Regents study intercollegiate athletics

By Ernest Calderón SPECIAL TO THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The Arizona budget situation and our supportive Gov. Jan Brewer have challenged the Arizona Board of Regents to undertake reform of our university system. Athletics is a well-established part of the university experience and, in turn, requires ongoing and timely review.
The accomplishments of our universities' student-athletes have been extraordinary and are worthy of our praise. The championships earned by our teams are commendable.
But there are public concerns that, for all the acclaim intercollegiate athletics brings to our state and its universities, maintaining big-time athletic programs somehow detracts from the overall goal of providing higher education to the citizens of Arizona.
Critics often point to massive department budgets, escalating coaches' salaries (the hiring of University of Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller has been the subject of great debate) and subpar academic performance of student-athletes as indications of a system in need of reform.
In fact, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, an independent group formed to study the governance of college athletics and its fidelity to the mission of postsecondary education, has made ongoing calls for increased fiscal restraint and commitment to academics since its initial report was issued in 1991.
As a tool for oversight, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) retains the right to censure or penalize schools for any misdeeds or violation of association rules. Each NCAA school must undertake a self-study of its athletic department's practices and diligence in the areas of institutional control, academics, equity and student-athlete well-being as a condition of certification in the association.
The University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University are each in good standing with the NCAA. While improvement is always welcome, overall academic performance at each school is compliant with established standards.
Additionally, the graduation rate of student-athletes is higher than that of the general student population at all three schools; though it should be noted that our most prominent sports, football and men's basketball, lag in this category, and are subject to the Board of Regents review.
The NCAA measures are useful to assess basic control and governance; however, they are largely self-regulated and self-reporting conditions of operation. Arizona's universities fall under the purview of Arizona Board of Regents. It is essential that the regents maintain a transparent and contemporaneous view of intercollegiate athletics in order for the citizens of Arizona to have a complete understanding of policy, practice and performance.
I asked regent and former U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini to chair an ad hoc committee on intercollegiate athletics at our universities. The committee will take a fresh look at athletic operations in relation to the overall interests of Arizona. The regents intend to examine college sports enterprises in the context of the value our public investment in athletics returns to our schools, their students and Arizona in general.
The regents will ask the questions: What need does intercollegiate athletics serve and to what level is this service being executed?
Our assessment will not be conducted as an inquisition nor will it produce a Pollyanna's view of big-time college athletic programs. It will simply serve to guide our universities toward activities that ultimately benefit our students and either satisfy or set benchmarks for measurable accountability.
The time is ripe for such a review, and it should assist our university presidents in dealing with the issues of the day. UA President Robert Shelton deserves the Board of Regents' critical analysis and direction as he grapples with the changing dynamics of intercollegiate athletics and the hard decisions that he faces in elevating the UA sports program.
Intercollegiate athletics can inspire us and educate our students in life's lessons, but it must remain faithful to the educational missions of our universities, today and henceforth. Intercollegiate athletics must be accountable to Arizona, or the Board of Regents will reform its practices.
The Arizona Board of Regents Web site is www.azregents.edu

Sonora damage severe in wake of Jimena By Mariana Alvarado

ARIZONA DAILY STAR
•For more information or to find other drop-off locations, call 1-800-376-3553.
Nonprofit organizations are requesting disaster relief aid for victims of Tropical Depression Jimena, which struck the Sonora coast last week.
Sonora state officials estimated about 90,000 people were affected by the storm.
The storm hit hardest in the coastal communities of Guaymas and Empalme, and the nearby resort town of San Carlos, where more than 50 inches of rain fell in some neighborhoods.
Willebaldo Alatriste Candiani, Sonora's head of public safety, said the storm left widespread flooding as it swept through the Mexican state last week.
"It is mainly flooding damages, material damages. . . . We are talking about people losing their furniture, clothes, important documents," Alatriste Candiani said.
Most of the drainage system in Guaymas has collapsed, and there's no drinking water available in most neighborhoods, he said. "In Empalme, the main problem is not having water."
In an effort to avoid public health problems, Sonora has declared a state of emergency, and a request has been made for federal funding for the cleanup. Gov. Eduardo Bours also has announced a temporary jobs program, according to a press release.
Classes at schools in Guaymas and Empalme were suspended until next week, Alatriste Candiani said.
In Tucson, nonprofit organizations such as PPEP TEC Charter High Schools, World Care and LULAC launched a campaign to collect items to help those stricken in Mexico.
John David Arnold, PPEP founder, said it's a sad situation that Sonorans are facing, and a lot of people in Arizona don't know about it.
what Flooding victims could use
• Bottled water, food
• Sleeping bags, tents
• Baby and adult diapers
• Comforters, linens, flashlights
• Clothes, shoes (must be new)
• Home-cleaning supplies
• First-aid supplies, including ointments and antiseptics
where to drop off donations
• Celestino Fernández Learning Center, 1840 E. Benson Highway.
• John David Arnold Learning Center, 4140 W. Ina Road.
•Victor Soltero Learning Center, 8677 E. Golf Links Road.
•Robles Junction Learning Center, 10451 S. Sasabe Road.
•For more information or to find other drop-off locations, call 1-800-376-3553.
Contact reporter Mariana Alvarado at 573-4597 or malvarado@azstarnet.com

Spanish health-care forum: no yelling
Crowd is calm, but one speaker is moved to tears
By Brady McCombs

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

About 100 people attended a calm and conflict-free Spanish-language health-care forum Saturday morning at Sunnyside High School.
"It was a discourse instead of a headbangers concert," said U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., who spoke at the forum. "There were sincere questions looking for information as opposed to people getting up and stating their position."
Other recent health-care forums held around the country, including in Southern Arizona, have been contentious affairs with shouting, booing and bickering. There were no loud protesters at this forum, and the Sunnyside High School auditorium was half-filled.
Organizers of the event said it was the first Spanish-language forum on health-care overhaul the country. It was organized by a group called Organizing for America, a special project of the Democratic National Committee dedicated to supporting President Obama's agenda.
"Health care is important to every American, whether you speak English, whether you speak Spanish, whether you speak French," said Jessica Jones, the organization's Arizona director.
Reaching Hispanics is important in the health-care debate due to the high numbers who are uninsured or who have chronic illnesses, and because many Latinos are young, Grijalva said.
"In terms of who needs the attention, that is a population that could probably benefit most from health reform than any other," Grijalva said. "We thought we had to make a special effort to reach them."
The emphasis during the two-hour forum was on providing information about proposals for revamping health care.
Grijalva was joined by Sandra Leal, the clinical pharmacy supervisor at El Rio Community Health Center; Laura Elías de la Torre, a family physician at El Río Community Health Center; Cecilia Rosales; and Josefina Iturralde, a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy who has trouble paying her insurance premiums. All spoke in Spanish, but headsets with an English translation were offered to those attending.
The audience was a mixture of Hispanics and non-Hispanics, and Spanish-speakers and non-Spanish-speakers. The audience was allowed to ask questions after the panelists' presentations.
Most of the speakers supported the idea of health-care overhaul, although some questioned how it would affect Medicare, whether the U.S. could afford comprehensive health insurance coverage, and why changes would take so long to implement. Grijalva said it would likely take until 2013 to get the new program up and running.
Abel Serratos started crying while telling his story of losing his electrician job after 15 years and not having health insurance for his wife and two children.
Because his wife was still working, they were denied government help, he said. Through tears, he asked Grijalva if health-care overhaul would help middle-class families such as his who don't have enough money to pay for private insurance but make too much money to qualify for government aid.
"Why is there so much money in war, so much money in space, but there isn't money to take care of ourselves?" Serratos asked after the forum.
Grijalva said Serratos is a prime example of what's wrong with the current health-care system.
"We are stuck in this philosophical fight: Is it public option? Do we need health reform? Is this creeping socialism?" Grijalva said. "And then you have him, who loses his job and for five months couldn't get insurance even though he paid for 15 years. That story is more common than the philosophical fights that we are having."
While one man took the microphone and said the panelists should repeat their speeches and answers in English, most of the audience applauded the decision to hold the forum in Spanish.
"It's very important. This is a program that has to be inclusive," Raymond Rodriguez said. "People are more comfortable in their language."
"If it is in Spanish for the better understanding of the Spanish-speaking population, well, then it's for the advantage of society in general," said Florencio Zaragoza, president of Fundación México. The organization works to strengthen the influence of Hispanics.
Laura Alameda and Maria Fuentes, both uninsured mothers who take their families to El Rio Community Health Center, attended the forum to learn more about the proposed changes. The women, who are native Spanish-speakers, were happy to hear that there would be a forum in their language.
"In English, you don't always understand everything," Fuentes said in Spanish.
Contact reporter Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or bmccombs@azstarnet.com

PCC, ASU reach agreement on flat rate for transfers
More bachelor's degrees for Ariz. residents is goal
By Becky Pallack

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

A new transfer agreement between Pima Community College and Arizona State University includes a tuition incentive.
Students who complete an associate's degree at PCC and transfer to ASU within three years will earn a tuition cap that allows them to pay a flat rate until they finish their bachelor's degree.
PCC Chancellor Roy Flores and ASU President Michael Crow planned to sign the agreement in a ceremony today.
The goal is to increase the number of students who earn an associate's degree at Pima and a bachelor's degree from ASU.
It's part of a broader plan by the Arizona Board of Regents to increase the number of Arizona residents holding bachelor's degrees to 30 percent in 2020 from 25 percent today.
Eligible majors in the new PCC-ASU program, called Transfer Admission Guarantee, are yet to be determined.
PCC already has transfer agreements with 10 other universities, including the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. But the tuition incentive is unique to the ASU program.
Most PCC students who transfer to a state university go to the UA. About 1,000 PCC students register as new transfer students at the UA each fall, while 200 to 300 register at each of the other two state universities, according to a PCC report.
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or at 807-8012.

College must remain affordable amid cuts
by Ernest Calderon -

Sept. 1, 2009
Special for the Republic
Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona have opened their doors for the fall semester. As students head back to school, they have a sense of excitement, anticipating the new opportunities this year will bring. It's a contagious feeling, one that creates inspiration to fulfill dreams.
When I became a student at NAU, fresh from my Morenci High School graduation, I was inspired by what the future held and the contributions I knew I would one day make to the state that made my education possible.
Now, as the president of the Arizona Board of Regents, another door has opened for me, one that has rekindled that earlier flame of inspiration.


I see thousands of students - many the first in their family to go to college - walk through the doors of our universities. They "get it." They know that a college education is vital to their future. They know the world has changed and it takes a bachelor's degree to be successful in the expanding global marketplace.
One graduate's personal success translates into community success. Studies validate that an educated citizenry means less reliance on government support, reduced crime rates, increased charitable giving and an improved ability to adapt and use technology.
Arizona's workforce, regardless of its education level, on average, has higher salaries when a larger proportion has a college degree
.
The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by 2013, there will be 3 million more jobs in our country that will require a bachelor's degree. In 2020, and in Arizona alone, 167,000 jobs requiring a college degree will become vacant due to retirements.
We must ensure that those jobs are filled; and to do that, a university education must be affordable and accessible for all. We're getting closer. Recently, Forbes magazine announced that all three of our universities are among 100 universities nationwide considered a "best buy" for a college education.
Even so, for too many Arizonans, a college degree remains out of reach, and we must change that. The Board of Regents and the three university presidents have been working to reform the university system. We began two years ago when we undertook development of a systemwide strategic plan with a goal of trying to double baccalaureate degrees by 2020.
The evolving plan calls for the universities to create new educational pathways to serve Arizona's students, including deeply integrated community college-based 2+2 programs, regional universities in partnership with community colleges, collaborative Arizona public university centers and the expansion of the Arizona Universities Network slate of online degrees.
In June, I proposed also pursuing a 3+1 program that would keep students pursuing high-demand degrees at the community colleges a year longer, paying community-college tuition and, thereby, significantly reducing their costs. In the fourth year, they would transfer to the university, pay university tuition
and earn, in the end, a university degree.
This is a difficult time for everyone with job losses and budget cuts. But now is not the time to cut back on higher education. Let us all catch the back-to-school spirit and demonstrate that zeal by opening more doors to higher education. Ý Adelante!


Ernest Calderon is president of the Arizona Board of Regents.

Edward Kennedy
Carlos Fuentes
31 Ago. 09

Hace tiempo, recibí en mi casa de la ciudad de México a Edward Kennedy. Un grupo de intelectuales y políticos mexicanos le interrogó y todo procedía con fluidez hasta que un inteligente y provocador amigo mío hizo una pregunta que criticaba directamente, no a la política de los EE.UU., sino a la nación norteamericana. En ese momento, Kennedy interrumpió la sesión y me dijo: -Vamos a cenar.Entendí sus razones. Una cosa era criticar las políticas de los EE.UU. y otra muy distinta criticar a la nación: a lo largo de sus casi cincuenta años de actividad pública, Kennedy se gobernó por esta divisa. Atacó, revisó, propuso numerosas iniciativas de ley y políticas tanto exteriores como interiores pero jamás puso en duda la integridad nacional de los EE.UU. Criticó, en cambio, actos de gobierno que le parecían contrarios a la Constitución y las leyes, considerando que éstos eran el alma del país. Nunca cometió, en otras palabras, el error de considerar que la crítica política era contraria al país, sino que le era indispensable.Esto explica, por ejemplo, que Kennedy fuese uno de los veintitrés senadores que votaron en contra de la decisión de George W. Bush de invadir Irak. El tiempo le dio la razón. La guerra contra Irak era una guerra por el petróleo y por la hegemonía, no parte del combate a Al-Qaeda, razón espuria, entre otras igualmente inválidas, de la invasión: Al-Qaeda no se encontraba en Irak porque el dictador Sadam no lo permitía. Ahora, Al-Qaeda sí opera en Irak.Se opuso, también, a la venta de armas al dictador chileno Augusto Pinochet y favoreció las sanciones al régimen fascista del apartheid en África del sur (régimen apoyado por Dick Cheney). Las iniciativas de ley del Senador Kennedy se refieren a los derechos civiles, los refugiados, el derecho al voto, la educación pública, el salario mínimo, el poder judicial, la seguridad social y la capacitación laboral.Destaco dos temas. La última vez que conversé con Kennedy fue durante los funerales de nuestro común amigo, el gran novelista William Styron, en la Catedral de San Patricio en Nueva York. Estaba preocupado por el destino de la legislación protectora del trabajo migratorio, toda vez que la iniciativa más razonable, la ley Kennedy-McCain, había sido archivada por el Congreso. Pero el tema persistía y Kennedy no cejaba en buscar una solución que beneficiara tanto a la economía de los EE.UU. como al propio trabajador migratorio. La posición de Kennedy consistía en legalizar a los trabajadores mexicanos presentes ya en los EE.UU., imponerles obligaciones a los empleadores y sujetar a los futuros solicitantes de trabajo a estrictas condiciones jurídicas de ingreso. Nada se gana, opinaba Kennedy, con penalizar a los trabajadores que ya están en los EE.UU. Se trataba más bien de ofrecerles caminos a la legalización y eventualmente a la ciudadanía. Yo insistía en otra obligación: la de ofrecerles trabajo en México para que no se vean obligados a emigrar. En mi concepto, enviar trabajadores a los EE.UU. para que a su vez envíen remesas a México es una práctica explosiva cuando el trabajador no puede emigrar y no encuentra trabajo en México.Otro importante tema destacado por Kennedy fue el de la cobertura de salud en los EE.UU. Al contrario de casi todos los estados europeos, los Estados Unidos de América carecen de protección médica universal para sus ciudadanos. Ésta, que fue preocupación central de Kennedy, es atacada por los intereses privados que, con virulencia creciente a raíz de las iniciativas del Presidente Obama, hablan de "socialismo" y, a instancias de la inefable Sarah Palin, de "asesinatos de ancianos". Todo ello oculta los grandes intereses de las aseguradoras que cancelan los seguros de alguien que se enfermó de cáncer: veinte mil pólizas canceladas en California en los pasados cinco años, ahorrándoles a las compañías aseguradoras trescientos millones de dólares. El aumento exorbitante del precio de las primas a compañías con un solo empleado mortalmente enfermo. La eliminación de miles de derechohabientes por razones "técnicas" a fin de ahorrarse el pago de gastos médicos. Y un largo etcétera.Obama y Kennedy se han preguntado por qué motivo los EE.UU. no pueden tener un sistema de seguridad sanitaria comparable a los de Francia, Alemania o Escandinavia -seguramente naciones "comunistas" bajo el fleco de Sarah Palin-. La arbitrariedad terrorista ("Obama es Hitler"), la agitación pagada y provocada, los llamados al odio del lamentable líder de una derecha derrotada, el locutor Rush Limbaugh, adquieren un tinte sombrío a la luz de las iniciativas modernizantes de Obama y de la trayectoria de Kennedy. Ojalá que la desaparición de éste sirva para despertar el ánimo de demócratas y republicanos libres de brujerías ultraderechistas.Y queda en mi ánimo el recuerdo no sólo de un gran político demócrata, sino de un hombre sonriente, activo, que veleaba con una mezcla de riesgo y seguridad y que gustaba de jugar un fútbol recio y echarse de cabeza a una piscina helada, amén del disfrute de un martini, igualmente frío.Descanse en paz

EL INFORME OPPENHEIMER
Las razones detrás de la purga en Cuba
Andrés Oppenheimer
9 Mar. 09
Los castrólogos, o sea quienes practican esa oscura ciencia que es tratar de interpretar las acciones de los hermanos Castro, están divididos respecto de la purga del Gabinete que tuvo lugar en Cuba la semana pasada: Algunos la consideran una señal de cambio, mientras que otros la interpretan como una señal de resistencia al cambioAntes de compartir con ustedes mi propia interpretación de los hechos, echemos un rápido vistazo a las tres teorías principales sobre los motivos detrás de la destitución de una docena de altos funcionarios cubanos, entre ellos el ex Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, Felipe Pérez Roque, y el ex zar económico, Carlos Lage. Desde hace mucho tiempo, se rumoraba que ambos estaban entre los más probables sucesores del Presidente Raúl Castro, de 78 años de edad.Pérez Roque, de 44 años, un ex ayudante privado de Fidel Castro y un "fidelista" incondicional, era un funcionario de línea dura. Un hombre de limitado alcance intelectual que se enorgullecía de ser considerado un "talibán" cubano, en una oportunidad me aseveró con total seriedad que en Cuba había más libertad de prensa que en Miami. (Si así fuera, le respondí, Cuba tendría que tener varios opinadores anticastristas en sus medios de difusión).Lage, por el contrario, era un reformista. Médico de profesión, de 57 años, Lage fue responsable de las reformas económicas que permitieron la recuperación cubana tras el "periodo especial" que siguió al colapso del bloque soviético.A fines de la semana pasada, como suele suceder tras todas las purgas en regímenes estalinistas, Pérez Roque y Lage firmaron sus respectivas "mea culpa", después de que el octogenario Fidel Castro los acusó de haber sucumbido a "la miel del poder", y señaló que "el enemigo externo se llenó de ilusiones con ellos".Entre las explicaciones más frecuentes de la purga: La teoría de la "señal de cambio": el Presidente Raúl Castro está consolidando su poder, destituyendo a los hombres de Fidel y reemplazándolos con sus propios cuadros -casi todos militares- en los cargos más altos del Gobierno, anticipándose a medidas del Presidente Barack Obama para levantar algunas sanciones estadounidenses contra Cuba.Al nombrar a sus propios cuadros, Raúl también está promoviendo una nueva generación de líderes que estarán mejor equipados para enfrentar las nuevas realidades políticas y económicas, según sostiene esta teoría, la más respaldada por los castrólogos.La teoría de "la resistencia al cambio": anticipándose a las medidas del Gobierno estadounidense para iniciar una posible negociación con Cuba, los hermanos Castro destituyeron a los miembros más jóvenes, más conocidos y más conectados internacionalmente del Gabinete para enviar una clara señal de que no habrá ninguna grieta interna en el régimen cubano.Lo que ocurrió en Cuba es una reconcentración de poder: si Estados Unidos levanta algunas de sus sanciones económicas a la Isla, el régimen cubano querrá hacerle frente a la nueva situación como un bloque monolítico, sostiene la teoría.La teoría del "chivo expiatorio": la característica más notable del régimen de Castro, como la de cualquier dictadura, es la constante búsqueda de responsables. Como señaló el periodista independiente cubano Odalis Alfonso Toma la semana pasada en www.cubanet.org: "Siempre que llegamos al clímax en las crisis administrativas o ejecutivas, aparecen nuevos cargos de malversación y abuso de poder en las altas esferas del Gobierno".Mi opinión: lo que ocurrió la semana pasada fue una combinación de la segunda y la tercera teoría. El artículo de Fidel Castro en el que declara que los enemigos de Cuba se habían llenado de "ilusiones" de cambio con los funcionarios destituidos me induce a concluir que la purga fue un movimiento defensivo de los hermanos Castro.Es algo que ha ocurrido una y otra vez. Cada vez que acontecimientos externos amenazan con ponerle presión a Cuba para que permita libertades fundamentales, o que surge alguien dentro del régimen como potencial líder de una transición, los Castro han reaccionado cerrando filas y retrocediendo a posturas de línea dura.A fines de la década de los 80, cuando la ex Unión Soviética inició el proceso de apertura de la Perestroika, Fidel Castro destituyó -y más tarde ejecutó- al carismático Héroe de la República de Cuba, General Arnaldo Ochoa, un reformista que quería cambios dentro de la revolución. En 1992, en medio de la democratización de los ex aliados cubanos de Europa del Este, Castro destituyó a Carlos Aldana, el segundo funcionario más poderoso del partido comunista, y el reformista más encumbrado en la jerarquía castrista del momento.Ahora que Washington se apresta a distender las sanciones estadounidenses, la familia gobernante vuelve a cerrar filas. Los hermanos Castro quieren tratar de seguir haciendo pequeños cambios disfrazados de continuidad en lo económico, y ponerle freno a cualquier presión externa que pueda poner en riesgo su ejercicio absoluto del poder y su total falta de respeto a la voluntad del pueblo cubano.