"Week of Civility" at the UA

To bring attention to the need civility in our daily lives, officials at the University of Arizona are holding a "Week of Civility" with five days of events bringing to light the values of social civility in Tucson and across the globe.
Here is a bit about the line up:

Feb. 14: Athletic Director Greg Byrne will present his lecture, "Civility in a Sports-Mad World: University Fan and Student Behavior.” The lecture will be held in Room 210 of Modern Languages, 1423 E. University Blvd.

Feb. 15: Arizona Illustrated host Bill Buckmaster will moderate "Civility in Political Discourse," a panel discussion on civility in political discourse with former Arizona senator and current Arizona Board of Regents member Dennis DeConcini, as well as Tom Volgy, former Tucson mayor and current professor in the UA's School of Government and Public Policy; Arizona Daily Star cartoonist David Fittzimmons; and Communications Professor Kate Kenski. The discussion will be held in the North Ballroom at the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd.

Feb. 16: "Civil Discourse in a Conflicted Community" will bring to light the importance of respectful debate within higher ed. Panelists are professors Pat Hoyer, Miranda Joseph, J.C. Mutchler and J. Jefferson Reid. The event will be held in the Tucson Room of the Student Union.

Feb. 17: Sheri Bauman, a UA associate professor of disability and psychoeducational studies, will present "Civility in the Digital Age," concerning electronic civility and bullying. This event will be held in the Tucson Room of the Student Union.

Feb. 18: UA Attorney Steve Adamczyk will present his talk, "Civility and the First Amendment" addressing the need to balance the right to free speech and the responsibility to respect to the beliefs and opinions of others. The event will be held in Room 318 of the Education Building, 1430 E. Second St.

For more information, visit http://uanews.org/node/37707.

Message to UA Community regarding situation in Egypt

TO: UA Campus Community
FROM: Meredith Hay, Executive Vice President and Provost
DATE: February 3, 2011
SUBJECT: Situation in Egypt

The University of Arizona community has been closely monitoring the demonstrations in Egypt for the past several days. The situation remains volatile and continues to change daily.

As of today, we have two students in Egypt. They are safe, accounted for and in the process of leaving the country. We are not aware of any UA employees in Egypt at this time.

UA personnel have been in frequent contact with each of the UA students in Egypt since the protests began. We have worked with our study abroad partners to offer the necessary resources to these individuals to ensure their safety and security, and will continue to do so as they leave the country.

The protests and political uncertainty have resulted in the issuance of a Travel Warning from the U.S. Department of State, which orders the departure of all non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members from Egypt. It also recommends that U.S. citizens avoid travel to Egypt at this time.

If planning to travel as a University employee to countries under a Travel Warning, you should obtain approval from the UA Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost before commencing travel.

If you have imminent travel plans to the Middle East, please contact Gail Burd – vice provost for academic affairs – at 520-626-4099 or gburd@email.arizona.edu – to initiate the approval process and discuss potential options for deferring travel.

It is important that you are aware of the UA Interim Policy Concerning Study, Travel and Research in Countries under U.S. State Department Travel Warnings
(http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/Interim_Travel.pdf

). This policy outlines expectations regarding student and employee travel in areas where there are Travel Warnings.

The essential elements of this policy are that:

• Employee travel to countries under a Travel Warning that forbids, restricts, or otherwise urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to a certain country, is generally prohibited unless advance authorization is obtained from the Executive Vice President and Provost.
• You should evaluate your planned itinerary against the information in the Travel Warning and avoid or defer travel to identified dangerous areas.
• Students and employees must be allowed to opt out of travel if they wish, and must be provided with an alternative to participation in any scheduled trip to countries under a Travel Warning.
• You should print out the Travel Warning and provide a copy to each trip participant.
• Students are required to sign the Travel Warning Release Form, which is available from Risk Management & Safety (http://risk.arizona.edu/forms/TravelWarningReleaseForm.pdf).

For additional questions regarding the UA Interim Policy Concerning Study, Travel and Research in Countries under U.S. State Department Travel Warnings, contact Steve Holland or Herb Wagner (520-621-1790) at Risk Management & Safety.

If you are currently traveling on University business or plan to do so in the near future, please make sure to enroll in the Smart Travelers Enrollment Program (https://travelregistration.state.gov). Departments or family members can enroll on behalf of travelers who do not have Internet access. This allows the government to account for each citizen in the event of a mandatory evacuation.

Please monitor the U.S. Department of State website – http://www.travel.state.gov – for additional updates.

We will continue to keep you information as the situation unfolds and changes occur that impact UA employees and students.

STATEMENT ON THE ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT (Proposition 203)

To:	Members of the University of Arizona Community
From:	Allison M. Vaillancourt, Vice President, Human Resources
Subject:	Statement on Medical Marijuana
Date:	January 26, 2011

Last November, Arizona voters approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, which permits the use and possession of marijuana for certain medical purposes. Because of its obligations under federal law, the University of Arizona will continue to prohibit marijuana possession and use on campus for any purpose. A statement from the Office of General Counsel explaining the University's position follows.

STATEMENT ON THE ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT (Proposition 203)

Arizona voters recently approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (Proposition 203) which, under certain circumstances, permits individuals to possess and use limited quantities of marijuana for medical purposes. Because of its obligations under federal law, however, the University has and will continue to prohibit marijuana possession and use on campus for any purpose.

Under Federal legislation entitled The Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988, and The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989, "no institution of higher education shall be eligible to receive funds or any other form of financial assistance under any federal program, including participation in any federally funded or guaranteed student loan program, unless it has adopted and has implemented a program to prevent the use of illicit drugs and abuse of alcohol by students and employees." Federal law, entitled The Controlled Substances Act, prohibits the possession, use or production of marijuana, even for medical use. Therefore, the University will continue to enforce its current policies prohibiting the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession or use of a controlled substance on its property or as part of any of its activities.

Employees and students who violate University policy prohibiting the use or possession of illegal drugs on campus will continue to be subject to disciplinary action.

Prepared by:	Office of the General Counsel
Date:	January 18, 2011
Contact:	Glenn George, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Vicki Gotkin, University Attorney

Be a Friend. Do Something.

SafeCats just launched a new website!

College is an exciting time and provides us all with many new experiences. As we meet new people and discover new interests, sometimes it's all too easy to become wrapped up in our own lives and not recognize what is happening to those around us.

Be a Friend. Do Something. is here to help. Through offering no-nonsense advice, this site will walk you through the most difficult of situations. Have you ever been concerned about a friend driving home drunk or hooking up while intoxicated? What about someone in class who you've heard make threatening remarks or an organization that you're sure is hazing its members?

Be a Friend. Do Something. answers your questions in the most in your face way. Visit the website

at http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/beafriend/

Support for our community

To: University Community
From: Robert N. Shelton, President
Subject: Support for Our Community

The past few days have been both heart-wrenching and remarkable. We moved from shock at Saturday’s shootings, to anguish over the loss of life, to gratitude that many of those injured survived and that others were unharmed, to overwhelming pride in the talents and bravery of first responders, healthcare professionals, and quick-thinking citizens who stepped up to ensure the safety and survival of others.

So where do we go from here?

Last night we held a ceremony that was designed to begin a healing process for our community. It afforded a chance for all of us in the Tucson region to come together and renew our sense of hope, and purpose, and pride in this wonderful place we live. It was cathartic for many to have a chance to cheer the heroes of that tragic day, and share a commitment to reach out to our friends and neighbors with a greater sense of love.

But memorial services will soon conclude, community gatherings will cease, the injured will recover, and news media from around the world will move to another story. What are we to do next?

Perhaps our most important task is to give ourselves and others the opportunity to grieve.

Grief and trauma manifest themselves in many ways, and understanding our reactions to tragic events is a key first step in the healing process. Being sad, disoriented, unable to concentrate, less productive, or prone to sudden emotional changes is normal and expected. It will take time for life to feel normal again.

Some people have expressed confusion and even embarrassment about the degree of their grief or anxiety given that they were not directly connected to the individuals who were injured. This, too, is normal. Our hearts ache for the friends and families of those harmed and we are mourning the loss of our own sense of safety and security. It is completely reasonable for each of us to feel affected.

In the weeks and days ahead I encourage you to take special care of yourself. This is the time to focus on eating well, getting rest, exercising, engaging in activities that bring you joy, and connecting with others. You may find it helpful to review newly posted advice that is available on the UA Life & Work Connections website http://lifework.arizona.edu/

I ask you to look after one another as well. Accept that colleagues and students may have trouble focusing or may be distracted. Reach out to those who appear withdrawn, distraught or unusually irritable. Remind students about counseling resources are available to them through Counseling and Psychological Services http://www.health.arizona.edu/webfiles/caps.htm and refer faculty and staff to UA Life & Work Connections http://lifework.arizona.edu/

It is important for us to recognize that it will take time for an entire community to recover and we must acknowledge that life as we know it has been forever changed. It is important, too, to recognize that we are an extraordinary community filled with compassionate people. Tucson’s essential soul has been revealed and that should offer us all a sense of hope.

Saturday's Tragedy

To: University Community

From: Robert N. Shelton
Subject: Saturday's Tragedy

Saturday’s tragic shooting in Tucson, which critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and resulted in six deaths, is having a profound effect on the University of Arizona community. I want all of our students, faculty and staff to know that the full resources of the UA are available to anyone who is personally impacted by this tragedy.

Please join me in extending our prayers and best wishes to the victims of this unspeakable attack, along with their families.

The medical professionals at UMC have provided extraordinary care to Rep. Giffords and many of the other victims. We are confident that they all are getting the best care possible at UMC.

For years, Gabrielle Giffords has been a tremendous friend of the University of Arizona, and in her two terms in Congress has worked tirelessly on behalf of education. She has always been a voice of moderation, which makes this shooting even more difficult to comprehend.

U.S. District Judge John Roll, a UA alumnus and Arizona’s chief federal judge, lost his life on Saturday as a result of this tragedy. He is remembered by his colleagues and friends as a brilliant jurist, a devoted family man, a person of faith and a gentleman.

Daniel Hernandez, a UA junior and an intern for Rep. Giffords, was at the scene of the shooting and provided live-saving first aid prior to the arrival of medical personnel. Thankfully, he was not injured. I thank him for his courageous and heroic efforts during a time of crisis.

Finally, I know that many of you personally know some of the victims, live in the area where the shooting occurred or have ties to the police, fire and medical personnel who are heroically serving.

In one way or another, the entire UA campus community has been shaken by this tragedy. I encourage you to look out for one another – our classmates, colleagues and friends – as we all cope with the grief and uncertainty that accompanies such an egregious act of violence.

Please remember that students may obtain services from Counseling and Psychological Services and that our Life & Work Connections program is available to UA faculty and staff.

To access counseling services, call 520-621-3334 (Counseling and Psychological Services) or 520-621-2493 (Life & Work Connections).

We will continue to keep you informed of new developments, the conditions of the victims at UMC and additional resources available to the campus community.

Safety and Security: Tips for personal safety in Social Setting