350 words and should refrain from personal attacks.
Opinions • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
The Daily Wildcat • 7
Closing doors with the new refugee ban The Trump administration’s new refugee ban couldn’t have come at a worse moment for many of these struggling people around the world
BY CLAUDIA DRACE @claudiadrace
P
resident Donald Trump’s refugee ban is fatal for so many who need the support of this great country. Refugees come to the United States seeking a new, safe life. They’re often fleeing war zones where they’ve seen unthinkable conditions. For years, the U.S. has offered a safe haven for struggling people from around the world. Trump claims that he’s sitting in the oval office so he can “make America great again,” but he actually seems to be stripping the country’s foundation. The U.S. has always been known for its open doors and humanitarian aid, but it appears we’re entering a new age of closed doors and closed minds. Immigration is a part of the value system our country was built on, but he’s taking that away from the people who need it the most. The ban has left refugees stranded in war zones and on their death beds. The type of people that are being abandoned are not the terrorists that Trump makes them out to be. This is about a 9-year-old Somali child with congenital heart disease that cannot be treated in Ethiopia, where he currently resides. There is a 1-year-old from Sudan who will not be able to receive the cancer treatment he needs without U.S. aid. There is a Somali woman living in a safe house in a nearby country with her daughter, who was conceived because she was raped by multiple assailants. The refugees that don’t reside in one of Trump’s seven countries that he deems dangerous to the U.S. are facing grave danger to their health due to the conditions in the refugee camps. The seven countries that Trump placed a three-month ban on are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somaliala: none of these countries—except one— have any blame for recent Islamist terrorist attacks on the U.S., including 9/11. Trump claimed part of the reason for the ban is due to 9/11, but the countries involved in 9/11 were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Egypt—none of
PATRICK CHAPPATTE, THE INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES
whom are subject to a three-month ban. President Trump discussed “extreme vetting” while on the campaign trail but never disclosed what his plans were until signing this executive order on Friday. This took many by surprise, especially the refugees who were planning on arriving in the U.S. in the very near future. Some people were turned away at the airport while they were traveling to the U.S. Others landed in the U.S. but were not allowed to leave the plane due to the executive order. Despite the seven countries being on high alert for
terrorist activity, it does not mean that there should be a complete travel ban. The other countries should not have a travel ban either because they have not violated U.S. policy whatsoever. These refugees need U.S. aid because they cannot get the help they need in their countries. Many of these people are in war zones and have had pain inflicted on them in many ways. They need to come here for refuge, and now they are stuck without our help.
Friday — Sunday Feb. 3 — Feb. 5 Page 8
SCIENCE
Editor: Logan Nagel science@dailywildcat.com (520) 621-7579
Rooftop garden challenge teases a delicious future BY CHANDLER DONALD @DailyWildcat
This semester, the Arizona Student Unions are holding a competition for undergraduate students to design a garden on the Student Union Memorial Center roof. Teams of five interdisciplinary students will have about three months to plan out a garden that will produce crops to be donated to the Campus Pantry at the UA. This competition presents students from a wide variety of fields an opportunity to put their skills to work right in the heart of campus. Not to mention, each member of the winning team will win $1,000 in meal plan money, as well as $500 and $100 for the members of the second- and thirdplace teams. Beyond the financial reward, participants will have the pride of knowing they helped provide fresher food to the entire UA community. In addition to its more tangible benefits, the rooftop garden competition could also serve as a showcase for cuttingedge developments in a number of environmental fields. “A competition such as this one is so important for the overall education of an architecture student. It provides real-world design experience and real-world impact,” said architecture senior Caitlin Kessler, president of UA’s American Institute for Architecture Students chapter. “The value is visible and tangible, and it sets students apart as leaders and designers within the Tucson community.” Much of the competition falls within the realm of landscape architecture—the design of public outdoor spaces. It’s an art and science that incorporates elements of architecture, ecology, agriculture and engineering. Most importantly, collaboration is key. “As landscape architects, we think about environmental function, structural function and a lot about aesthetic function,” said Margaret Livingston, professor of landscape architecture at UA. “That idea of combining science and aesthetics can be very appealing to a lot of people.” Plans for the garden will need to include more than just plant types and structural design. “One thing we are asking students to do in their research is [plan] how much money is it going to take to sustain the garden, how are you going to staff the garden over the summer and winter and spring break when students are gone, how are we going to make this a sustainable, student-run, for-student initiative,” said Jessica Litvack, senior coordinator of student engagement and faculty programs. The contest is being co-sponsored by Shamrock Foods and Coca Cola. Their
AIDEN VENS/THE DAILY WILDCAT
AGRICULTURAL & BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING professor Gene Giacomelli inspects a hydroponic, or soil-free, grow system. Giacomelli is the director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, which aims to produce healthy, sustainable food by controlling every aspect of production.
donations, along with funding from the student unions, will give contestants a $50,000 budget to design their garden. The task may sound daunting for undergrads, but the competition allows for a great deal of collaboration between many unique disciplines. “This is for everybody, and anybody can participate,” said Christina Partica, sales coordinator at the Arizona Student Unions and a competition organizer. “Each team will have a mentor who is from Master Gardeners of Tucson,” Litvack said. “So if the team doesn’t have a deep understanding about gardening in particular, they have a lifeline that they can reach out to for assistance.” While landscape architecture could provide guidance as to the layout of the garden, the field of nutrition will also play a crucial role in the success of a design. “The deficiency in the [UA Campus Pantry] is obviously the ability to have fresh food,” said Todd Millay, director of the Arizona Student Unions and judge for the competition. The Campus Pantry initiative was incorporated into the Student Union Memorial Center last semester. According to Millay, the rooftop garden competition is phase two of the campus pantry initiative. The goal is to be able to provide the pantry with nutritionally dense food and fill the
gaps of imperishable food items. “People who are food insecure, meaning they don’t get enough food to eat on a regular basis, have a greatly increased risk for type II diabetes and other chronic illnesses,” said Melanie Hingle, UA assistant professor of nutritional sciences and public health. For this reason, part of the judging criteria will be the garden’s nutritional density. Hingle’s focus is on public health. She described her work as developing preventative programs “in the community, by the community” in order to fight the dual problem of food insecurity and risk for chronic illness. She hopes majors from her department will take this opportunity to help educate the community about the importance of nutrition. Another aspect of garden design, especially in a desert climate, is controlled environment agriculture—a high-tech type of food production where crops are grown in an enclosed environment utilizing hydroponic (soil-free) or related technologies to closely monitor every aspect of the system. Professor of agricultural-biosystems engineering Gene Giacomelli is director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at UA. He researches bio-regenerative life support systems,
such as greenhouses, with the goal of growing produce in the most efficient and sustainable manner possible. Giacomelli has worked closely with NASA to design controlled agriculture environments that may one day be utilized on the moon and Mars. “We are engineers as well as horticultural plant science professors and students studying and doing research on how to grow nutrient-rich food more efficiently so that we can produce fresh vegetables at any time to compliment the food that we are getting from farms in the open field,” Giacomelli said. Giacomelli hopes that the rooftop garden will serve as an educational tool to get students involved and informed about agriculture. “This is a great opportunity for education and developing interest in where our food comes from and how it’s grown,” Giacomelli said. “Make the connection, bring them up there to see it.” Learn more about the competition or register to participate at the kickoff event this Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center’s Gallagher Theater. For more, watch for the Daily Wildcat’s feature documentary on urban agriculture and landscape architecture posting online this Saturday.
The Daily Wildcat • 9
Science • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
UA experts discuss invasive buffelgrass BY HANNAH DAHL @hannah_dahl715
Ever bite into a cookie thinking it was chocolate chip only to find out the “chocolate chips” were actually raisins? Buffelgrass is that cookie. To an outsider, it looks just like part of the desert landscape, providing an illusion of a thriving ecosystem. But behind the scenes, it’s destroying the habitat of native plant species, such as Saguaro cacti, mesquites and palo verdes. “There’s a lot of people, especially around Tucson, who have almost made it their life’s work to work at eliminating it [buffelgrass],” said Steve Smith, an associate professor in the UA School of Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment and the School of Plant Sciences. What’s so bad about buffelgrass? The problem is fairly straight forward, according to Smith. Buffelgrass is a very aggressive, invasive species, and it’s also highly flammable. This is bad news for Tucson’s native plants. “The desert has not had fire and what buffelgrass does is fill in those open spaces between our desert plants and provides a path of fuel for a fire to spread across the landscape,” said William McCloskey, an associate specialist in the School of Plant Sciences. Buffelgrass burns extremely hot, and once a fire has passed through, it grows back at an even quicker rate and density, unlike native species, McCloskey said. Unfortunately, the risk of fire isn’t the only threat buffelgrass poses. “As an invasive species, it has the potential to destroy the Sonoran Desert, to convert it to another type of plant community,” McCloskey said. “It could transform the way Tucson looks in the future.” If you’ve ever been hiking in the Sonoran Desert, you’ve probably noticed how most of the ground has very little vegetation on it, McCloskey said. Buffelgrass takes advantage of that open space, extracting the moisture the native vegetation would have used. In a period of about 10 years, native plant species can be completely eradicated in a buffelgrass-infested area, he said. Buffelgrass was introduced
COURTESY JOHN TANN (CC BY 2.0)
BUFFELGRASS (PICTURED ABOVE) IS an invasive spieces in the Sonoran Desert. Its removal is an ongoing process involving both hand pulling and herbicides.
to Arizona from East Africa and Southwestern Asia during the 1930s, Smith said. “It was brought here to provide two things: one is conservation of the soil, sort of stabilizing the soil, but more importantly to provide plants for cattle to consume,” Smith said. Unfortunately, by the time people realized the negative effects of buffelgrass in the 1980s, it had already spread throughout Southern Arizona. Interestingly enough, if you were to ask someone in Texas if buffelgrass was a weed, they’d say of course not, because it’s an important source of feed for cattle, McCloskey said. The term “weed” is relatively subjective; what’s considered pasture grass in Texas is classified as
a noxious weed in Arizona. There are two main methods of eradicating buffelgrass. The most common method is to pull the buffelgrass out by hand, McCloskey said. This is highly effective when the infected area is reasonably sized, but when the buffelgrass covers a large amount of land, the use of chemicals is necessary. According to Smith, there are two ways to apply herbicides to the buffelgrass. You can either use a backpack sprayer and cover the area on foot, spraying as you go, or you can use aerial applicators, such as helicopters. This is really the only option when you have a large infestation, Smith said. “The chemical that Saguaro National Park has been applying is glyphosate, which is the
active ingredient in Roundup,” McCloskey said. “What we find with Roundup is that our woody species in the desert and our cacti are fairly tolerant to glyphosate, so when we go out to spray buffelgrass once by air, we don’t seem to be harming the native vegetation.” Smith adds that, while herbicides are not fail-safe, he feels confident in the safety and effectiveness of chemical weed management used by Pima County. Pima County, the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum and Tucson’s National Park services have been anxiously involved in the effort to eradicate buffelgrass for the past 20 years. “I feel that, with concerted effort over the next decade or so, we
could actually eliminate it in much of Pima County. It’s going to be dependent on climate, but it’ll also very dependent on decisions that people make and there are a lot of people, both in government as well as outside of government, that are very committed to this plant,” Smith said. McCloskey added, “I think at this point, with the degree of how widespread buffelgrass is, you just have to be proactive and remove buffelgrass in the area around you, wherever you happen to be.” If you want to be involved in the effort to eradicate buffelgrass, sign up for a Beat Back Buffelgrass Day or visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s website for more information.
Friday — Sunday Feb. 3 — Feb. 5 Page 10
ARTS & LIFE
Editor: Ava Garcia arts@dailywildcat.com (520) 621-7579
COURTESY ERNIE SOMOZA
A PERFOMER AT THE drag show Diva La Paz interacts with an audience member on stage. Diva La Paz has been held on campus for 21 years now.
Diva La Paz puts on 21st annual show BY IVAN LEONARD @Ivan14bro
This Friday, the 21st annual Diva La Paz hits the UA campus hosted by the Colonia de la Paz Residence Hall staff and Hall Council. For this year’s edition, Diva la Paz will include a walkthrough of a newly-made pride room, a drag show with divas from Tucson and pre-performance set from UA clubs. Jacob De La Cruz, a sophomore majoring in nutritional science, is a resident assistant in Colonial De La Paz and volunteered to become cochair of the event. He said this year’s event will be more interactive and enjoyable for guests. “I think people should go because the entire show is just comical and energized,”
De La Cruz said. “No matter if you are for the community or not, you will enjoy the show and appreciate the drag queens’ talents.” After the show, a Q&A will take place for those interested in learning about the drag and LGBT communities. De La Cruz said the drag show is both entertaining and a way to get educated about the LGBT and drag communities. “It celebrates it in a fun and vibrant way and showcases the LGBTQ+ community in a positive light,” De La Cruz said. “Every day it is not celebrated and is not made a big show so that is why this event is meant to celebrate.” Diva La Paz was not always welcomed with open arms. “I know Ajia Simone, who is the main diva, tells a story every diva show,” De la
Cruz said. “The first year they did it, people threw things at them and it was not a successful show.” According to Daily Wildcat archives, in November 1996, 150 people attended the event, but protesters threw eggs while holding up a sign with the Bible verse Romans 1:24-31 These verses explain that men engaging in sexual relations with each other were committing shameful acts. Despite their initial show’s protest, Diva La Paz continued to put on shows and is expecting hundreds of attendees this year. “Every year they did it again and again, and here we are with this extravagant event that hundreds of people attend,” De La Cruz said. “We are expecting to get 500 plus people, so it is crazy to see the change within 21 years.”
De La Cruz said this event is great for those within the LGBT and drag communities as they can feel more accepted. “As a part of the community, it makes me feel welcomed and celebrated,” De La Cruz said. “It creates a safe place and shows that the UA is supportive and is willing to create a welcoming environment.” De La Cruz said the best part of the event is meeting and interacting with the divas. “The divas are funny, flamboyant, animated; they will say what they want and just do them,” De La Cruz said. “They are the confident beings they can be, and that is inspirational to see because drag is not 100 percent accepted by society.” Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m.
The Daily Wildcat • 11
Arts & Life • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
Bookmans celebrates Dr. Seuss with annual series BY KACIE LILLEJORD @DailyWildcat
Each of the Bookmans locations in Tucson will be hosting Spectacular Seussabrations, celebrations of writer and cartoonist Dr. Seuss and his work. The Ina Road location will begin the event on Saturday, Feb. 4, followed by the Grant Road location on Feb. 11 and the Speedway Bouelvard location on Feb. 18, all starting at 11 a.m. Danielle Byers, the events liaison for Bookmans’ location at 6230 E. Speedway, is one of the people involved with putting together Seussabrations, alongside Bookmans’ community relations manager Caity Evans and, for this particular Seussabrations event, Bookmans’ community partner Stephanie Quimby-Greene. QuimbyGreene’s business name is Silly Tassie, and she plays various characters at several Bookmans events. Byers said in an email that each store has a monthly theme and has a monthly featured event that follows the theme. February is a combination of one of Bookmans’ core values, literacy and Valentine’s Day, which Bookmans refers to as Love of Reading Month. Bookmans can host any event they prefer stemming from this concept, but due to the popularity of Dr. Seuss, they decided to stick with Seussabrations as their main event
for February. Byers said Bookmans holds Seussabrations yearly because it is so well received by the community and because it unites the concepts of literacy and Love of Reading Month. The event highlights different Seuss works. Byers said Seuss’ Cat in the Hat is the most well-known and popular Dr. Seuss character, though Seuss’ Lorax would be a close second. Byers said as long as events such as Seussabrations are consistently wellattended, they will keep the concept for future years, as is true for all events. Byers said they have watched many children grow up at their events, especially with their story time/music hour every Tuesday at Bookmans’ east Tucson location. For the Seussabrations event, GreeneQuimby will wear a Cat In the Hat hat and Dr. Seuss apron and bring items representing each of Seuss’s books that are for children around ages pre-kindergarten to fourth grade. She will then follow up with a story centering around the items she pulls from her bags, including audience members as participants. After the story, there will be face painting and activities. Byers said there is often a large turnout at her location’s Seussabration but that event attendance can change depending on what else is happening in town.
COURTESY CAITY EVANS
THE ANNUAL SEUSSABRATION EVENT at Bookmans will happen on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Bookmans location on Speedway. Each Booksman store in Tucson will hold a Seussabration event.
In addition to Seussabrations, Bookmans offers various other events. Bookmans’ east location in Tucson has animal rescues, Young Adult Book Club, Adult Color Club and Pokemon Club, as well as events featuring their community partners like Silly Tassie. Byers said Bookmans event liaisons do their best to “keep a variety of fun and culturally relevant activities for [their] customers.” These events are always free
and open to the public. Whether it’s Seussabrations or one of Bookmans’ other events that you decide to attend, make a day of it and enjoy yourself. Bring friends and family. After all, Dr. Seuss did declare that “fun is good.” For a complete list of Bookmans’s events, visit their website and look under their events link: www.bookmans.com.
ENTER TO WIN TICKETS MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL | MARCH 3-5, 2017
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Free TALK “How God’s love can change your life and the world” Saturday, Feb 4, 11am. Christian Science Church 7355 Paseo del Norte
Divvee is Hiring. Get paid to rate apps. Great income for students. Send interest and contact info to: highincome@hotmail.com
!!!UTiLiTies pAiD, walk to UA. Mountain/Adams. $430/$440 1 room Studio. No kitchen, refrigerator only. No pets, quiet, security patrolled. www.uofahousing.com 299-5020 or 624-3080
1 BD 1 BATH triplex apartment, within walking distance from the University. near 1st st. & euclid. Fireplace, kitchen, hardwood floors, on-street parking. no pets. $475/mo. Call 520-886-1569 or email msstucson@gmail.com
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CLASSIFIED READER RATES: $5 minimum for 20 words (or less) per insertion. 25¢ each additional word. 20% discount for five or more consecutive insertions of the same ad during same academic year.
Classifieds • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
Attention Classified Readers: The Daily Wildcat screens classified advertising for misleading or false messages, but does not guarantee any ad or any claim. Please be cautious in answering ads, especially when you are asked to send cash, money orders, or a check.
studios from $400 spacious apartment homes with great downtown location. Free dish Tv w/top 120. Free internet wiFi. 884-8279. Blue Agave Apartments 1240 n. 7th Ave. speedway/ stone. www.blueagaveapartments.com
!!!FAmiLy owneD & Operated. Studio, 1, 2, 3, & 4 BD houses & apartments. 4blks north of UofA. $400 to $1,500. Some with utilities paid. Available now & August. No pets, security patrolled. 299-5020, 624-3080. www.uofahousing.com
******wildcat properties is renting for 2017. over 25 properties to choose from. 1-6 Bedroom homes avail. All within walking distance to UofA. Check us out at www.wildcatrentalproperties.com or call 520-870-1572 for more info.
***4BeDroom Home, LArge fenced yard, big bedrooms, lots of private parking, A/C, DW, W/D. $2000 mo. Available 8/2017. Call 520-398-5738
By Dave Green
“I never leave Monster Island without it!” -Godzilla
2
9 7 4 2 9 7 3 2 6 8 7 2 5 1 4 5 6 3 5 2 4
Difficulty Level
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2017 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
RATES
12 • The Daily Wildcat
2/03
Publisher’s Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.
+++A HUge 2 story, 5bd 4bath home on Lee and Highland. Large great room, big bedrooms, A/C, W/D Only $600 per person! Avail. 8/2017. Please call 520-398-5738 2BeDroom 2BATH Home Available Now. Split floor-plan, AC, DW, W/D, fireplace, fenced, pets, parking. Call 520-398-5738 4 Bedroom 2 Bath Home For A great price and at a great Location. Located at the corner of water st. and Fremont. $450 per Bedroom, $1,800/mo. 1100 e water street. Check out our website: www.UofAArearentalHomes.com for more pictures and homes available August 1st 2017 Call 520-404-8954 to schedule a showing. 4BeD 2BATH 1/2 a block from campus with POOL! $2950/mo. Call (520)-235-7487. 5 BDrms From $425 per person. Available for 17/18 school year. Call 520-245-5604 8+ bedrooms DireCTLy ACross From eLLer!! spacious home with bonus rooms, and LoTs of parking!!! Call TAmmy today at 520-398-5738 AAA 5BD., 3BATH homes avail. Fall 2017. Large bedrooms, fenced yards, private parking, spacious living areas. Call 520-3985738 Adjacent 4 Bedroom Houses. put together a group and rent these both for the price of a 6 bedroom. $3,600/mo with 8 bedrooms 4 baths 2 washers, and 2 dryers, 2 kitchens, 2 living rooms. For $450 per Bedroom. reserve today for August 1st, 2017. 520-404-8954. www.UofAArearentalHomes.com AmAZing HoUse!!! 6BeDroom, 4bath home close to UA, new kitchen, baths, Large bedrooms, LVRM, dining, fenced yard, From $640 p.p. A/C, 2 sets W/D, 2 fridges, Call Tammy 520398-5738 Kino & LAKesiDe clean and tidy 4 bd 2 ba. 1660 sqft $1150/mo + dep Avail now. 1673 S. St. Joan of Arch. Skyline Properties, Inc. Call/txt 520-577-6570
TireD oF renTing? Move into 2334 E 5th St. 1300 sq ft. 3BR/1BA (2 sinks), free parking on street & covered carport. FSBO/agent $300,000. 602-7503233
privATe room wiTH bathroom, access to kitchen, utilities included/Parking lot $550 4miles N UofA 5203138404 sHAre 3 BeDroom house near Pima and Country Club, incl large walk-in closet, AC, W/D, $450/mo +1/3 utilities. (928)864-6443
pArTiCipATe in A BrAin imAging sTUDy! Have you experienced a head injury or “concussion” within the past 18 months? you could qualify to participate in one of our concussion studies. eligible participants can earn up to $1000 for full completion of all study activities: Call: (520)428-5131 web: psychiatry.arizona.edu/research/ua-scan-lab pArTiCipATe in A TrAUmATiC sTress sTUDy Have you experienced a traumatic event in the last 10 years? you could qualify to participate in our ongoing study and receive up to $1200. The study has been approved by the UA institutional review Board. Call: (520)428-5141 web: UAsCAnLab.com
COMMUNITY Healing, prayer, meditation, spiritual messages: 5pm sunday; socialize, snacks, readings: 6pm. school: 7pm, Chapel of Awareness, 931 n. 5th Avenue.
The Daily Wildcat • 13
Opinions • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
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14 • The Daily Wildcat
Sports • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
Arizona football’s recruiting class falls from mountain tops At one point, Arizona football had a recruiting class worth talking about; now the Wildcats limp through the finish line and plummet in national recruiting class rankings
BY JUSTIN SPEARS @JustinESports
Heading into the 2016 season, Arizona’s recruiting class shined. It was certain that the Wildcats were going to have a bright future regardless of how their season played out. Everything was gravy. The Wildcats had a top-15 recruiting class and were No. 1 in the Pac-12, according to 247 Sports, so just when it appeared to be all good in the hood for Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez, who had three fourstar recruits, the class nosedived to the bottom of the Pac-12 Conference. It’s not necessarily a fall from grace, because Arizona wasn’t used to having a class of that caliber in recent years, but rather a “too good to be true scenario.” With personnel change not just within the program itself, but also around the Pac-12, the class that was supposed to help maintain Rodriguez’ job security now leaves the program in shambles. For Rodriguez, he thinks National Signing Day is bushwhack. “I still think we should have no signing day,” Rodriquez said. “It’s ridiculous that two sides don’t come to an agreement like everything else in life. You spend about $27,000 per kid once they commit … For all the [athletic directors] listening, get out of this ridiculous circus that is national signing day when kids are pulling hats out of boxes and jumping out of helicopters announcing kids where they’re going and glorifying kids to where they can never meet their expectation.” Let’s start with the loss of cornerbacks coach Donte’ Williams who left Arizona and accepted the same position at Nebraska in November for a larger paycheck. Williams made $215,000 in his first season in Tucson and Nebraska will pay him $400,000 during the 2017 season. Williams was the type of coach that could relate to players better than anyone else because of his swagger that came along with his young age, as well as lacing up the cleats every practice to go against his defensive backs. He was the backbone of the recruiting class, and once he left, the recruits followed. Four-star athlete Greg Johnson decommitted the same week Williams left for Nebraska. There’s one four-star
REBECCA NOBLE/THE DAILY WILDCAT
ARIZONA FOOTBALL HEAD COACH Rich Rodriguez watches from the sidelines during a game.
player out the window. Then threestar inside linebacker Delshawn Phillips followed Johnson a week later and decided to take his talents to the University of Illinois. Does it stop there? Nope. Matt Leo, the 6-foot-7 defensive end from Arizona Western College, spurned Arizona and signed with the Iowa State Cyclones. Junior college prospects are difficult to evaluate, but Leo’s size would’ve added depth at a position that needs it. So with Arizona’s class already taking a huge hit with Williams bolting for Nebraska, Oregon proceeded to hire new head coach Willie Taggart, who immediately rained on Rodriguez’s recruiting parade. Taggart didn’t just make it rain, he brought the whole damn monsoon season with him, swiping essentially the most prized recruit of the class in fourstar quarterback Braxton Burmeister who was thought to be the quarterback of the future. Not only did Taggart take Burmeister,
but he also snagged 6-foot-3 defensive tackle Austin Faoliu, three-star athlete Darrian McNeal and somehow got Cody Shear to flip from the Wildcats to the Ducks on National Signing Day. Shear’s hometown is Eugene, Oregon, but he told the Arizona Daily Star on the day before National Signing Day he was going to commit to Arizona. “When a young man decommits a week or a day or a couple days before signing period, it kind of puts everyone in a bind,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t particularly like the theatrics signing day has become and kids the way they think is ‘I got an offer, let me just decommit and all the time with the other coaches’ … It’s gotten worse.” Every single player Taggart took from Arizona were committed to playing in the Old Pueblo and were in the mix to receive playing time almost right away. So in a matter of two months, Arizona lost a pair of four-star and eight threestar recruits because of a few personnel changes at Arizona and within the
conference. Recruiting is one heck of a beast. Imagine being 53 years old like Rodriguez and having to constantly kiss the ring of 17 and 18-year-old athletes. It’s a battle every year, and the obstacles in Rodriguez’s way were too much to overcome in 2016. Arizona went from top dog in the Pac-12 to No. 10 and fell to No. 45 in the country with only one four-star recruit being running back Nathan Tilford from Ontario, California. Who knows, maybe this class will prove the doubters wrong. It’s not like this class will cost Rodriguez his job, because he’s done more than he’s been asked so far during his tenure at Arizona. There are some recruits who have the potential to make a huge impact because of certain positions Arizona needs to desperately fill, especially up front. This class is on par for what Rodriguez has brought in with other recruiting classes during his time in Tucson. This year was allegedly the class of the future but turned out to be a forgettable one.
The Daily Wildcat • 15
Sports • Friday, February 3-Sunday, February 5, 2017
ALEX MCINTYRE/THE DAILY WILDCAT
ARIZONA BASEBALL INFIELDER JJ Matijevic (24) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a run during Arizona’s 17-6 win against ASU at Hi Corbett Field on April 28, 2015.
JJ Matijevic’s versatility makes him dangerous BY ROSS OLSON @rossolson95 The Arizona baseball team lost several key offensive contributors to last year’s MLB Draft, but it retained a lethal offensive weapon to man the middle of the order with junior JJ Matijevic. After a solid sophomore campaign and another successful stint in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer, the left-handed-hitting Matijevic earned a spot on Baseball America’s top 100 college prospects list—coming in at No. 53. A season ago, Matijevic was the regular DH for the Wildcats, but he also spent some time at first and second base while typically hitting in the middle in the order. He went on to hit .287/.331/.411
with four home runs, 37 RBIs and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of .742. His 17 doubles and four home runs were both good for third on the team. For the second straight summer, Matijevic posted impressive numbers in the Cape Cod League—a league that boasts the best collegiate players around the country. The junior hit .357 with five home runs, 25 RBIs and 19 runs in 31 games for the Falmouth Commodores. Arizona Baseball named him the Summer Player of the Year for 2016. “In the Cape, it’s the top guys in the country and the coaches are unbelievable,” Matijevic said. “The whole competition was my biggest takeaway.” While there’s no shortage of
offensive potential in Matijevic’s game, he doesn’t have a set defensive position, but has shown the ability to be a versatile asset on the right side of the infield. Matijevic played scarcely at second and first base a season ago before slotting in as the everyday DH. Cody Ramer took over as the everyday second basemen due to his exceptional defense while Ryan Aguilar played first for the majority of the season.
Matijevic’s defensive role could be similar to last year as outfielder Alfonso Rivas made the switch to first base, while the additions of freshmen infielders Cameron Cannon and Shane Martinez are expected to see time at second. However, head coach Jay Johnson said Matijevic will still factor in the right side of the infield
and that lineups will be determined based on pitching matchups. “We’re trying to figure out what our opposing pitcher looks like on a particular day,” Johnson said. “He’s done a really good job; he’s really improved over there [at second].” Matijevic agreed that he’s improved at second but still could develop further—in particular with his first step once the ball is put in play. “I’m a lot farther ahead this year at second than I was last year,” Matijevic said. “I’m not there yet, I still have a lot more work, but I’ve definitely gotten better at it. Just getting that first quick step is really it for me.” With a number of emotional leaders from last season gone, Matijevic has taken it upon himself to
mentor the younger guys on the team. “That’s what I take a lot of pride in [leadership],” Matijevic said. “I took them [freshmen] under my wing and tried to stay on them a lot because I know these freshmen could do a lot this year and they could be really, really good if they just put in the work and focus and I’ve tried helping them with that. They’ve been doing an excellent job so far.” Matijevic was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. As a junior, Matijevic is eligible for the draft for the first time since 2014. If he posts similar numbers to last year or better, he has a good chance of being selected early in the 2017 MLB Draft and will likely be the first Wildcat taken.
Friday — Sunday Feb. 3 — Feb. 5 Page 16
SPORTS
Editor: Christopher Deak sports@dailywildcat.com (520) 621-7579
COURTESY OREGON STATE ATHLETICS
ARIZONA PLAYER CHANCE COMANCHE (21) attempts to defend a lay-up from Oregon State’s Gligorije Rakocevic (23) in the Gill Coliseum on Feb. 2.
After another tough first half, Wildcats pummel Beavers BY JUSTIN SPEARS @JustinESports When No. 5 Arizona was down 29-27 at halftime against Oregon State, there was a sense of “Oh boy, here we go again.” It appeared to be another drawn-out game where, once again, an inferior opponent makes the game uncomfortable for the Wildcats, a team that is considered among the cream of the crop in college basketball. It wasn’t just Arizona being down by two or that a few things went wrong in the first half; it looked like the Wildcats were tentative and at times unsure of themselves, which is very uncommon this season. Give credit to the 4-19 Beavers, because they came out and punched Arizona in the mouth. Eighteen of OSU’s first-half points came in the paint, and for a team that was undersized from the get-go, Arizona’s front court duo of Lauri Markkanen and Dusan Ristic was outplayed in the first half. This was a parallel performance from the Washington game on Sunday; more so for Markkanen, because in both first halves against Washington and OSU, the freshman
forward scored 6 points on 1-for-10 shooting (0-for-4 from 3-point range) with five turnovers. Luckily for head coach Sean Miller, 13 bench points in the first half kept the Wildcats in the game. Seven of those points did come from Allonzo Trier, who played starter’s minutes but started the game on the bench. Head coach Sean Miller must’ve been all over the Wildcats at halftime, because Arizona came out on its toes and ready to go in the second half. “I think we were sharper—helping each other out and a little bit more attention to detail,” Trier said. “We’re not perfect. Every great team is going to have small defensive spurts where they’re not at their best.” Defense was a major key as the Wildcats held the Beavers to 7 points in the first 10 minutes and had a 24-7 run in the same time span. “In the second half, we just tried to press them more, make them take tough shots, and as a result in that, we got out in transition,” Arizona guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright said. Due to the defensive presence, Arizona was comfortable, and when the Wildcats are flying on both ends, it’s a recipe
for success, giving them a night-and-day performance Thursday night. “We did a better job after halftime of defending them, and when you do that it leads to transition [points] and makes you feel better,” Miller said. “We were certainly a much better team in the second half than in the first half. That’s life right now … We did a good job putting a sub-par first half behind us and being a much better team in the second half.” Arizona forced OSU to commit 15 turnovers, attacked the glass with 37 total rebounds and never looked back after the 17:38 mark in the second half. “It’s been tough for us to win here in the past, so I’m really happy the way our team fought through it and we had a better second half,” Trier said. For Saturday, Arizona can’t afford to have a lackadaisical first half against No. 13 Oregon, because the Ducks will have their way in that scenario. On a brighter note, Arizona opens up the conference 10-0, which is the best start under Sean Miller and the best start for the program since 1997-1998.