Cat Tracks: November 21

TRENDING UP:

Women being awesome: Women are awesome, so affirmed the Women’s Studies Advisory Council, which awarded UA President Ann Weaver Hart on Monday for her work with the UA.

At the 16th annual Women Who Lead reception, the council recognized Hart’s service to the university as its first female president. Her name was also engraved in the Women’s Plaza of Honor.

“I’ve been the first woman president in other positions,” Hart said during the event. “So for me, it’s ‘you’re the president’ and you just move in and get your work done.”

And that’s probably why she is where she is. Hart’s attitude — “just move in and get your work done” — is a model for other women. It’s the kind of attitude that belongs to people, man or woman, who make things happen.

Scientists standing against climate change deniers: Global climate change has been a thing for a while, but the deniers are persistent. Still, more than 130 scientists from 27 Iowa colleges and universities issued a warning of climate change Monday.

The Iowa Climate Statement says the drought this year is consistent with a warmer climate. More droughts are to be expected, as well as flooding during wet years. The drought spread across two-thirds of the nation, and according to the statement, warming will continue.

Sounds pretty reasonable to us. But we never said the people who recognize that global climate change as a problem is trending up.

TRENDING DOWN:

Bumpy streets: Potholes, hopefully, thanks to the passing of Proposition 409. Tucson voters OK’d the ballot initiative by 953 votes.

With the bond’s passing, the city of Tucson will now have $20 million a year annually, beginning in 2014, to repair about 31 percent of major roadways and 7 percent of residential streets.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild praised voters for approving the bond, according to the Arizona Daily Star, as a sign that residents were responding to Tucson’s call for self-sufficiency.

“If we don’t invest in ourselves, nobody else will,” Rothschild said at a press conference.

True. Being self-sufficient is a lot more productive than waiting for the state Legislature to restore millions of dollars in transportation funding. But we’re also just pretty grateful there will be fewer potholes to fall into on the drive home.

Campus smoking: Smoking is on its way out, as the Faculty Senate approved a tobacco-free policy at the Arizona Health Sciences Center this month. Though the policy awaits final approval by UA President Hart, there are efforts to expand the policy to the rest of campus.

The Student Health Advocacy Committee has created a petition for students and employees, urging the UA to adopt a campuswide smoking ban. Currently, smokers are limited to designated smoking areas and 25 feet from any UA building.

SHAC hopes the UA will adopt a stricter policy that would require smokers to go off campus if they want to light up.

But don’t put out that cigarette just yet. The committee is seeking 4,000 to 5,000 signatures, but the petition has only a few hundred signatures so far.