Arizona Daily Wildcat

06/15/2025

On June 11, community members gathered to protest recent activity from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. The protestors started at the intersection of Valencia and Country Club before marching to a nearby ICE building, where they were met by security. The two groups exchanged pepper spray, paint bombs, fireworks, pepperballs and rocks before police moved in to disperse the “unlawful assembly.”

📝: Mason Kumet
📸: Mason Kumet

Read more and view the photo gallery at theDaily Wildcat Website. ⬇️
https://wildcat.arizona.edu/160988/news/anti-i-c-e-protest-leads-to-smashed-windows-graffiti-and-three-in-custody/ #

On June 11 protestors gathered at the intersection of Valenica and Country Club to protest the recent activity from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. Protestors started at the intersection and marched to the ICE building a couple blocks away where they were met with security. The two g...

06/10/2025

The University of Arizona baseball team is heading back to Omaha, Nebraska, for the 19th time in program history.

The Wildcats took two of three games from the No. 1 overall seed, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the Chapel Hill Super Regional from June 6-8. Arizona overcame a lopsided defeat in game one with back-to-back comeback victories, punching its ticket to the College World Series for the first time since 2021.

Sunday’s decisive victory marked Arizona’s 19th all-time trip to the CWS and the program’s first under head coach Chip Hale, who won a national title with the Wildcats as a player in 1986.

⬇️Read more at the Daily Wildcat website.
https://wildcat.arizona.edu/160950/sports/arizona-baseball-stuns-north-carolina-to-win-chapel-hill-super-regional-advances-to-college-world-series/

📝: Kellen O’Halloran
📸: Mason Kumet

06/10/2025

As the end of the year wrapped up, the former senators of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona met one last time to decide the fate of the Secure Act Resolution, along with a new vote on the Homes Act for cultural and resource centers.

The Secure Act Resolution, initially proposed by former Senator Arjun Phull, aimed to increase student knowledge on the extent of immigration enforcement on campus.

After the Secure Act Resolution’s decisive pass in the ASUA Senate on March 26, Student Body President Adriana Grijalva vetoed the proposal—citing concerns such as how the University of Arizona Police Department was not referenced throughout the draft process, and that other key stakeholders were not included.

The senate had a chance to override Grijalva’s veto on April 30, but the minimum requirement of 12 votes was not met. Nine senators were in favor of overriding the veto, one opposed and two abstained.

The senate also voted on the Homes Act on April 30, which passed with a unanimous 12-0 vote. The official text of this resolution reads to “affirm the vital role of the University of Arizona’s Cultural and Resource Centers as home-away-from-home spaces that foster belonging, community, and student empowerment on campus.” The adoption of the Homes Act comes as the UA administration announced plans on May 27 to consolidate the university’s Cultural and Resource Centers.

📝: Emma McDonough

Read more at the Daily Wildcat Website. ⬇️

The Associated Students of the University of Arizona met on April 30 to discuss the veto of the Secure Act Resolution, which intended to increase transparency over immigration enforcement on campus. Senators also voted to pass the Homes Act, which urges the UA administration to ensure the continued....

05/31/2025

As they prepare to lead the student body through the upcoming academic year, incoming Student Body President Adriana Grijalva, Executive Vice President-elect Benjamin Huffman and Administrative Vice President-elect Katie Kelliher of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona met on April 15 to share their vision for building trust, increasing visibility and creating meaningful relationships across campus.

Grijalva said that their top three priorities for next year are communication and transparency, building a strong Wildcat community and supporting student needs, such as mental health, safety and affordability.

In terms of communication and transparency, Kelliher referenced her goal to bring students into the behind-the-scenes processes of projects rather than simply display the final product. Additionally, Grijalva expressed wanting to give students more of a voice in forums with the university administration.

Huffman raised concerns about the disconnect between the UA administration and students. He explained that the administration is aware of generalized student concerns, but often doesn’t see how severe or widespread those issues are.

📝: Emma McDonough
📸: Noor Haghighi

Read more about the incoming ASUA executive team and their plans for the upcoming academic year at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

As the newly elected ASUA executive team prepares to lead the student body, they’re setting their sights on transparency, representation and rebuilding trust across campus. Incoming President Adriana Grijalva, alongside Benjamin Huffman and Katie Kelliher, sat down to share their goals for the 202...

05/23/2025

University of Arizona president Suresh Garimella conferred about 9,000 degrees at the university’s 161st commencement on May 16. The ceremony brought a record-breaking number of almost 40,000 guests to Arizona Stadium.

The university president was joined on the commencement stage by many diverse voices who carried themes of challenging the norm in their speeches. Some of these speakers included Regent Fred DuVal, who spoke out about defending science and facts in a time full of misinformation, Graduate and Professional Student Council President Jeremy Bernick, who challenged the eight-hour work day and its limitations on maintaining a work-life balance and keynote speaker Erik Weihenmayer, who encouraged students to be climbers rather than campers.

➡️ Read more about the 2025 commencement ceremony at the link in our bio.

📝: Sierra Bl**er
📸: Celeste Lizarraga

Read more about the 2025 commencement ceremony at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

University of Arizona held its 161st commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16, where almost 9,000 degrees were conferred.

04/29/2025

Medicaid has been the long-standing program providing health insurance for people across the United States. If the recently passed House budget reconciliation bill were to be enacted, upwards of 500,000 Arizonans and 20 million people across the United States would lose health insurance.

According to Daniel Derksen, director of the Center of Rural Health at the University of Arizona, this reconciliation bill would result in costs that would have been covered by Medicaid being shifted toward states and health facilities.

However, many are concerned that states and health facilities can't come up with the difference required to cover people who rely on Medicaid services.

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly shared how his granddaughter goes to El Rio, a federally qualified health center, and the potential effects Medicaid cuts would have on healthcare in Arizona.

“It’s likely that her pediatrician might not work there anymore if there is a drastic cut to access in our state, or maybe they wind up having to close down a certain clinic and they lose staff. If they lose half of their revenue through Medicaid, let’s just say as an example, it’s going to affect everybody that goes there. And that’s probably true for every health facility and every hospital in our state,” Kelly said.

➡️ Read more at the link in our bio.

📝: Kanishka Chinnaraj
📸: Sela Margalit

Read more at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

Medicaid has been the long-standing program providing health insurance for people across the United States. If the newly proposed budget plan were to be enacted, upwards of 500,000 Arizonans and 20 million people across the United States would lose health insurance.

04/27/2025

With 92 new executive orders since January, tariffs on Mexico and Canada and a constant flood of breaking news, University of Arizona students are feeling increasingly overwhelmed by news fatigue.

Josephine Dee, a freshman at the UA majoring in creative writing, said that after the inauguration she fell into a deep depression.

“I just had to fully remove myself from Instagram because of the amount of news and some of it being complete misinformation, not being able to tell what was what and all the fear-mongering and everything,” Dee said.

Leslie Ralph, a psychologist from Counseling & Psychological Services, said that she has noticed an increase in students experiencing news fatigue since 2020. “I’m certainly hearing from multiple students about their own advocacy work, or their peers, or just feeling this feeling of ‘I need to do something’ and so they’re more engaged in a lot of ways, and that can contribute to that fatigue,” Ralph said.

Her advice for students is to figure out what triggers them to feel panicked, anxious or overwhelmed. She also said students should find out what their “glimmers” are, which make them feel at peace and happy.

For anyone feeling stressed about the news and the political climate, Ralph recommended several resources, including visiting CAPS for short-term counseling support, events organized by campus health and scheduling behavioral therapy appointments through the psychology department.

📝: Emma LaPointe
📸: Brianna Golden

Read more at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

The start of a new year and semester can be challenging for students, especially with social media filled with negative headlines and misinformation. This can add extra stress during an already difficult time. Students Josephine Dee and Schuylar Daniel share their experiences with news fatigue and o...

04/25/2025

Researchers at the University of Arizona have utilized state-of-the-art Magellan Adaptive Optics Xtreme technology to observe distant planetary systems, creating images that uncover details about young planet formation and their surrounding dust rings.

“We’re making the highest resolution images of outer space,” Laird Close, a professor of astronomy at the UA, said. “And that includes space telescopes like the famous [James] Webb and HST [Hubble Space] telescopes.”

Using this advanced technology, astronomers at the UA were the first to observe the rings of dust around these baby planets and the changing rate at which they consume hydrogen.

According to Close, this work lays the foundation for gaining more insight into the universe. “The next big step is to start looking for baby Earths,” Close said. “[Giant Magellan Telescope] could maybe even find life on other planets in reflected light.”

📝: Danielle Hartshorn
📸: University of Arizona Steward Observatory

Read more at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

The University of Arizona has utilized state-of-the-art Magellan Adaptive Optics Xtreme technology to observe the PDS 70 system, creating images that uncover details about young planet formation and their surrounding dust rings.

04/24/2025

On March 31, University of Arizona students were left confused and concerned after emails from the International Student Service reminded international students to carry their visa and passport while on campus.

The email from ISS stated, “Keep copies of your immigration documents in a readily accessible place. It is recommended that you carry a copy of your passport, I-94, and proof of status at all times.”

Following the ISS email and rumors about the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on campus, UA student Shanshan Zhang said she does not feel safe going on campus.

“For me, the university is doing nothing but complying,” Zhang said. “I feel like, I guess [the university is] not going to protect me. I guess I will just do my strategy right now. I will just stay at home.”

📝: Emma LaPointe and Jasmine Creighton
📸: Nolan Slaugh

Read more at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

Uncertainty is growing on the UA campus after emails advised international students to carry identification in case of encounters with ICE or law enforcement. Following the email, rumors of ICE presence and visa revocations circulated, which UA administration denies. Still, students are unsure of wh...

04/17/2025

University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella sent a letter to Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen on April 1 outlining the university’s plans in regards to DEIA-related programs and language.

In the letter, which detailed steps the university is taking to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order named Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, Garimella shared that “administrative units and personnel have begun the process of discontinuing any preferential treatment activities and programming within their units to ensure full compliance with the federal executive order and related guidance.”

Garimella also stated in the letter that all college deans are being told about the areas affected by the federal order, and that all non-academic service units are implementing DEIA-related changes based on recent reviews of DEIA programs.

The UA has already removed the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website, the institutional diversity and inclusion statement from job postings and diversity and inclusion language from its Land Acknowledgement.

📝: Sophia Hammer
📸: Jay Corella

Read more about President Garimella’s letter to the Arizona Senate President and how students and campus organizations are reacting at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

The University of Arizona sent a letter to Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen about the changes to its diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs to comply with a federal executive order from President Trump. These changes include removing DEIA language from websites and job posti...

04/15/2025

The University of Arizona introduced Becky Burke as the new women’s basketball head coach on Friday, April 11 in McKale Center. Burke, now the 10th head coach in program history, previously coached at the University at Buffalo and finished the 2024-2025 season by winning the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

“This is a great day for Arizona Athletics and this is a great day for our women’s basketball program,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois said.

The former Buffalo head coach believes that with the right mindset and support, she can take Arizona to compete for national championships.

“We do it together, it's truly gonna take everybody […] if we can do this all together and we really really believe what Arizona women’s basketball can be, I don’t see any reason that we don’t just claim our spot amongst the nation’s elite, that’s where we belong, that’s why I am here and that’s what I promise you every single day,” Burke said.

📝: Michael Smith
📸: Charlie Ramirez

Read more about Burke and her appointment as the new Arizona women’s basketball head coach at the Daily Wildcat website. ⬇️

The University of Arizona introduced Becky Burke as the new women’s basketball head coach on Friday, April 11, at 4 p.m. in McKale Center. Burke is the 10th head coach in program history.

04/14/2025

University of Arizona research departments are navigating change following the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze of the United States Agency for International Development.

For some research projects fully funded by USAID, such as the Climate Adaptation Research Program and Humanitarian Assistance Technical Support, this freeze directly impacts UA jobs.

“The big picture is this directly bears on their positions because they’re fully funded by this program,” Zach Guido, assistant research professor at the Arizona Institute for Resilience said.

📝: Kanishka Chinnaraj and Ruby Wray
📸: Amara Williams

Read more here ⬇️

The Trump administration continues to downsize the United States Agency for International Development, canceling grants, foreign assistance projects and firing thousands of employees. These federal changes have a cascading influence, affecting the research at the University of Arizona and students.....