ARIZONA DAILY WILDCATwildcat.arizona.edu The University of Arizona, Tucson

ComebackMen’s golf wins Pac-10 crownCats

‘Girls’ are mean,or so the

movie says

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5-year anniversary of

sweatshop sit-in

Thursday, April 29, 2004

MIDEAST CONFLICT ON MALL

DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily WildcatMore than 100 supporters of Israel gathered on the Mall yesterday to form a human Star of David, which appears in the center of the Israeliflag. Protesters also gathered at the event to call for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Protesters try to stain human flag

KEVIN B. KLAUS/Arizona Daily WildcatBiochemistry junior Tally Milnes writes a message yesterday evening in the courtyard ofGraham-Greenlee Residence Hall during a barbecue to remember former students Joseph Johnsonand Lindsay Schiffman, who were killed in a motorcycle accident April 18.

An attempt to create a human Israeliflag on the UA Mall yesterday was inter-rupted when protesters floated a set of redballoons over the crowd, trying to createthe illusion of a bloodstain on the flag.

More than 100 students and supportersof Israel formed the Star of David in the flagto celebrate the 56th anniversary of the cre-ation of the state of Israel and to show sup-port for the nation.

The UA Hillel Foundation and theArizona Israeli Alliance organized theevent. It was the first human Israeli flag cre-ated at the UA.

Less than 50 feet away, the Alliance forPeace and Justice in the Middle East and

other campus groups called for an end toIsraeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

While participants in the human flagwaited to have their picture taken by an air-plane flying overhead, three protestersmoved closer to the group, trying to floatthe balloons over the flag.

Mike Sousa, an art education senior,said the bloodstain represented the killingof innocent Palestinians and the illegaloccupation of Palestinian territories byIsrael.

Several human flag participants left thegroup and attempted to bring down theballoons, with one man cutting the stringattached to the balloons.

Jacob Reuben, an Associated Students ofthe University of Arizona senator who par-ticipated in the flag’s formation, said herespected students’ right to protest but that

the use of the balloons was in poor taste.“They have a twisted way of protest-

ing,” he said.Heather Lobenstein, a journalism senior

who organized the human flag, said theevent was not intended to be political, asstudents were only gathering to show sup-port for Israel.

But Jessica Weinberg, co-president ofAPJME, said the creation of the flag waspolitical.

Weinberg said by supporting Israel, par-ticipants were also supporting what shecalled the illegal occupation of Palestinianterritories.

“The creation of that state came at theexpense of the human rights of Israel,” shesaid.

See FLAG/9

Arizona’s governor is eager to see universitiesrewarded for improving their graduation rates, butone of her top aides warns that another facet of awide-ranging plan to reconsider university fundingstrategies may be too ambitious.

Gov. Janet Napolitano said yesterday that anArizona Board of Regents proposal to offer univer-sities financial incentives to raise graduation rateswould improve the state’s economy by preparingmore students for high-wage jobs.

But at least one other hallmark of a plan torestructure state mechanisms for funding the uni-versity — a threefold increase in taxpayer-fundedfinancial aid — may need to be enacted more grad-ually than universities hoped, said GeorgeCunningham, Napolitano’s deputy chief of staff forfinance and budget.

Still, the governor’s office appears generallyreceptive to the plans, which could bring millionsmore into university coffers in coming years.

They would reward universities by paying themnot just when more students enroll but when theyachieve specific goals like raising graduation rates,especially in high-demand fields like nursing, edu-cation and engineering.

That will likely come as good news to theregents, who will meet today to discuss the law-makers’ reactions to the potential changes and per-haps come a step closer to formally asking theLegislature and governor to enact them.

Though the regents have worked all semester tooutline new means for funding the universities,because the Legislature and governor allocatemoney, regents must win support from those offi-cials before new funding plans can be implemented.

Their proposal would fund the universities$1,000 for each bachelor’s degree above the previ-ous year’s total, and $1,500 and $2,000 for each mas-ter’s degree and doctorate, respectively.

See GOVERNOR/10

By Jeff SklarARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

By Aaron MackeyARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

Students remember RA asan ‘older brother,’ friend

To celebrate and honor the life ofJoseph Johnson, a resident assistant killedin a motorcycle accident two weeks ago,about 120 people attended a memorialservice yesterday at Graham-GreenleeResidence Hall.

“Your impact on others is more thanyou ever imagined,” read one of severalmessages written on the courtyard groundin chalk. The wall read, “In LovingMemory of Joe.”

The memorial service included a barbe-cue and canned food drive. The food will begiven to the Salvation Army, as requestedby Johnson’s parents.

Johnson was killed in a motorcycleaccident on April 18 with his passenger,Lindsay Schiffman, who was a media artssenior.

“I was a friend of Joe’s,” said AaronRonn, a psychology and political sciencemajor and RA who worked with Johnson.“He was like my older brother and helpedme with a lot of stuff. He never had amoment without laughs. He always hadsomething funny to say.”

Friends said Johnson also belonged toan off-road club for which he helpedorganize events.

“We were all in the off-road club withhim,” said Ryan Miller, a mechanical engi-neer senior and friend of Johnson’s.

By Kylee DawsonARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT

See MEMORIAL/30

Rewardgood gradrates, saysNapolitano

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