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HOUSING GUIDE 2008
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visitor guide 2008
Top 10: Reasons, Spots, Experiences
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Amenities you deserve. Upperclass Community • TV/DVD in each unit • Luxury Hot Tubs Resort-style Pool • Computer Labs • Fax/Copier available Basketball Court • Elegant Clubhouse • Sand Volleyball Court Putting Green • Concierge Services by Valet Today Campus Fully Furnished Units • Cart Bus Stop • All Bills Paid In-Unit Washer/Dryer • Wireless Internet
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ON THE COVER: The RUF/NEKs are one of the university’s most well-known traditions. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MITRA
introduction
features 20
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academics
Visitor Guide
INSIDE
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research
As the director of OU’s Visitor Center, I’m thrilled that you’re interested in the University of Oklahoma. Whether you’re a prospective student, faculty or staff member, a tourist passing through or an Oklahoma resident, our Visitor Guide will give you a glimpse into life at OU. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to visit our beautiful campus to experience it firsthand. As you’ll see in the pages to follow, OU provides more for its students than a classroom experience. It’s a VISITOR CENTER DIRECTOR community with all it entails: a rich arts and nightlife scene, a chance to make friends and mentors from all around the world, meaningful community service opportunities and our own set of traditions. In fact, our diverse sense of community has earned us the coveted Templeton Foundation Award as a “Character Building College” not once, but twice. It’s been proven time and again, students learn by doing. And at OU, we give them many opportunities to do so: in the classroom, on the field, in the lab and at a job site. The guide that you’re holding now is a perfect example. The content inside was written, designed and photographed by OU students working in Student Media. When we looked at creating a Visitor Guide, it made perfect sense to have students, with the advice of professional staff, do the work. Their perspective about their campus — and indeed, their world — is different from what mine, and maybe yours, would be. You’ll be intrigued and impressed by what they’ve done. I was. So, explore the guide and learn more about OU, Norman and the community they create. When you’re here, stop by Jacobson Hall, the “front door to the university.” We at the Visitor Center would like a chance to say hello.
-Leslie Baumert
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athletics
OU life 5 from the president
33 top 10 reasons
10 top 10 spots
35 under construction
24 OU profiles
38 top 10 traditions
26 OU alumni
40 phone numbers
28 things you never knew
40 parking info
32 diversity
47 campus map
feel of a small town with the convenience of a big city.
CONTRIBUTORS
Katie Gant Michael Mitra
places 30 Norman combines the
ART DIRECTORS
ADVERTISING MANAGER
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34 The Union offers a quiet haven, a quick bite or a night out to students and visitors. 44 From families to firsttimers, OU has specific sights to see for all types. OU Student Media ■ 860 Van Vleet Oval, ■ Norman, OK 73019-0270 (405) 325-2521 ■ www.studentmedia.ou.edu OU Visitor Center ■ 550 Parrington Oval ■ Norman, OK 73019-3032 (405) 325-1188 ■ visit.ou.edu
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Brandt Smith
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Geneva Daniel Emily Ganus Josh Griff Stefan McIntyre Michael Mitra Kyle Nosal Aaron Poole Rebecca Robertson Jenny Shim John Stuart
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Hailey Branson Breia Brissey Ashley Carter Tiara Etheridge Mary Gray Briana Johnson Nanette Light Lauren Parajon Raya-Gabrielle Ramsey Jarrel Wade Kelly Wadsworth Kelsey Witten
PROFESSIONAL STAFF
Lori Brooks, editorial Anne Richard, advertising
The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. This publication was produced for the Visitor Center by OU Student Media, a department in the Division of Student Affairs. The Visitor Guide, printed by University Printing Services, is issued by the University of Oklahoma and authorized by the OU Visitor Center. Fifty thousand copies were produced and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma. Every effort has been made to provide information that was accurate at the time the guide was prepared. Any questions about the material should be directed to Student Media or the Visitor Center. Copyright © 2007 OU Student Media
Visitor Guide
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As a member of the Sooner Racing Team, engineering students design, craft and race a Formula SAE car. Graduate student Chris Allbee takes the wheel. photos by michael mitra
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PROGRAMS PUT STUDENTS
THE
BEHIND WHEEL Whether they are speeding down a track in a homemade race car or tracking a devastating tornado, students at the University of Oklahoma are finding a variety of ways to get out of the classroom and get a jumpstart on their future. These hands-on learning experiences help students apply classroom concepts in real-world situations, build their resumes and portfolios and find their niche at OU. by ashley carter
THE SOONER RACING TEAM
Bobby Alley has the need, the need for speed. The Sooner Racing Team allows Alley and 45 other engineering students to combine their passion for science and speed as they work together to build a real-life Formula One race car. “I never thought I would be racing an actual race car, let alone building one,” Alley said. “My future has already become a reality.” Alley, a mechanical engineering junior, started in the SRT doing part-time work in 2004, and he has not only helped formulate designs for the car, but he has actually felt the full experience of being in the driver’s seat in several competitions. “When you are behind the wheel, you are representing
everyone that built it from day one,” Alley said. “There’s nothing more intense than knowing you have OU’s reputation sitting on your shoulders.” The pressure has intensified for Alley over the last year: He was elected president for not only the 2006-07 season, but he is also continuing his reign for 2007-08. Zahed Siddique, an associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, advises the team and works closely with Alley on a daily basis. “Bobby is the leader of the pack, and I am just there to make sure they are following the rules,” Siddique said. “He takes full responsibility for everything that happens under the hood and on the racetrack.” One of Alley’s most important tasks includes managing the $60,000 budget that the team is allotted for the season. The money goes toward everything from engine parts to jumpsuits that the students wear
during competition. The team also has a number of sponsors who help fund the team’s activities. “Everyone from alumni to the College of Engineering help us get to the finish line,” Alley said. “We couldn’t do it without their support both financially and physically.” Spending up to 35 hours a week, Alley considers being a part of the SRT a full-time job. While he does receive elective credit, he believes that he will be rewarded for his hard work and dedication in the future when he is entering the workforce. “When people realize that you have been a part of the Sooner Racing Team, they stop and give you a second look,” Alley said. “We’re a pretty big deal not only in the world of engineering, but in the world of racing as well.” >> continued on page 8
Visitor Guide
8 IB Coil’n, a 2007 company, worked with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (shown here) and the Community After School Program. photo provided
>> continued from page 7
IBC
In one of the most popular classes in the Michael F. Price College of Business, students are randomly broken up into teams, request loans of up to $5,000 and are expected to have produced a product and a profit by the end of one semester. Over 11 years, Integrated Business Core companies have succeeded: They’ve made more than $1 million and given more than $700,000 to charities in the metro area. When Rod Jahromi, supply chain management senior, heard these statistics, he was determined to continue the successful trend with his company, Sooner Says. “There’s a certain caliber of excellence that circulates around IBC,” Jahromi said. “After so many success stories, no one wants to be the first failure.” Jahromi’s endeavors were anything but a failure. As the president of Sooner Says, Jahromi led his team of 20 students through the entire business process to create a final product: word magnets that can be placed on a refrigerator to produce a number of Sooner-themed phrases. “We had to think about something that could be sold to the entire community and just about everyone has refrigerator magnets,” When you can tell Jahromi said. “It was a people you have fun but easy product, and it produced us a already built a profit.” company from the IBC Coordinator ground up, sold Shelly Grunsted serves as an adviser to the a product and students and guides produced a profit, them throughout they’re impressed. the semester as they learn marketing, management and legal tactics that will help them not only with their IBC companies but give them experience they’ll need after graduation. “The students take everything they have learned in the Price College of Business and put it towards this project,” Grunsted said. “The things they learn from IBC, though, they put that towards their future careers.” Jahromi took more than class credit from his IBC experience. Just a semester after he had completed the project, his IBC credentials helped him score a summer internship with AT&T in San Antonio, Texas, in 2007. Jahromi said that he may have never been considered for the opportunity if IBC hadn’t been listed on his resume. “When you can tell people you have already built a company from the ground up, sold a product and produced a profit, they’re impressed,” Jahromi said. “IBC is kind of like a golden ticket — people see it and you are let in the door.” During the fall of 2007, Jahromi took his experience one step further, serving as a company consultant. He used his IBC knowledge and the skills he learned from his internship to help advise students who are in the same spot he was a year ago. “It was an intense and fast-moving experience, but it showed me exactly what I want to do with my future,” Jahromi said. “You see immediate results not only within your company but within yourself as well.”
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Brian Cejda, vice president of the IBC company “Cowsters,” feeds a capuchin monkey. Cowsters gave its “sweat equity” to the Little River Zoo. photo provided
Visitor Guide
TOP 10
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by ashley carter
R E A L - L I F E
STUDENT EXPERIENCES
6. Interior design capstone (College of Architecture)
“In the final part of their college career, students prepare all the elements of an interior design layout that they will most likely use to get a job, and some of them will implement their plans in the future” Elizabeth Pober, adjunct professor
7. Naval Summer Tour at Sea (Reserve Officers Training Corps)
Students ship out and spend their summer at one of the United States’ Navy bases, where they participate in intense hands-on programs that give them a taste of what it will be like to serve their country after graduation.
Meteorology stude downpour in Roge nts chase a tornado in a torrentia r Mills County, Ok l la. photo by Jos h Gr iFF
1. Student Storm Chasers (School of Meteorology)
“You might only see one tornado out of hundreds of chasing trips, but when you see it come out of the sky, it’s better than anything you could have seen in class.” — Terra Thompson, first-year meteorology graduate student
2. The OU European Union (School of International and Area Studies)
Students simulate the actions of the European Union, visit government systems in other countries and hold an annual conference to help them further their education about government policies in European countries.
3. Flying Sooner (Department of Aviation)
“There’s nothing better than helping students’ dreams come true and watching them take flight into the sky. It’s something only a few people get to experience and it’s exhilarating.” — David McClurkin, aviation instructor
4. OU Nightly (Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication) “From behind the camera to reporting on the scene, we get to be a part of putting the word out to the OU community about the day’s events.” — April Vickers, broadcast and electronic media sophomore
5. American Association of Petroleum Geologists educational trips (ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics)
Students travel to New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona to study a variety of rock and sedimentary samples in order to understand the history and components of some of America’s natural wonders.
usical
of M e Department sby stars in th Senior Barry Bu production of Company. Theatre’s 2007 hael mitra photo by mic
8. Musical productions (Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theatre)
“I’m singing, dancing and acting my way through college — what could be better than that?” — Carolyn Willems Van Dijk, musical theatre junior
9. Freshman seminars (University College)
Gateway classes help students make the adjustment from high school to college life by giving them tours, advice and lessons that will not only help them make it through their college careers but will also prepare them for their careers.
10. Student teaching experience (College of Education)
“By completing several semesters of student teaching, these students are ready to take on their own classes and start educating the other future teachers in the world.” — John Chiodo, social studies education instructor
W
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Welcome to the University of Oklahoma! This Creating a sense of community is one of our university is not only a pacesetter in American highest priorities. Faculty families now live in our public higher education; it is also a destination residence halls and open their doors and hearts for visitors, with some of the most extraordinary to our students. A different professor adopts each museums and collections to be found anywhere floor of the residence halls, as well. OU Cousins in the United States. Throughout this guide, you’ll pairs American students with their international find information about how to visit them. counterparts, creating understanding and unity. As you read about some of the progress our Retired full professors have returned to our students, faculty and staff have made, you can see classrooms to teach freshmen and to offer not why OU attracts the most talented students from only their academic knowledge, but also their across the nation and approximately 100 countries wisdom about the world. I understand that desire around the world. OU is No. 1 in the nation per to work with students. I teach a freshman political capita among public universities in the number science class every semester, and I learn as much of National Merit Scholars enrolled and is in the from my students as they do from me. OU is top five of public universities in the nation in the ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the quality of graduation of Rhodes Scholars. We also lead the President David L. Boren the freshman-year experience. nation in international exchange programs with My wife and I live in Boyd House, built in and Molly Shi Boren agreements with 174 universities in 66 countries 1906 as the home of OU’s first president, David and have exceptional study abroad opportunities. Ross Boyd. It was restored in 1997, preserving a OU continues to break private fund-raising records, with history that has included visits by William Howard Taft, Alexander more than $1 billion in gifts and pledges over the past decade, Fleming, John Phillips Sousa, Harry Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, which has provided funding for dramatic capital improvements, Carl Sandburg, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, George the growth in faculty endowment and student scholarships. H.W. Bush, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many others. We knew OU’s private endowment has more than quadrupled since 1994, that to foster a sense of family, we needed to make our home on the growing from $204 million to more than $1 billion, making OU campus. one of only 20 public universities in America with an endowment Over the past few years, there has been a complete transabove $1 billion. Over the past 13 years, the growth of OU’s formation of the campus landscape with thousands of tulips and research programs and student enrollment has precipitated an daffodils in the spring and more than 35,000 chrysanthemums unprecedented $1.5 billion building boom, and the number of in bloom in the fall. Donors have generously supported our endowed faculty positions has more than quadrupled, increasing beautification efforts with gifts of benches, fountains and sculptures from 100 to more than 450. and garden endowments of more than $3 million. OU, however, is about so much more than statistics. We are Oklahoma Memorial Union is the university’s living room. Only committed to excellence, both inside and outside of the classroom, 500 students a day visited the Union in 1994. Thirteen years and with an emphasis on community and culture and diversity. massive renovations later, it has more than 12,000 visitors daily. Our Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionist Art, housed Students meet, study, eat, socialize and even sleep in the building in the new Mary and Howard Lester Wing of the Fred Jones Jr. that they truly consider theirs. Museum of Art, is the single most important gift of art ever given to It’s about more than the Union. Whether working in the a U.S. public university. Every day, our students, and indeed, anyone, classrooms and labs, playing Frisbee on the South Oval, sunning can walk among and be inspired by the works of such masters as themselves by the fountains or admiring the art and architecture van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Gaugin, Pissarro and American artists that make this place truly unique, we want students to feel at home including the Taos Colony of Artists, Native American artists and here. many others. We want you to feel that sense of welcome, too. I’m honored We’re also proud to be home to one of the two largest natural that you’re interested in learning more about the University of history museums in the world associated with a university. The Sam Oklahoma. It’s a place that can’t be captured in words or images Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History has more than or even with one or two visits to our beautiful campus. It’s a spirit 5 million artifacts, including the largest dinosaur in the United States embodied every day by those who live, love and learn here. and the oldest piece of art found in North America. Visit it any day, and you’ll find visitors of all ages learning about Oklahoma and the Sincerely, world. Our History of Science Collections contain 50 books printed before 1500 A.D. and are the only place in the United States where you can hold Galileo’s own handwriting in your hands. Our Western History Collections, filled with documents, maps and photos, are ranked among the five most important in the nation. It’s wonderful David L. Boren that we can offer these resources not just to the OU community, but President also to visitors like you.
Visitor Guide
WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT
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CAMPUS OFFERS ‘PLACE FOR ALL’
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BY JARREL WADE
When Kelan Berry came to OU as a freshman, he did not know how to find his niche. But he soon found a way to make his mark. Berry became president of the Black Student Association’s Freshmen Action Team, and he is now the group’s adviser, helping a new team of freshmen to get involved on campus. “You get involved in your freshman year so that in sophomore year, you can jump into whatever you want,” he said. Programs like the Freshman Action Team help attract a diverse group of students to OU’s campus each year. In the fall of 2007, OU set all-time highs in recruiting underrepresented cultures into the freshman class. A diverse campus creates great learning opportunities for students to live and grow with students of other backgrounds, said Brandon Brooks, director of Diversity Enrichment Programs. “One of this university’s greatest attributes is its diversity,” he said. “There is a place for all at the University of Oklahoma.” One of the diversity enrichment office’s main tasks is to travel across the state, talking to students about pursuing college, Brooks said. “We find that a good portion of these students are first-time students [in their family] or from low-income families,” he said. “Before we talk to them about the University of Oklahoma, we talk to them about college as an option. It allows them to
grow personally and culturally.” Brooks said students are moving into a global world, and OU is working to reflect that. To keep the university thinking globally, President David L. and Molly Shi Boren helped establish OU Cousins more than a decade Brandon Brooks Director of Diversity ago. Enrichment Programs OU Cousins matches American students with international or exchange students so each may learn more about the other’s culture and become more social. “The ultimate goal is that our cousins are hanging out outside of those events,” said Kristen Partridge, OU Cousins staff adviser. “Our goal is to facilitate friendship.” About 800 to 850 students participate in the program each year. But with increased interest and the diverse freshman class, it should expand to about 1,000 students in the 2007-08 school year, she said. Partridge says the program has changed a lot since she participated in it as an undergrad about 12
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years ago. Now students are matched through their hobbies and other social traits, helping them find an even deeper bond. “A lot of our friendships extend past college,” she said. “It’s when you see those kind of connections that you see how much this program means. … Both the American student and the international student get to taste that culture. This program just provides opportunities for people to realize that this world is large.” Programs like OU Cousins helped OU earn the 2007 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. The award, which memorializes Simon for championing international education, recognizes innovative and creative efforts in campus internationalization. But diversity is about more than the student population, said Donna Nelson, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and award-winning researcher in faculty diversity. “In order to be inspired and encouraged to succeed, it is generally perceived that students need a role model,” she said. Nelson’s research has helped OU to recruit a diverse faculty, which she says is an ongoing effort. (Out of 1,304 total full-time faculty, 326 are nonwhite.) And OU is working with Nelson to help make those numbers grow each year. “We need students to have access to faculty that look like them,” she said.
THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, PROVIDING THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE, ANYWHERE. VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.OU.EDU/CAS
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“I really liked the opportunities here. It had a good law school, and I heard a lot of great things about academics, but I also knew it was a fun place with football and a huge Greek community, so I thought it would be an all-around experience.� -— Tara Tannehill, political science senior
“My brother goes here, so it was good to have a member of my family at my school.� — Kristen Newland, business sophomore
“We knew there were a lot of exchange students here, and it’s more fun to meet people from different countries. OU has a lot more exchange students than other places.� -— Sharareh Bhrooz, economics senior and exchange student from Stockholm, Sweden
R E A S O N S
TO CHOOSE OU
1. It was beautiful. In the fall, the leaves were incredible mixtures of reds and yellows. In the spring, the gardens were as bright as the rainbow with all of the flowers in bloom. There were four seasons, and all of them, dramatic. 2. It was the perfect combination of college atmosphere — without the feel of middle-of-nowhere-ness — and town, with Norman having everything you could possibly need. 3. It was freshman-friendly. OU takes extra steps to make freshmen feel right at home in an otherwise uncomfortable new world. 4. The university had a fusion of old and new. The old architecture and spirit of tradition blended with the technologically advanced buildings like Gaylord Hall and modern facilities like the Huston Huffman Center and its yoga classes. 5. And the icing on the cake? With Campus Corner nearby, there’s never a dull weekend.
RAYA RAMSEY’S
P E R SON A L
REASONS
“Because it was better than UT.� — John Pyles, biomedical sophomore Gaylord Hall
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“I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I just really couldn’t see myself going anywhere else. Of course, there was always the football to sway me, too.� — Drew Loney, sociology senior
BY RAYA RAMSEY
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After four years on campus, senior Lauren Parajon discovers the campus she knows so well still has secrets, from history to hot spots.
THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW
Nothing is too hot for Evans Hall. Sand fills the bricks of Evans Hall in an effort to make the building completely fireproof. Science Hall once stood in its location, but it burned down in 1906. University Hall replaced Science Hall, but in 1907, it too burned to the ground. Evans is meant to withstand such a calamity.
Parking doesn’t have to cost you your sanity. The only thing worse than trying to find a parking spot on campus is paying for one. Free parking at the OU Brandt Park and Duck Pond and the shuttle from Lloyd Noble Center offer wallet-friendly alternatives. Another parking secret: The faculty/staff parking lots are open on weekends; on weekdays, they’re available to anyone with an OU permit after 4 p.m.
The lawyers like the engineers as much as the Sooners like the Longhorns. During Engineers’ Week every year, the owls in the niches at the top of each end of Monnet Hall (which once housed the School of Law) mysteriously receive a fresh coat of green paint. The rivalry between the lawyers and the engineers intensifies during Engineers’ Week. These owls have been the focus of many pranks throughout the years.
Rumors go underground. Legend has it that a tunnel system was built under campus to serve as a fallout shelter. The tunnels do exist, but they were originally used to shuttle coal around campus. Today they house telephone, computer and electrical wiring.
Time stands still beneath the South Oval During OU’s centennial celebration in 1990, students and administrators buried a time capsule between the two arches at the entrance to the South Oval. The capsule is an aluminum tank sealed in a concrete vault and contains 40 historical items, including a Sooner yearbook, a football press guidebook and an AIDS pamphlet. OU students will open the capsule at the bicentennial celebration in 2090.
Caffeine addicts can get their fix anywhere. From the well-known Bookmark in Bizzell Memorial Library and Roscoe’s Coffee Shop in Cate Center to Bedrock Café on the first floor of Sarkeys or Café DNA on the first floor of the Stephenson Research and Technology Center, java fans have options across campus.
Even the Honors students know how to relax. A secret meditation garden hides in the atrium of David L. Boren Hall. The Wanda Winn Shi Garden celebrates the memory of first lady Molly Shi Boren’s mother.
Anyone can measure up to athletes. Five interactive displays on the bottom floor of Legacy Court in Lloyd Noble Center offer visitors a hands-on experience in testing their vertical leap and their hand speed. They can also compare their height, shoe size and hand size to Oklahoma’s men’s and women’s basketball players.
Student-athletes pay it forward. Former student-athletes provided almost every dollar of the funding for the OU soccer complex and John Crain Field. photos bY EMILY GANUS, AARON POOLE AND JOHN STUART
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Sticks and stones have nothing on the Physical Sciences Center. In 1969, the Physical Sciences Center became the first riot-proof building on campus. The first four floors are windowless to offer administrators protection against riots and students throwing rocks. It is also said to be impossible to scale the walls of the building.
Burton likes commercial breaks. Burton Hall houses the world’s largest collection of political radio and television commercials, the Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive.
Even the trees weep. Located on the east side of the Carnegie Building, three weeping cherry trees memorialize the victims of the attacks on Sept. 11. Two Chinese pistache trees stand just north of OU’s Unity Garden in memory of victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. One of the trees honors OU student Trudy Rigney.
OU’s campus is beautiful from top to bottom. It’s not exactly a secret that OU prides itself on its landscaping, but not many people know that Weeks Memorial Garden sits on the rooftop of Sarkeys Energy Center.
The Union clocktower is a tale as old as time. The original clock in the Union clocktower has been ticking since June 12, 1936. The old student radio station, WNAD, used to be located in the fourth floor of the clocktower. The soundboard still sits there today.
Oklahoma Memorial Union was a home away from home, literally. The fourth floor of the Union, which now houses alumni and business offices, once held several full apartments. In the 1950s, these apartments were mainly used for visiting guests.
Physicists like optical illusions. From the South Oval, passers-by can see Foucault’s Pendulum through Nielsen Hall’s front window. The pendulum appears to be swinging in a circle, but it’s always swinging in the same inertial plane. The Earth’s rotation causes it to knock down a circle of pins, reset daily at 7 a.m.
Dogs can drink too! A fountain unlike any other sits behind Evans Hall. Known as Bailey’s Fountain, first lady Molly Shi Boren and OU President David L. Boren gave the dog fountain in memory of their West Highland terrier, Bailey.
Bennie Owen did more with one hand than most people can with two. Owen Field honors former OU football coach Bennie Owen. He’s known for building the Sooners to a national power in football and was a charter member of the National Football Hall of Fame, but not many people know he only had one arm.
No one wore swimsuits to the pool parties. OU used to participate in long-distance pool tournaments against other schools. The students didn’t travel from school to school; the tournaments took place over the phone, using the honors system. OU won a national pool championship in the ’40s.
Not everyone was a football fan. In 1897, a sheriff broke up a football game between OU and Kingfisher College because he had never seen a game and thought it was a drunken brawl.
A legend lies beneath Owen Field. When Mex the Dog, mascot from 1919 to 1928, died, officials canceled classes for his wake and funeral. Students and administrators buried Mex’s tiny coffin beneath Owen Field.
The Sooners had it rough. OU sports teams were originally called the “Rough Riders” and “Boomers” until the “Sooners” nickname was derived from a pep club called “The Sooner Rooters” in 1908.
OU is a bookworm’s haven. Bizzell Memorial Library is one of the most recognized buildings on campus, but OU has seven other libraries as well: the Architecture Library in Gould Hall, the Chemistry-Mathematics Library in the Physical Sciences Center, the Engineering Library in Felgar Hall, the Fine Arts Library in the Catlett Music Center, the Youngblood Energy Library in Sarkeys Energy Center, the Physics-Astronomy Library in Nielsen Hall and the Journalism and Mass Communication Library in Gaylord Hall.
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A SMALLER
SPOTLIGHT Look beyond the stadium: Olympic-caliber athletes, cutting-edge facilities, national championships and dedicated fans have their own, lesser-known niches on OU’s campus. by Kelsey Witten
cessful programs in OU athletics. They’ve won seven Countless trophies, conference title plaques and Allnational championships, tying with football and wresAmerican honors decorate the display cases in the lobby tling for OU’s record, and their dominance is clear in of OU’s Sam Vierson Gymnastics Center. Opposite the nearly perfect seasons. memorabilia behind a glass viewing area, a group of “We like to say we’re the most hated of all teams,” gymnasts goes through a casual off-season workout. No Abdullah-Simmons said. “People on other teams talk privacy fences shield this team from observers, and no about how they just want to beat media or security guards are here to scrutiOklahoma. Everyone is OK with nize this practice. But when the season rolls anyone winning but Oklahoma.” around in late fall, the men’s gymnastics The 2006-07 season was a big one team will challenge for its fourth national We all understand for more than just men’s gymnastics. title in six years. Despite their success, the gymnasts have graced few front pages out- we’r e not going to be The wrestling team had two Big 12 side of the gymnastics world, and many on in the headlines. We champions and eight All-Americans. The re-emerging men’s track team campus couldn’t pick the NCAA all-around do it for the people champion out of a crowd as he makes his in the gym every day won its first Big 12 title in 29 years. way across campus. Women’s gymnastics worked its way to the highest team finish in program “We all understand we’re not going to and the few people who do follow us. history — placing eighth in the be in the headlines,” said Taqiy AbdulNCAA — while volleyball recorded its lah-Simmons, senior gymnast and 2007 NCAA all-around champion. “We do it highest winning percentage. Head volleyball coach Santiago for the people in the gym every day and Restrepo, who was named Big 12 the few people who do follow us.” coach of the year in 2006, said despite their success, the With or without a following, Sooner gymnastics has worked its way to the top of the list of OU lack of publicity for smaller sports is to be expected. athletics success stories. Since the program’s debut in “We understand football and all that takes a lot of coverage in the newspaper, Internet and all that stuff, but 1966, the gymnasts have quietly battled their way to we always want more,” Restrepo said. “Who doesn’t?” the university record for most consecutive wins (set in 2004 at 52) and most All-Americans in one season Thanks to Restrepo’s efforts, more has come volleyball’s way. The sport’s popularity has grown each year with (set in 2006 at 14), making them one of the most suc>> continued on page 14
“ ”
MEN’S BASKETBALL
ON THE COURT OU recently celebrated 100 years of men’s basketball, but Lloyd Noble Center didn’t open until 1975. Where did the Sooners play prior to the completion of Lloyd Noble? By Breia Brissey
Armory Seating capacity: 4,000
1903
1919
Gymnasium Seating capacity: 200 Located where Oklahoma Memorial Union currently stands.
photo proVided
Lloyd Noble Center Seating Capacity: 12,000
1928 Field House Seating capacity: 5,200 Now called the McCasland Field House, OU’s volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics teams compete here.
1975
2001 Lloyd Noble Center renovations $17.1 million was spent updating the facility. It now houses two fullsize practice gyms for both men’s and women’s teams. Weight and training rooms were also added during the renovations. Both the men’s and women’s teams made trips to the Final Four the year following the changes.
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Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons says the Oklahoma gymnasts, with seven national championships, are the team to beat.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Wayman Tisdale Years at OU: 1983-85 Positions: Center/forward Famous for: First player to have his jersey, number 23, retired. Points Scored at OU: 2,661 NBA: Played for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns for a total of 12 seasons. Fun Fact: Leading rebounder on the U.S. gold medal Olympic team in 1984. Job Today: Musician. He released his latest CD, Way Up, in 2006. photo proVided
These players made a name for themselves as star athletes at OU. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look at what they are doing today.
Stacey King
Ryan Minor
Eduardo Najera
Years at OU: 1987-89 Position: Center Famous for: Leading scorer during the NCAA Tournament in 1988 with 28.5 points per game. Points Scored at OU: 2,008 NBA: The first selection of the Chicago Bulls in the 1989 draft. King retired from the NBA in 1997. Fun Fact: He was a part of three championship teams with the Bulls. Job today: Sports analyst for Comcast Sportsnet. King works directly with Chicago Bulls broadcasts.
Years at OU: 1993-96 Position: Forward Famous for: All-American player in 1994 and 1996. Points Scored at OU: 1,946 NBA: Minor was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. Fun Fact: Also played for the 1994 OU national championship baseball team. Job Today: Minor went on to play professional baseball for the Baltimore Orioles. Minor retired in 2006.
Years at OU: 1997-2000 Position: Forward Famous for: All-American player in 2000. Points Scored at OU: 1,646 NBA: Drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 2000 draft. Fun Fact: Only the third Mexican-born player to play for the NBA. Job Today: Najera is a forward for the Denver Nuggets.
Statistics: 20 conference titles 4 appearances in the Final Four 2 national championship appearances
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>> continued from page 12 the team’s increasing success. When Restrepo became head coach, around 200 spectators attended each game. Nearly 600 fans turn out for games these days, three times as many as four years ago. “Usually when you win, you get more people,” Restrepo said. “Season-ticket holders have increased, and there is a lot more interest.” Senior middle blocker Anna Stadel said the team gains fans just by giving them what they want. “People like to see teams that are winning, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” she said. “We definitely play really well with all our fans there. We like hearing when they leave, ‘I had so much fun. Volleyball is so intense.’” Most athletes and coaches agree that though they don’t draw the 80,000-strong crowds found in the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on game day, the support they receive makes all the difference. “I love competing in front of a lot of people,” said Abdullah-Simmons, who participated in the 2004 Olympic Trials and won the Pacific Alliance Championships the same year. “If we had the option of competing in front of 10,000 here, we absolutely would.” Restrepo said a strong home crowd gives his team a unique advantage. “[The crowd] is just like a seventh man out there,” he said. “We play with six, and I call it the seventh man. It’s a huge advantage when they are being really loud.” The OU women’s basketball team knows well the home-team advantage, regularly filling Lloyd Noble Center with crowds of its own. They don’t hesitate to lend their support to other OU athletes. The team frequently attends volleyball games ready to cheer, display banners and occasionally costumes on the front row. “That’s exactly what our coach wants people to do,” Stadel said. “He wants people to get into it. They would paint their faces and have a theme for the game, like last year they did Peter Pan at one point.”
BASEBALL
The completion of new facilities has helped some OU sports, such as soccer and tennis. The OU Soccer Complex and Headington Family Tennis Center project, finished in 2006, provides new locker rooms and sound systems for the teams and increased seating capacity in the stadium. “The stadium is a huge attraction for the community and Oklahoma City,” said senior midfielder/forward Allyson Kucera. “There is no professional [soccer] team around here, so having the stadium allows us to host events and hold so many people in our stadium. It’s really, really nice to have a facility like this.” With facilities and resources like these across the board, sports outside of the football, basketball and baseball trio are able to draw Olympic-caliber athletes in track, gymnastics and wrestling, and men and women from across the country and world come to compete on all OU teams. A dynamic student culture and an excess of athletic enthusiasm provide the most appeal for prospective athletes to get involved with smaller sports. “There is so much history here,” said Stadel, who chose OU over Texas A&M and the University of Texas. “It’s so deep, you could just feel it. I wanted to be a part of this tradition everybody talks about.” Federico Chavarria came to OU from San Jose, Costa Rica, to pursue tennis and study in the United States. “I was shocked by the resources the university has,” Chavarria said. “The way they take care of you here is incredible. You get a trainer whenever you need; if you need an appointment, you have it. The atmosphere you live in is unbelievable.” Beyond the competitive edge provided by this immense support, OU provides a variety of academic resources for its student athletes. The Prentice Gautt Academic Center offers a >> continued on page 16
One hundred years of OU baseball in a nutshell: two national championships, eight coaches and one new stadium. Here is a look at all the milestones. By Breia Brissey 1898
First season of OU baseball
1906
Bennie Owen hired as the first official baseball coach Overall record: 142-102-4 (.581)
1923
Coach Bill Owen hired Overall record: 42-13-0 (.764)
1927
Coach Lawrence Haskell hired. Overall record: 176-74-2 (.702)
1942
Coach Jack Baer hired Overall record: 281-250-0 (.529)
June 17, 1951 OU wins national championship OU defeated the University of Tennessee 3-2 in the NCAA College World Series. Series Championship Game. First appearance in the College World Series photo by ou athletics department
1968 Coach Enos Semore hired. Overall record: 851-370-1 (.697)
1972
Second appearance in the College World Series District champions
1973
Third appearance in the College World Series District champions
1974
Fourth appearance in the College World Series District champions
1975
Fifth appearance in the College World Series District champions
1976
Sixth appearance in the College World Series District champions
1982 1990
L. Dale Mitchell Park opens. Originally constructed for $1.27 million. The park is named for Sooner Letterman Dale Mitchell.
1991
Coach Larry Cochell hired. Overall record 511-336-1 (.603)
Coach Stan Meek hired. Overall record: 31-26-0 (.544)
1992
Seventh appearance in the College World Series
June 11, 1994 OU wins national championship Sooners defeated Georgia Tech 13-5 for their second national title. Season motto: “Twenty-five guys pulling on the same rope.” Eighth appearance in the College World Series 1995
Ninth appearance in the College World Series
1998
Renovations made to L. Dale Mitchell Park.
2005
Coach Sunny Galloway hired. Overall record: 57-28-0 (.671)
Anna Stadel (No. 3) and her team work to give the fans what they want: a win. photo by lloyd cheam
SOFTBALL
photo by ou athletics department
When softball started more than 30 years ago, the women had to share their head coach with two other sports. Now with a national championship and recognition as the No. 2 team in the Big 12, the program has come a long way. By Breia Brissey 1975
Coach Amy Dahl hired and OU softball begins. Overall record: 20-26 (.435) During the 1974-75 school year Dahl’s title was the Head Coach of the Women’s Athletic Department. She coached softball, volleyball and basketball.
1996
Big 12 Tournament Champions
1998
Marita Hynes Field opens Named for former softball coach Marita Hynes.
1977
Coach Marita Hynes hired. Overall record: 256-189 (.575)
1985
Coach Michelle Thomas-Grost hired. Overall record: 226-228 (.498)
May 29, 2000 OU wins national championship OU defeated the UCLA 3-1 in the Women’s College World Series. First softball national championship. This was the first national title won by a women’s team in OU’s history.
1994
Coach Jim Beitia hired. Overall record: 58-15 (.795)
2001
Second appearance in the College World Series
1995
Coach Patty Gasso hired. Overall Record: 584-200-2 (.745)
2001
Big 12 Tournament champions
2002
Third appearance in the College World Series
2003 2004
Fourth appearance in the College World Series Fifth appearance in the College World Series This appearance made OU the first college east of the Pac 10 to attend the series for five consecutive years.
2005
Big 12 Tournament runner-up
2006
Big 12 Tournament runner up
Visitor Guide
16 Midfielder/forward Allyson Kucera says she chose OU on the basis of its athletic program. photo by
Josh griff
>> continued from page 14 variety of academic services, including 30,000 square feet of space dedicated to scholastic pursuits and 90 hours of available academic assistance per week. “We have one of the top academic study centers in the nation,” Kucera said. “To be honest, we couldn’t ask for anything more.” The university also goes extra lengths to provide opportunities and connections for athletes postgraduation. In the spring of 2007, 85 professional women came from all over Oklahoma to have dinner with and provide networking opportunities for the soccer team. “Each of us sat at tables and got to know these women,” Kucera said. “We were making connections to help us after graduation because obviously we can’t [all] play sports after we graduate. I’m really interested in law schools, and it was really neat to talk to them and find out how they got to where they were.” With the benefits come the responsibilities of being a student athlete. All OU athletes dedicate themselves to training several hours a day each day, waking up for early morning runs and weight training, watching hours of tape on their own time and traveling around the country on a regular basis. On top of all that responsibility, student athletes are also required to meet a number of academic expectations. “As a student athlete, you’re not allowed to miss class,” Stadel said. “You can’t just not go if you don’t feel like it. People are asking you to almost give an arm and a leg every day. You have to be able to balance.” When the balance is achieved, athletes find a rewarding experience in any OU sport. The opportunity to travel and compete as a Sooner, with the backing of an athletic program that provides support in all aspects of the college experience, left no doubt in Kucera’s mind: She had found the right place when she chose OU over UT and the University of Tennessee four years ago. “This athletic department is amazing,” she said. “The facilities, what the university has to offer academically, the people, the soccer team: It’s everything you look for in a university.”
FOOTBALL The press box in the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium says it all: seven national titles, 40 conference titles and 24 bowl titles. It’s no secret that OU football is known for its history and tradition. Contributing to that tradition are the thousands of student athletes who come through the university’s athletic programs. Here are several stand-out Sooners who made a name for themselves at OU and beyond. By Breia Brissey
Darrell Royal
Lee Roy Selmon
J.C. Watts
Spencer Tillman
Years at OU: 1946-49 Position: Quarterback and defensive back Famous for: Royal holds the OU record for most career interceptions. Fun Fact: Royal was the head coach at the University of Texas from 1957-1976. NFL: Went straight into coaching. Job Today: Special assistant to the president at the University of Texas.
Years at OU: 1972-75 Position: Defensive end Famous for: Winning the Lombardi award in 1975 and leading the defense to two national championships in 1974 and 1975. Fun Fact: Brothers Lucious and Dewey also played for the Sooners. NFL: First player picked in the 1976 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Job Today: President of the University of South Florida Foundation Partnership of Athletics.
Years at OU: 1976-81 Position: Quarterback Famous for: He led the Sooners to five consecutive Big 8 Conference titles from 1976-80. Fun Fact: 1994-2002 member of the U.S. House of Representatives. NFL: Played for the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Rough Riders 1981-86. Job Today: Founder and chairman of J.C. Watts Companies, which has operations in Oklahoma, Texas, Massachusetts and Korea.
Years at OU: 1982-86 Position: Running back Famous for: He was a captain of the 1985 team when they won the national championship. Fun Fact: He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s degree in communication. NFL: Drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1987. Also played for the San Francisco 49ers. He retired in 1994. Job Today: CBS sports reporter.
Visitor Guide
17 Vaclav Kucera, from the Czech Republic, practices at the Headington Family Tennis Center. photo by stefan mcintyre
Q&A: Sherri Coale By Breia Brissey
Job: Head coach of women’s basketball Years at OU: 1996-Present College: Graduated fro Oklahoma Christian University in 1987 Before OU: Coale was the head coach at Norman High School girls’ basketball team from 1990-1996 Coming from the small town of Healdton, Okla. I think there are tremendous advantages to growing up in a small town. I think that you leave that town a very confident individual. I was in everything. What happens as a result of that is you can leave and think “I can do anything” because you have done just about everything. It gives you experiences and really helps sometimes I think with the development of selfesteem because everyone knows you. Moving from Norman High to OU as a coach It would not necessarily be the path that I would recommend for everyone because the learning curve is incredibly steep. I had a network, a fan base if you will, that transferred from Norman High School. It was nice to have that safety net already built in, and I think that gave me a distinct advantage.
Tony Casillas
Teddy Lehman
Years at OU: 1982-85 Position: Middle guard Famous for: Winning the Lombardi award in 1985. Fun Fact: Was in the 2001 movie The Rage Within. NFL: Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1986. Casillas also played for the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. He retired in 1997. Job Today: Retired from the NFL.
Years at OU: 2000-03 Position: Linebacker Famous For: Winning the Dick Butkus Award in 2003. Fun Fact: NFL draft report rated Lehman as the top linebacker prospect in 2004. NFL: Drafted in the second round of the 2004 draft. Job Today: Plays for the Detroit Lions.
Statistics: 7 national championships 40 conference championships 40 bowl appearances 24 bowl titles
Being in the public eye It’s a little bit odd, probably more troublesome to my friends and my children’s friends than it is to any of us because we’re so accustomed to it. When we go back-to-school shopping my daughter always says “keep your head down and don’t talk; they’ll know it’s you,” because the voice is the dead giveaway. Being a role model for many First of all you have to take yourself lightly. You can take yourself way too seriously. If any of us who are in a public position really thought too much about it … we would all go insane because it’s a tremendous
>> continued on page 41
142 All Americans 4 Heisman Trophy winners
Statistics: 6 Big 12 conference titles under Sherri Coale 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament
photos by ou athletics department
First appearance in the Final Four in 2002 1 National Championship appearance in 2002 (Lost to University of Connecticut 80-72) 10 All Americans since 1986
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WHAT TO DO AT OU
IF YOU CAN STILL EAT OFF THE KID’S MENU Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural Hisof Natural History tory is overflowing with kid-friendly fun. With a
Admission: $5 adults, $4 seniors and $3 children Open: Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m to 5 p.m. 2401 Chautauqua Ave. (405) 325-4712 www.omnh.ou.edu
Medieval Fair Admission: FREE 2501 S. Jenkins Ave. www.medievalfair.org
variety of exhibits, kids can choose to play archaeologist by uncovering dinosaur fossils in the Dinosaur Dig or visit real fish, reptiles and amphibians in the Discovery Room. To get fully acquainted with the Oklahoma landscape, the Hall of Natural Wonders contains life-size dioramas that recreate Oklahoma’s environment and wildlife.
IF YOU KNOW LINDSEY LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND Jacobson House Art Center This beautiful art center explores
Admission: FREE Open: Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 609 Chautauqua Ave. (405) 366-1667 www.jacobsonhouse.com
the world of American Indian art by featuring exhibits, activities, lectures and workshops. Its distinctive architecture and emphasis on important art styles put the house on the National Register of Historic Places and the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Landmarks List.
Follow the OU has won multiple awards for its beautiful landscapRainbow ing, and it’s not hard to see why. Find a flower in every
See pg. 43 for a campus map
color in OU’s vast number of gardens. Try the Peggy V. Helmerich Park between Adams Hall and Bizzell Memorial Library, where beautiful flowers surround the Allan Houser sculpture, “Homeward Bound.” In the South Oval, visit the Pitman Parterre Fountain and Gardens and the Unity Garden. With all the flowers, they’re hard to miss. Easier to miss, but equally beautiful is the Rose Sharp Garden near Sutton Hall and the Wing Gardens near Carpenter Hall.
IF YOU ‘RE WEARING A FANNY PACK AND TAKING PICTURES Barry Switzer Center If you have questions about Sooner football,
Open: Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (home football game weekends only) 180 West Brooks St., Room 320 (405) 325-2345 www.soonersports.com
they’re answered here. The Barry Switzer Center features three floors dedicated to OU’s historic football moments, seven national championships, four Heisman Trophy winners, various All-Americans, College Football Hall of Fame inductees and National Football League players. Check out the trophies, artifacts, sports murals and timelines.
IF YOU NEED TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY
The Fred Jones Jr. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Museum of Art is home to everything from French
Admission: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children Open: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m to 9 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 555 Elm Ave. (405) 325-3272 www.ou.edu/fjjma
Gifts that Keep Check out the class gifts of old, and then check out Say Hello to Visit the tree stump with a plaque outside on Giving the class gifts of new. Begin with the ’06 Rock near PE-ET stump Evans Hall. OU tried to save the tree, the Old Science Hall, then move on to the six arches that guard OU’s campus entrances, gifts from various classes from 1915 to 1933. The Reflecting Pool, originally donated by the Class of 1934, was restored and replaced by the Class of 2000 to the north of the stadium. See the more recent American Flag Plaza located near the stadium from the Class of 2004 and historic-looking clock in front of Adam’s Walker Mall given by the Class of 2005.
last believed to have been planted by OU’s first president, but safety concerns forced its removal in 2006. Called the PE-ET Elm for OU’s top 10 seniors honor society, its seeds have been planted to create new life at the botany department’s greenhouse, and the wood has been made into two grandfather clocks, one in Bizzell Memorial library and one in the president’s office.
Impressionism and contemporary to American Indian art and photography. Temporary exhibits add to the museum’s collection of artists, which includes Vincent van Gogh, Alexander Calder and John Singleton Copley. The building itself is art, with an addition designed by Hugh Newell Jacobsen.
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In Raya Ramsey’s pursuit of OU’s treasures, she discovered that many of her favorites are perfect for sightseers of all kinds. Even so, she found many more hidden in the campus’ nooks and crannies. She highlights the “can’t-miss” destinations for tourists, kids and families, alumni and Oklahomans.
photos bY JOSH GRIFF, COURTNEY HENSON, KYLE NOSAL, AARON POOLE AND REBECCA ROBERTSON
Go back in time, no machine necessary. Reaves Park, near campus, is transformed into the Middle Ages every April. Watch period performers. Ride elephants and camels. Toss an ax or compete in the costume contest and grab a turkey leg while you shop the arts and crafts booths.
Wide-eyed The University of Oklahoma and is home to more than 26,000 bushy-tailed students and more than 5,000
Marvelous Plop a penny in each of the 16 Fountains fountains on campus. Start with See pg. 43 for a campus map.
Say There’s nothing “Cheese” like an old-fash-
ioned phone booth. And the University of Oklahoma has six of them, imported from England. Say “cheese” for the camera in each one.
the Fine Arts Center Fountain; the Engineers’ Fountain, imported from Italy, which sits between Carson Engineering Center and Felgar Hall; or the Roy C. Guffey Fountain on the outdoor plaza level of the Sarkeys Energy Center.
Western Home to 65,000 books, manuHistory Collections scripts, periodicals and maps, the
Admission: FREE Open: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 630 Parrington Oval (405) 325-3641 libraries.ou.edu
research library houses keys to the history of the western frontier. The Western History Collections also contains OU history. Visitors can browse through former OU yearbooks, football programs and other photographs. Stop by the encased artifacts stand on the way out. Like a photo? Order one.
Larger OU has quite a collection of life- (and larger than-) sized than Life art around campus. Visit the bronze “Pastoral Dreamer”
Campus Corner It’s more than just the trendy
Start at the corner of Boyd Street and Asp Avenue www.oucampuscorner.com
relaxing on the north side of the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center and Allan Houser’s “May We Have Peace,” an American Indian extending a peace pipe to greet visitors of the university on the Parrington Oval. Also take note of “The Guardian,” watching over campus from Bizzell Memorial Library (a replica of the figure that sits atop the State Capitol Dome in Oklahoma City) and say hello to George L. Cross, OU’s seventh president, resting majestically in front of Evans Hall.
Facelift Revamped Owen Admission: FREE Field now includes: (405) 325-2345 renovated entries, new video scoreboards at both end zones and seating to fit more than 80,000 fans. Check out the Heisman winner statues on the east side of the stadium.
faculty and staff. It is also the home of hundreds of squirrels. Take a look around. You’ll find the infamous critters around almost every tree, scurrying for food and keeping students company between classes.
National Weather Center Schedule a tour at the
Open: Tours offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m. 120 David L. Boren Blvd. (405) 325-1147 nwc.ou.edu
$64 million National Weather Center, which includes stops at the School of Meteorology, the observation deck, the Storm Prediction Center and the National Severe Storms Laboratory, among others.
center of the bars, clubs, restaurants and boutiques that dominate OU students’ social lives. It’s a hub of history, as well. Campus Corner has been the heart of campus life since it was built in the 1900s. Visit for a day of shopping and eating or for an evening of social mingling.
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TOP 10
BY MARY GRAY
S P O T S
1
ROSE SHARP GARDEN
2 3
“The Rose Sharp Rose Garden was glorious this past spring when the roses were in full bloom! I love the hedged sidewalks under the huge old trees east of Evans Hall; my children (who are) now grown loved to ride their bikes around those sidewalks and ‘hide’ from our cocker spaniel.” — Nancy Mergler, senior vice president and provost
HIAWATHA ESTES COURTYARD
“The courtyards in Catlett are usually empty, so it’s very peaceful. But the best part is sometimes you can just barely hear the orchestra rehearsing or a singer performing. It just makes it a relaxing place to take a break from the day.” — Daniel Gonzalez, classics senior
ADA LOIS SIPUEL FISHER PARK AND FOUNTAIN
“I like it because it’s surrounded by shade trees. I like the sound of the fountain. This summer my son would come with me to work and we’d grab lunch at the Union. He would play in the fountain while I ate.” – Shelly Konieczny, assistant in the Department of Philosophy
4
PARRINGTON AND VAN VLEET OVALS
5
“I love the grass on the South Oval, because I like to go and rest in the sunshine. It’s a very peaceful area with all the trees and scenery around ... perfect for studying or just enjoying the day.” — Chandler Pace, modern dance sophomore
PEGGY V. HELMERICH PARK
“It is peaceful — plus you have beautiful views on either end no matter which way you are walking.” — Robert Terry, associate professor of psychology
MARY GRAY’S
P E R S ON A L 1. Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Reflecting Pool and Fountain 2. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Native Gardens and Pond 3. Garden of Sisterhood and Gimeno Fountain 4. Price Hall Fountain (right) 5. The Unity Garden
SOONER GO OU!
OKLAHOMA
SOONERS BOOMER SOONER
GO OU!
BOOMER SOONER GO OU!
OKLAHOMA
SOONERS BOOMER SOONER
GO OU!
BOOMER SOONER GO OU! photos bY AARON POOLE, REBECCA ROBERTSON AND FLORIAN LUFT
TOP 5
BOOMER
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Visitor Guide
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OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTABLE ALUMNI
Carl Albert
n Late speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Admiral William S. Crowe
n Late chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
Archie Dunham
n Retired CEO of ConocoPhillips
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher
n Late OU professor, OU regent and civil rights activist
n Supreme Court case integrated the OU Law School
James Garner n Actor
Prentice Gautt
n Late associate commissioner of the Big 12
Owen Garriott
n Former NASA astronaut
Fred W. Haise Jr.
n Former NASA astronaut
Robert Hale
n Opera performer
Ed Harris n Actor
Tony Hillerman
n Best-selling mystery novelist
Alan J. Hirschfield
n Former CEO, 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Columbia Pictures
William R. Howell
n Former chair and CEO, JCPenney Corp.
Shannon Lucid n NASA astronaut
Shannon Miller
n Olympic gold medal gymnast
Darrell K. Royal
n National Football Foundation Hall of Fame coach and player
Lee Roy Selmon
n GTE CoSIDA Academic Hall of Fame
Ed Turner
n Late executive vice president, Cable News Network
Donna Shirley
n Former head of Mars Exploration Program office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dennis Weaver
n Late Olympic Trials decathlete n Actor
J.C. Watts
n Former U.S. Congressman
A. Max Weitzenhoffer
n Tony Award-winning producer of the Will Rogers Follies
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SOONER! Experience the Sooner Tradition for yourself. To visit with a representative or to arrange a campus tour, contact us at (405) 325-2151, (800) 234-6868 or ou-pss@ou.edu. OU also Financial Aid 1000 Asp Ave., Rm 216 has a wealth of scholarship and Norman, OK 73019-4076 (405) 325-4521 financial aid opportunities. Let financialaid.ou.edu or us help make your educational scholarships.ou.edu dreams a reality. Bursar 1000 Asp Ave., Rm 105 Norman, OK 73019-4076 (405) 325-3121
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Recruitment Services 550 Parrington Oval, L-1 Norman, OK 73019-3032 (405) 325-2151 go2.ou.edu
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3. Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Park and Fountain 14. Arts and Sciences Plaza and Fountain 16. Bailey’s Fountain 28. Burr Park 5. Class of 1935 Fountain 23. Class of 2003 OU Chant Park 4. Conoco Leadership Courtyard and Class of 2001 Fountain 9. The Dance 20. Elaine Bizzell Thompson Garden 33. Engineer’s Courtyard Garden and Fountain 18. Garden of Sisterhood and Gimeno Fountain 31. Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Reflecting Pool and Fountain 17. H.A. and P.X. Johnston Garden
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1. Harold G. Powell Garden 7. Hiawatha Estes Courtyard 12. Library Plaza Fountain 13. The Oklahoma Canyon Garden 30. OU Champions Park 19. Peggy V. Helmerich Park EMERALD WAY 21. Pitman Parterre Fountain and Gardens 15. Randall M. Lacewell Grove 6. Reunion Park 10. Rose Sharp Rose Garden 34. Roy C. Guffey Fountain 8. Rupel Jones Fountain 22. The Unity Garden 24. Wanda Winn Shi Memorial Garden and Honors College FountainDEL TA DRIVE 35. Weeks Memorial Garden 11. William Banowsky Grove 2. Wing Gardens
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81. Huston Huffman Physical Fitness Center 92. Jacobs Track and Field Facility 4. Jacobson Hall, Visitor Center 15. Jacobson House 84. Jefferson House 24. Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center 86. Jones House 30. Kaufman Hall, Languages 100. McCasland Field House 5. Monnet Hall 80. Murray Case Sells Swim Center 27. NielsenPARSONS Hall, PhysicsSTREET 32. Noble Electron Microscopy Laboratory 102. Nuclear Engineering Lab, Human Resources 82. Observatory and Landscape Department 48. OCCE Administration 46. OCCE Commons Restaurant 47. OCCE McCarter Hall of Advanced Studies 50. OCCE Sooner Hotel 51. OCCE Sooner Suites 49. OCCE Thurman J. White Forum Building 109. Oklahoma Memorial Union 110. Oklahoma Memorial Union Parking Center 2. Old Faculty Club LINDSEY STREET 8. Old Science Hall 105. Physical Plant Complex 17. Physical Sciences Center 33. Plant Science Greenhouse 103. Power Plant Office 99. Price Hall, Business 10. Reynolds Performing Arts Center 104. Rhyne Hall, Social Work 28. Richards Hall, Zoology HOOVER STREET 26. Robertson Hall 112. Sarkeys Energy Center 19. Sutton Hall 93. Switzer Center 79. University of Oklahoma Foundation Building 87. Wagner Dining Facility 43. Walker Center 3. Whitehand Hall
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BROOKS STREET BROOKS STREET Adams Center Adams Hall, Business Archeological Survey Armory, Army-Navy ROTC Asp Avenue Parking Facility Biological Survey Bizzell Memorial Library Boren Hall, Honors College Boyd House, President’s Home Buchanan Hall, Admissions and Financial Aid Bud Wilkinson Football Practice Facility Bud Wilkinson House Burton Hall, Communication Carnegie Building Carpenter Hall Carson Engineering Center Cate Center Catlett Music Center Chemistry Building Collings Hall, Education Copeland Hall, Journalism Couch Center Couch Restaurants Craddock Hall, Air Force ROTC Cross Center Dale Hall Dale Hall Tower E. T. Dunlap Plaza and Clock Tower Ellison Hall Elm Ave. Parking Facility Engineering Laboratory Evans Hall Felgar Hall, Engineering Fine Arts Center, Drama Fred Jones Jr. Art Center Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium/ Owen Field Gaylord Hall, Journalism George Lynn Cross Hall, Botany-Microbiology Gittinger Hall, English Goddard Health Center Gould Hall, Architecture Henderson-Tolson Cultural Center Hester Hall
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IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
Visit us online at www.ou.edu
parking Make the Visitor Center your first stop. You can obtain a Visitor Parking Permit, which will allow you to use any of the visitor lots shown on the map on page 43. Guests can also park at the Elm Avenue or Asp Avenue facilities and in gated lots by requesting entrance using the speaker phone at each gated lot. A visitor permit is required. Public parking is also available at the Oklahoma Memorial Union Parking Center, north of the union. Rates are $2 per hour, up to $14 per day.
Visitor Center Admissions and Records Alumni Association Art Museum Athletic Department Athletic Tickets Bookstore Catlett Music Center Directory Assistance Diversity Enrichment Employment (campus) Financial Aid Fitness Center Food Services Government (student) Health Sciences Center Housing
325-1188 325-2251 325-1710 325-3272 325-8200 325-2424 325-3511 325-2081 325-3742 325-2151 325-1826 325-4521 325-3053 325-2511 325-5471 271-4000 325-2511
Jacobson House 366-1667 Library 325-4142 Lloyd Noble Center 325-4666 Media (student) 325-2521 Natural History Museum 325-4712 Newspaper (campus) 325-2521 Oklahoma Memorial Union 325-2121 Parents’ Association 325-4020 Parking 325-3311 Police (non-emergency) 325-2864 President’s Action Line 325-1212 Prospective Students 325-2151 Student Affairs 325-3161 Student Life 325-3163 Tours (public, general) 325-1188 Western History 325-3641 *all area codes 405
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ACADEMICS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
Sherri Coale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
SOCIAL WORK
responsibility. It’s an interesting position to be in and yet a very rewarding one, too.
When people ask Lauren Wiehle why she is pursuing a career in social work, she usually answers tongue firmly in cheek: “I’m in it for the money.” Wiehle, though, is in pursuit of her career for anything but a profit. “It’s a commonly known fact that social workers aren’t the richest people in the world,” Wiehle said. “I could care less about the money, though. I just want to help others.” Wiehle, a social work senior, is just two semesters away from receiving her degree, but before she can graduate she has to fulfill the most crucial requirements of her collegiate career: the social work practicum. According to Practicum Coordinator Ellen Wisdom, practicum is worth 22 percent of a student’s undergraduate requirements and is something they don’t take lightly. “Students spend over 600 hours a semester working with different clients in the social work field,” Wisdom said. “It’s a demanding profession so it’s important students adjust to that kind of lifestyle now.” Wiehle found she quickly moved from adjusting to enjoying her new lifestyle as a hands-on social worker when she was placed at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Starting day one, Wiehle was on the floor with patients in the emergency room, the Burn Unit and the Neonatal Unit, practicing the skills she had learned in class. “We listen to whatever experience they may have just gone through and consult with other social workers on how to handle their case,” Wiehle said. “A lot of the time we have a significant say in where they go next.” Wiehle, who spends three days a week working with patients, had countless obstacles to tackle after just a few weeks of working in the hospital. She had excelled in her classes on campus, but nothing could have prepared her for the sights and sounds of working in a hospital. “There are people who have been to hell and back, and their stories just amaze you,” Wiehle said. “It’s my job to try and help them, but sometimes there is nothing you can do but listen.” Wiehle’s practicum taught her that social work is anything but glamorous, but now that she’s experienced it, she’s ready. “It takes a special person to face depressing and negative situations day in and day out,” Wiehle said. “It’s something you have to be dedicated to, otherwise you can’t look past the negative to see the positive things in life.”
Best part of OU athletics
Probably the instant credibility you are allowed because you function under the title Oklahoma Sooner. There’s a tradition of excellence and a level of academic prowess, a perception of togetherness. There is just a very positive connotation that accompanies Oklahoma Sooner. That is a blessing.
Academic motivation
I think success breeds success, and we’ve had a lot of student athletes who may be more marginal students coming in but turn out to be very solid, and sometimes become star students, due in large part to the people they were surrounded by. It’s just been a positive pervasive atmosphere where the players have expected it of one another. Yes, we expect it as a staff and we have very high standards that we stretch our players toward, but I think the real impetus for academic success has been peer to peer, teammate to teammate.
Favorite part of her job
Practice. I love going to practice. I enjoy teaching basketball, and that’s my classroom.
What she’d be doing if not coaching
Oh gosh, I have a million things I want to do. I want to write a book. And I sometimes think I would like to be a landscape architect, because I love working in my yard. Not the mundane things like cutting the grass and weed eating. I want somebody else to do that. But I want to plant the flowers and design it and put the rock bed in. Writing a book is at the top of my list, though. If I ever get a sabbatical I’m going to hole up on a beach somewhere and write for a while.
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TOP 10
1 2 3 4 5
BY KELLY WADSWORTH
T R A D I T I O N S
OU-TEXAS RIVALRY
Every year on the first Friday of October, classes are canceled as students make their way south on I-35 for one of the most heated rivalry games in college football. In every aspect, in every sport, between roommates and friends, from the food to the flag, everything is at stake when it comes to OU and Texas.
THE OU CHANT
Throughout the year, Sooner fans attend a wide variety of events across campus. And as each game, ceremony or convocation comes to an end, students, athletes, faculty and guests all join together in singing the chant as a symbol of pride and respect for the university.
CLASS GIFTS
Every year, each senior class purchases a gift for the university, lasting tributes of gratitude, such as the centennial arches and the Walker-Adams mall clock. The newest addition is a ring sculpture, dedicated by the class of 2007 and placed in front of Bizzell Library.
DRUM MAJOR STRUT
As the Pride of Oklahoma begins to play and march across the field, “Here he goes” can be heard throughout the stadium as the drum major falls back into his signature arch. The Strut, as it’s called, continues to be one of the defining components of the marching band.
GUEST SPEAKERS
In recent years, OU has invited numerous high profile individuals, including Margaret Thatcher, Vicente Fox and Colin Powell, to speak at the university on current events, both of national and international interest. President David L. Boren’s initiative to bring these guests to campus received its biggest success in 2007 when former Vice President Al Gore’s visit attracted more than 7,000 attendees.
st. thomas more student Center and university parish Vigil Mass: Saturday, 5 pm Sunday Masses: 8:30 am, 11 am, 5 pm Daily Mass: Tues/Thurs, 5:15 pm Wed/Fri, 7:30 am Confessions: Saturday, 3 - 4:30 pm College Night WeD, 7:30 pm Late Night Liturgy, 9:00 pm
Erin ClEto, Campus ministEr ecleto@stm-ou.org : (405) 321-0990 ext. 205 www.oucatholic.org 100 East stinson, two blocks south of owen
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The Spoonholder, fashioned for the comfort of a young couple in love, was originally located in front of Evans Hall, but when the North Oval was redesigned, it was removed completely. The Class of 1999 brought it back as a class gift, and a group of seniors formally dedicated the Spoonholder by sleeping in it overnight on the eve of graduation. The legend of the Spoonholder is that any couple who kisses in it is destined to get married.
“AND THE HOME OF THE SOONERS!” As the national anthem comes to an end before every sporting event, “brave” is barely audible. For at that exact moment, thousands of fans throw their right fingers in the air and let the opposing team know they’re in the home of the Sooners.
PE-ET The name can be found everywhere on campus, as every couple of weeks the group chalks campus. What most students don’t know is that its members are the 10 best and brightest of the senior class, and year after year obtain notoriety for their mischievous presence on campus. They are most known for dressing up the Seed Sower to mark huge campus events, and decorating President Boren’s front lawn every April for his birthday.
SOUTH OVAL MUMS
The blooming red, orange and yellow flowers signal the arrival of fall on campus. Planted in a unique design each year, the mums create the most scenic and recognizable view of OU.
SIGNING OF THE LEADERSHIP TABLE
Every spring, student leaders who demonstrate a deep commitment to and involvement with the university carve their names into a wooden table in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. The names are then preserved under glass as a symbol to future Sooner leaders.
THE GAYLORD COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION
JMC.OU.EDU The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.
IT BEGINS HERE.
PHOTOS BY EMILY GANUS, MICHAEL S. MITRA, KYLE NOSAL AND JOHN STUART
6 7 8 9 10
THE SPOONHOLDER
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>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
are making impressive discoveries and technological developments that are leading to improvements in quality of life in Oklahoma, the nation and around the world.” Popokaina’s research, as well as that of other undergrads, has been funded through OU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. The OU Honors College program is open to all OU undergraduate students, even those not enrolled in the Honors College. It awards grants to support individual student projects. “We’ve always had an emphasis on research,” said Carolyn Stout Morgan, associate dean of the Honors College. “We open it to undergraduates, and I think that OU is really ahead of the game as far as emphasizing research as early as we do. Even freshmen can apply — and get money — if they want to.” Morgan said that, while there is a misconception that all research is sciencebased, it can include scholarly activity and creativity in the arts. “Research is any investigation into an interest or a response in a creative sense,” she said. “We’ve funded young choreographers’ showcases, costume
purchases, art supplies and video cameras. No matter what you do, when you graduate, if you have research experience, it gives you experience needed in a job or graduate school.”
BREAKING DOWN WALLS
A mile and a half south of campus, T.H. Lee Williams, vice president of OU Research and dean of the Graduate College, bustles through a glass door of one of the university’s newest facilities, Rap hael’s Sch ool of Athe clutching a motorcycle helmet and a cup ns. PHOTO BY EMILY GA NUS of coffee. Williams says that once he read about He enters an imaginative world, the painting, he had to have it reproduced bordering ultra-modern and classical: and displayed here. The collaboration of the Stephenson Research and Technology Center. The $27 million facility, containing the philosophers, he says, is one of the inspirations for the building. “Knowledge nearly 95,000 square feet of laboratories, has expanded so much, you have to divide office space, workspace and gathering it into departments,” he said, motioning space, was built to stimulate crossto the painting’s philosophers, scientists disciplinary interactions and research in and mathematicians. “That’s good, but an open, creative setting. the true value is when you reach between Hanging in the lobby is a reproduction those areas and work together as scholars. of “The School of Athens,” a 16th-century It’s not like, ‘This is my lab and my walls Italian painting by Raphael. It depicts — stay away from my lab.’ This is a a public venue in which the greatest community.” intellects of all time stand on the steps of The OU research community continues the school in ancient Greece, surrounded to grow. by their students, discussing ideas.
TOP 10
AREAS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
OF RESEARCH
Weather Genomics and Proteomics Applied Social Research Phased Array Weather Radar K20 Educational Reform Intelligent Transportation bridge systems Nanotechnology Nanophysics Bioscience and Bioengineering Rock Poromechanics
The National Weather Center includes OU’s School of Meteorology, the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. PHOTO BY JOSH GRIFF
The SMART radar is deployed ahead of a downdraft haboob in Arizona. PHOTO BY KEN HOWARD/NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS LABORATORY
The Stephenson Research and Technology Center is only one building of a planned seven on the new OU Research Campus, a 271-acre site dedicated to fostering research and building bridges between research and enterprise. Currently existing on the Research Campus are One and Two Partners Place, which house university and private offices, offering a unique opportunity for businesses to work hand-in-hand directly with researchers. Three and Four Partners Place are in the planning stages. According to Williams, the proximity and open relationship of the businesses to the university researchers is crucial to successful research: The businesses will give economic insight to the research being done. “A university is a universe of ideas,” he said. “Each of these buildings will offer a unique perspective on knowledge.” The future 141,000-square-foot Life Sciences Research Center is also in the planning phases for construction on the Research Campus. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2008.
THE NATION’S WEATHER
Also standing proud on the Research Campus is the 244,000-square-foot National Weather Center, which opened in September 2006.
The Weather Center houses many university programs, including the School of Meteorology and the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms. It also is home to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which gives weather forecasts for the entire nation. Michael Biggerstaff, associate professor of meteorology, said he can’t imagine being a meteorology student anywhere else. “This is an incredible university,” Biggerstaff said. “The School of Meteorology is one of the best in the world. We have it all here. The students here not only get to attend classes, but they get to see professionals practice the science every day.” Biggerstaff has been involved in his own meteorological research at OU for several years. He is the director of the Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching (SMART) radar program, a collaborative effort between the University of Oklahoma, the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University. The group seeks to build and deploy two mobile C-band Doppler radars — the first of their kind — for storm-scale research. “A bunch of us just got together and said we wanted to do a certain kind of
science, but the instruments didn’t exist,” he said. “So we invented our own.” The C-band radars will give meteorologists the technology needed to see not only into tornadoes, but also into hurricanes and other large-distance storms. They’re being invented and built right in the heart of the Weather Center. “This is an advance in weather radar that lets us get more information on the types of particles in the cloud so we can distinguish rain from hail, so we can better estimate rain for flood forecasts, and so we can detect small hail that helps generate lightning. All these things allow us to be able to go in and do things we weren’t able to do before.” Biggerstaff just returned from Costa Rica, where he went with other faculty and with two undergraduate students on a NASA-sponsored project in which they used OU-invented Dopplers to study Costa Rican weather and to make forecasts to keep NASA aircraft safe. The radars taken during that trip were the first Doppler radars ever used in Costa Rica. “We have so many students involved in research,” Biggerstaff said. “To be able to take undergraduates to Costa Rica is amazing. They’re operating a multimillion-dollar instrument, so it gives them a lot of experience. It opens their eyes to the science that is still evolving.”
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IN THEIR OWN WORDS By Briana Johnson
TOMMY WHITE
TATIANNA CANNON
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ART CAME TO OU AUGUST 2007
LETTERS AND SPANISH SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OU STUDENT ASSOCIATION CAME TO OU IN 2004 Why did you decide to work at OU?
streets for an OU tradition that is so longstanding and to feel all of their excitement for the event. Really though, there are so many memories that it is hard to narrow down to just one.”
“I chose to come to the University of Oklahoma for several reasons, really. Some of the more prominent reasons include that OU is the state’s flagship institution for higher education and there is also an enormous sense of university pride I see in students, faculty and alumni here. Furthermore, I feel that the sense of community within the School of Art is fantastic. Good, caring faculty members that are really concerned with providing students a quality visual arts education surround me.”
What makes OU such a great school? “I feel what separates OU from many other institutions is its drive for excellence ... in the classroom, the athletic fields, the campus and community.”
What has been your favorite class?
What is your favorite memory of OU so far? “Last year, I had the privilege of walking with the Campus Activities Council in the Homecoming parade. It was so much fun to see all of the people lining the
“There are two classes that I have taken that were both interesting and challenging. The first was a History of Science class called ‘Science and Pop Culture,’ and the other was an upper-level English class called ‘Hip Hop as Literature, Poetry and Cultural Expression.’ They both offered a unique perspective on things that I had encountered in my day-to-day life and taught me to really examine the motivation behind a lot of popular culture.”
www.intersession.ou.edu The UniversiTy of oklahoma oUTreach At OU, Intersession gives students three opportunities a year (December, May and August) to earn college credit between regular semesters.
check
www.intersession.ou.edu for coUrse lisTings & daTes
intersession oFFiCe Mark A. Pelfrey, Intersession Coordinator intersession@ou.edu • 405-325-2899 University of Oklahoma OUTREACH Administration Building 1700 Asp Avenue, Room 209
DIANA FITZPATRICK CINDY GORDON
ALLEN KING
PROVOST OFFICE ASSISTANT CAME TO OU IN 1992
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ZOOLOGY CAME TO OU IN 1997
LANDSCAPE AND GROUNDS DIRECTOR CAME TO OU IN 1988
What makes OU such a great school?
What makes OU such a great school?
What is your favorite place to relax on campus?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;OU has much to offer not only to students but to the staff. As a staff person you are in a community on campus. I am thankful for the opportunity to work on campus, and I enjoy my workplace.â&#x20AC;?
What is your favorite memory of OU so far? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Getting the Monday off after the OU win against Texas in 2000! OU 63. TX 14.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;President Boren â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he has put OU on the map â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not just because of his amazing skills at raising money, or his efforts for improving existing buildings or building new ones, but because I truly think he cares about students. I never really got a feel for that at other universities Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve attended. He is involved â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with students, with faculty, with staff. When he says he cares about OU, you get the feeling that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just giving a speech.â&#x20AC;?
What is your favorite campus place to relax? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oddly enough, my favorite place to relax on campus is the big open field just south of Lloyd Noble Center. Sometimes I may go for a run in that area or more often than not, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take my dogs up there and have a nice long walk.â&#x20AC;?
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The South Oval. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a park in the middle of campus, a place that you can relax under the large shade trees, enjoy the gardens and even keep up with world events on the Gaylord Hall news ticker.â&#x20AC;?
Why did you decide to work at OU? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have always been intrigued by the beauty of the OU campus and decided to take a temporary position in 1988 to see if I would enjoy it. Loved it and the rest is history.â&#x20AC;?
Two World-Class Museums... One Great University
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OF /KLAHO 4HE 5NIVERSITY
rsity ar t museums, andt, ive un ier em pr nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tio na nis Visit FJJMA, one ofcothe luding French Impressio inc s rk wo of on cti lle see an extraordinary erican, modern and comtemporary ar t; Asian American, Native Am , icons and more. lahoma sculpture; photography University of Okenue Av 555 Elm 019 Norman, OK 73 a www.ou.edu/fjjm 405.325.3272
The SNOMNH is on museums in the natioen.of the finest university-based natural histo walk-through limestone View the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest Apatosaurus, a ry cave exhibit and the old the New World. est painted object in
The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity instituion.
University of Ok 2401 Chautauqu lahoma a Av Norman, OK 73 enue 072 www.snomnh.ou.e du 405.325.4712
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Special rates for OU Student Groups & Organizations!
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For accommodations on the basis of disability, please call (405) 325-4611. The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.
LOOKING FOR A NEW APARTMENT? Live where your friends live! When you pre-lease your new home at one of our two great communities, you can! Our rental rates are per month not per bedroom.
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OUT
LIVING THEIR
DREAMS From undergrads in labs to professionals working to better our world, OU fosters an environment of creativity and knowledge for researchers.
by hailey bRanson
In a laboratory filled with scorpions and working with a computer and recording everything.” crickets, Nataliya Popokaina has found a Popokaina said that once she home away from home ... away from home. finishes trial runs, she will determine Popokaina, originally from Kolomna, light wavelength with a spectrometer Russia, came to OU from tiny Wilburton, borrowed from the OU Okla., where she has lived Physics Department, which, since second grade. She laughs she said, has been very about her migration from an enormous city to a small farm Research requires accommodating. “That’s what I like about town to Norman, which, she patience and says, is just right. determination, and OU research,” she said. “There are interdepartmental “I’m just living my dream I think it’s a great relationships. You can be here,” she said. way to gain future with zoology, and Popokaina’s eyes light up experience. It’s about working you can just go up to your when she talks about the professor you had for Physics scorpions that fulfill that dream. learning how to be a professional, 1 or Physics 2 and they’ll be For more than a year, the gaining experience, happy to help you. They’re OU zoology junior has been establishing going to let me borrow a researching the behavior of relationships and piece of equipment that costs Texas desert scorpions with Doug Gaffin, associate professor having the constant thousands of dollars.” Popokaina has high of zoology and dean of motivation to study expectations for her project: University College. what you love. She hopes, with Gaffin’s help, “What we’re hoping to find to publish her results in an is what effects differences in UV academic journal. radiation and green light have She says she will be on the animals,” she said. “The end goal of it is to help answer the mystery working on the project at least until she graduates. of why scorpions flourish under UV.” “Research is demanding, time In her current phase of research, consuming and very rewarding,” she Popokaina runs countless tests with the said. “Good things don’t generally come scorpions and lights. For each run, she easy. Research requires patience and places scorpions in small dishes under determination, and I think it’s a great highly specific calibrated light, the way to gain future experience. It’s about intensity of which is recorded on a laptop. learning how to be a professional, gaining Also recorded is the number of times each experience, establishing relationships and scorpion moves over certain lines. Those having the constant motivation to study figures are then tabulated in a spreadsheet, what you love.” along with many already-recorded Popokaina’s passion for her research constants. has even landed her a job. She works as “It gets pretty technical,” Popokaina said. “The project itself is very obvious and a paid lab technician in the university’s Department of Zoology, caring for more the goal is very simple, but it gets tough
“
”
than 100 scorpions — used for her research and others’ in the department. She said she has developed an affection for the scorpions: She feeds and waters them every other day, even breeding the crickets they eat. Smiling broadly, she said she gets to have a hand in the cycle of life. “I think it’s totally great,” she said.
OU: NURTURING THE DREAMERS
Popokaina’s passion was welcomed with open arms by OU. As one of the leading research campuses in the nation, OU grants countless opportunities for students like Popokaina to delve into their desired areas. These opportunities continue to grow. In 2007, OU set a record in research funding and proposals from external sources, funding $252 million worth of research, more than $12.7 million over the previous year. Not only was the funding there, but the research was also extremely successful. In 2006, OU researchers submitted 664 proposals with a success rate of 41 percent. That percent more than doubled the success rate of all proposals at the National Science Foundation, which funds the majority of most non-medical research in the country. Since 1994, research expenditures at OU have grown at an average annual rate of 8.3 percent. “The growth in research is a testament to the excellence found in every area at the University of Oklahoma,” said OU President David L. Boren. “Breaking down the walls among traditionally separate disciplines and developing new frameworks of collaboration with industry and government, University of Oklahoma researchers in an array of scientific fields >> ContinueD on page 22
Nataliya Popokaina works with a variety of scorpion species, including pandinus imperator, known commonly as the emperor scorpion. photo by emily ganus
R E S E A RCH BY THE NUMBERS
are making impressive discoveries and technological developments that are leading to improvements in quality of life in Oklahoma, the nation and around the world.” Popokaina’s research, as well as that of hundreds of other undergrads, has been funded through OU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. The OU Honors College program is open to all OU undergraduate students, even those not enrolled in the Honors College. It awards grants to support individual student projects.
There are 36 Research Campus affiliates. Research and sponsored program expenditures have grown at an average rate of 8.3 percent since 1994. The new University Research Campus contains more than 400,000 square feet of research, laboratory and operations space on a 271- acre tract of land south of the Norman campus.
More than 800 people are employed in the weather enterprise located in Norman. The weather enterprise had a local impact of more than $200 million in fiscal year 2005. OU set a record high of $252 million in external funding for research in sponsored programs in fiscal year 2007. This was more than $12 million above fiscal year 2006. The $67 million National Weather Center is the largest weather research center of its kind in the country, with more than 244,000 square feet of space.
Visitor Guide
21
Only at participating SONIC® Drive-Ins. ©2007 America’s Drive-In Brand Properties LLC.
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Visitor Guide
34
AT THE HEART OF CAMPUS
BY TIARA ETHERIDGE
In Crossroads Lounge, an informal place for students and faculty to relax, the televisions buzz, students do homework on laptops, chat with friends, sip on smoothies and snack on curly fries and hamburgers, read newspapers or slouch in the comfortable chairs for a quick nap. Katie Hargis, a health and exercise science and pre-physical therapy junior, can often be seen lounging in Crossroads Lounge, her favorite room in Oklahoma Memorial Union. “You can just go there between classes to chill and watch TV or study a little bit,” Hargis said. She also enjoys catching free Friday movies in Meacham Auditorium. “They show a pretty good selection of newer movies, and you can’t beat free when you are in college.” The past and present mingle in the Union,
where photos of multiple Sooner generations line the walls, a reflection of Oklahoma Memorial Union’s evolution. Despite the thousands of guests who wander through its halls each day, Oklahoma Memorial Union wasn’t always a center of bustling activity. When 13th President David L. Boren and first lady Molly Shi Boren arrived on campus, the Union had fallen into disrepair and disuse, serving more as an office building than a student space. “When Mrs. Boren and I came back home to OU in 1994, one of our top priorities was to restore the Oklahoma Memorial Union as the heart of campus and create spaces which encourage members of the OU family to spend time with one another together on campus,” Boren said. “Following a $17.8 million renovation, expansion and restoration, the union has become the ‘living room’ of the university.” Quite literally the “heart of the campus,” with approximately 7,000 events held each year, the Union hosts around 10,000 daily visitors during the fall and spring, said Laura Tontz, the Oklahoma Memorial Union director. Tontz attributes the success of the Union, which is open 24 hours a day, 360 days a year, to convenience: Students don’t have to leave campus to eat or perform chores, like banking or mailing packages. The Union also creates a “home base” for commuter students, Tontz said. Even though it’s a popular meal destination, “the Union is more than a place to just grab a bite to eat,” said Sarah Smith, sociology and religious studies senior. “It is a place to connect with friends, to relax, to study, to play games, to attend group meetings, to meet new people, and it is a place for students to get involved on campus.
Without the Union, there would be no Sooner blood pulsing through OU’s veins.” Smith, a member of the Union Programming Board, helps organize and plan free events. The Union Programming Board has had foam parties, movies, a hypnotist and a spa night. But Smith’s fondest memories are her three semesters of ballroom dancing in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom. “Its simple elegance and architectural components are breathtaking,” Smith said. Tontz agreed: “The Molly Shi Boren Ballroom is probably the most beautiful in the state.” Elison Dantas, a foreign exchange student from Brazil and international and area studies and Spanish senior with a French minor, said he made the Oklahoma Memorial Union a part of his daily routine. “I like the restaurant Crossroads because it is open 24 hours,” Dantas said. “Every day at 6:30 a.m., I am buying my coffee at Crossroads. And for studying, I like to study in one of those comfortable couches.” Throughout the Union, students destress between classes. In Beaird Lounge, several overstuffed leather sofas are strategically placed around formal coffee tables to allow rest and conversation. The melodic strains of Mozart and Debussy resound through the large room as students play the grand piano in the corner. “I believe that the Union is an important part of OU student life because it is our student union,” Hargis said. “It is always open for us to be in.” Despite, or because of, the constantly evolving structure of the Oklahoma Memorial Union, students view the building as a relaxing reprieve from their hectic schedules, making it truly OU’s “living room.”
oklahoma memorial union TIMELINE The idea for a student union blossoms, but WWI halts plans.
Under President James S. Buchanan, fund-raising efforts begin to initiate a $1 million stadium-union january
Building is completed.
Two new wings are completed.
The Borens arrive. The Union had fallen into disuse. A complete renovation and restoration begins.
november
1916 1922 1925 1928 1928 1936 1951 1982 1994 2000 The YMCA building burns, so there is a need for a new community-oriented facility.
Students approve a $2.50 per semester stadium-union fee.
The clock tower was added with the help of the Work Projects Administration.
The Union Parking Facility is added.
The Archie W. DunhamConoco Student Leadership Wing is finished.
PHOTOS BY JOSH GRIFF AND JOHN STUART
TOP 10
BY TIARA ETHERIDGE
F A VOR I T E
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
SPOTS
Crossroads Lounge Beaird Lounge Molly Shi Boren Ballroom The Courtyard Clarke-Anderson Room Will Rogers Room David L. Boren Lounge Stuart Landing Henry W. Browne Sr. Game Room 10. Meacham Auditorium
OKLAHOMA MEMORIAL UNION SERVICES
Seven fast-food restaurants: Chick-fil-a, Crossroads, Quiznos Sub, Sbarro, Taco Mayo, Wendy’s, Wong Key University Bookstore Video game room Dance floor Jukebox ATMs Student-operated radio station Copy shop U.S. Post Office Computer lab Wireless Internet capabilities throughout the building 6,000-square-foot ballroom University Catering
UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS HOUSED IN OKLAHOMA MEMORIAL UNION Career Services OU Alumni Association offices Student Life Student Affairs The Union administrative offices Office space for 40 student organizations in the Archie W. Dunham-Conoco Student Leadership Wing
GROWING UP GREEN BY NANETTE LIGHT
Hardhat signs, orange cones and wooden fences shielding construction decorate OU’s campus. Trucks carrying cement have become regular visitors. Sounds of hammering and sawing accompany a symphony of singing birds and rumbling cars. For the past decade, OU has been in the midst of a makeover. Yet against miles of concrete, OU is maintaining efforts to stay green. “President David L. Boren is very environmentally aware and environmentally conscious,” said Burr Millsap, associate vice president for administrative affairs. “Since President Boren has been here, the campus has beautified immensely. Not even just here at the Norman campus, but the Health Sciences Center has really greened up.” In addition to designing and maintaining an aesthetic landscape, Millsap said the university is seeking to educate itself on sustainability and incorporate these ideas into the construction of new buildings. “In passing our values on to the next generation, it is my belief that OU itself be a role model for environmental stewardship and consciousness, including the way in which we design our buildings. Through our efforts at OU, we are setting a standard for the broader community to follow,” Boren said. Energy efficiency is an integral part of OU’s design and engineering specifications, said Blake Rambo, OU’s press secretary. Rambo said LEED principles, the recognized standard for measuring a building’s sustainability, are incorporated into project design and construction of all university projects. Sustainable strategies can range from green roofs, which help insulate against cold and hot outdoor temperatures and keep stormwater on site for irrigation, to under-floor air systems, which deliver clean, room temperature air at the floor level and allow it to rise naturally, reducing the need for fans. Over the last few years, OU has made strides to construct buildings in a more green fashion. Rambo said these new “smart” features are being incorporated into buildings at OU. These include the addition of water-free urinals and light sensors that turn lights off automatically when they sense people are not in the room. Since Boren has taken OU under his wing, OU has become one of 150 organizations to join the Chicago Climate Exchange. The CCX is a group of commercial and nonprofit organizations that seek to address the challenges of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions through a free market system. Participants pledge to reach an emissionsreduction goal each year. Carbon Financial Instruments are rewarded when the participant meets or exceeds its goal. Not only is this revolutionary idea environmentally sound, but businesses also generate greater economical practices in their efforts to develop new avenues to reduce greenhouse gases, Millsap said. Beyond being environmentally conscious, this makes good business sense, he said. “All participants have a financial incentive to achieve their reduction goals, as well as having financial costs for not achieving them,” Millsap said. “The CCX is an example of a program that is gaining momentum as a viable alternative to a purely regulatory and penaltybased system.” While CCX develops efficient businesses, Millsap said this translates into producing more efficient ways to heat and cool buildings, fuel transportation vehicles and search for alternative electricity avenues. “The university has committed to purchase 100 percent of its allotment of wind powergenerated electricity from OG&E. As OG&E increases our allotment in the future, we will continue to absorb all of it,” Millsap said. (All of OU’s electrical power is wind generated through OG&E.) To identify renovations and improvements to reduce the buildings’ energy usage, Millsap said the university undergoes energy audits on all of its buildings. Improvements include relamping buildings with lights that require less electricity, updating heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, replacing leaky roofs and sealing buildings to minimize temperature loss. Millsap said the money the university saves through achieving these efforts is used to pay for the audits and improvements. Millsap said eventually the energy usage reductions would contribute to additional CFIs to be traded on the CCX. (Thus far, OU has not needed to purchase any CFIs.) Millsap said gentle adjustments to human behavior, such as turning off lights and computers overnight and turning down the thermostat, are measures the university is taking to reduce energy usage. He said the overall goal of the auditing program is to reduce OU’s carbon footprint. “Think of a carbon footprint as you would a regular footprint. Obviously you want to reduce the mark it leaves on the university,” Millsap said. “It is necessary to reduce the size of the carbon footprint, so you don’t generate a lot of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.”
OVER THE PAST DECADE, OU HAS DEDICATED MORE THAN $1.5 BILLION TO CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. The following is a list of projects that have either been completed or are ongoing. 1. Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 2. Renovation of student residence halls 3. Devon Energy Hall 4. Lawrence G. Rawl ExxonMobil Engineering Practice Facility 5. Price Hall for the Michael F. Price College of Business
6. Gaylord Hall for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication 7. Lissa and Cy Wagner Student Academic Services Center 8. Research Campus which includes the National Weather Center, the Stephenson Research and Technology Center and the Partners Place complex
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A revitalization of Main Street brings new shops and visitors to Norman’s downtown. photo by john stuart
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BEST OF BOTH WORLDS BY MARY GRAY
Sunlight dapples a neighborhood protected underneath a grove of 100-year-old trees. Each fall, these leaves change from a spectrum of greens to a mixture of vibrant red, yellow and oranges. Whatever the season, the atmosphere beneath the trees never falters; the warmth of the Norman community is apparent year round. Along with a diverse population, a vibrant downtown and a growing commercial district, conversations over fences can always be found. Norman resident Kimberly Murillo came back for that kind of community. She traveled all across the United States after graduating from OU in 1996, but when the time came to make a home, she and her husband decided to raise their children in a place they love. “I missed Norman,” she said. She says it’s the best of all worlds: a hybrid between a modern city and one that’s still relatively small.
SMALL-TOWN CHARM Norman businesses, like those on Campus Corner and downtown Main Street, offer their locals the Cheers’ standby: a place where everyone knows your name. “Campus Corner (has) a lot of really neat restaurants,” Murillo said. But it’s more than just food: It’s that “mom and pop atmosphere.” “The Greek House, the same people are still running it,” she said. “Totos, Brothers — everyone is still there.” On a lazy Sunday afternoon, The Diner, located on Main Street, is packed. People wait in a line that stretches the length of the restaurant, and friendly chatter between strangers is hardly uncommon. Diana Kiehl, who moved to Norman with husband Ulli Nollert, knows her favorite cook by name. “Juan is just wonderful to watch. He makes the best omelets. It’s really an art what he does.” Murillo, who has two small children, said
there are many reasons that Norman is a great place to raise her family. “In this little city, we have so much, from … chain restaurants to mom and pops, the lake, churches, the YMCA,” she said. The sun shines as children laugh and chase each other through Lions Park. The park, along with more than 55 others around Norman, is another reason Murillo loves her town. “Norman has great parks,” she said. Murillo and her family also enjoy the beauty of OU’s campus. “(We) love to take the kids to campus and stroll around.” Education is also a big draw for many Norman residents. More than 13,000 children are enrolled in the Norman Public Schools system. Jim Freeman, who has lived in Norman for more than 30 years, says the town’s educational system is the best in the state.
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“Norman is a town of educated people,” he said. “There are a lot of academics because of the university, and some really well-educated teachers. I know a lot of teachers in our school system, and they are all dedicated and hardworking.” The learning doesn’t stop in the classroom; it extends through the community. Susan Lura, children’s librarian at the Norman Public Library, said Norman is a city that cares about its children. (More than 20,000 students participated in the Pioneer Library System’s summer reading program in 2007. The Norman library alone offered 615 programs during June and July of 2007.) “There’s always something going on for children,” Lura says. And she would know. In 2006, she was named one of the New York Times’ Librarians of the Year.
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BIG-CITY PRESENCE While Norman has many quaint characteristics, it still manages to grow and thrive as new business and restaurants make Norman their home. Some residents are concerned that Norman is becoming too big business; however, many say the growth means many opportunities for the city. There are many examples of large cities that still maintain their own personal presence, said Don Wood, executive director of the Norman Economic Development Coalition. “The personality of the community is up to us to maintain, and I think we do that,” he said. Norman has many special qualities, from the Sutton Concert series held every summer to the farmers’ market and Jazz in June, Murillo said. Every resident has his or her own favorites. “Norman is a friendly town and has anything you want,” Freeman said. “You don’t have to leave Norman; you can get virtually anything (here.)” Forward Foods, billed as “Oklahoma’s coolest cheese counter and market,” is a locally owned business and part of the Main Street revitalization. Co-owner Steve Reynolds says he’s not worried about growth but rather excited. Still, Reynolds believes that smaller businesses give Norman its character. “They are attuned to what Norman is and should be,” he said.
Wood said the growth in Norman moves at steady rate, so changes are not sudden. In areas of growth, such as the University North Park development area that includes SuperTarget, the coalition is “trying to create a job market that allows (students) to stay in Oklahoma.” Norman houses a unique mixture of people from all cultures and walks of life, which is another reason why the city is so special to people. “I love Norman because it’s so diverse,” Murillo said. According to the 2007 Economic Abstract, nearly 20 percent of Norman’s population are minority residents. “One of the things I love about Norman, is that for Oklahoma, it’s about as multicultural as you’re going to find,” Lura said. The university contributes to the diverse population in Norman. In 2006, nearly 30 percent of OU’s student population was minority students, according to OU’s 2007 Factbook. OU also had 1,351 international students from 101 countries in 2006. OU and Norman are one and the same. “They are transparent,” Freeman said. “They work very closely together, and you don’t know where one ends and the other begins.” Murillo said the university is essential to Norman: “It wouldn’t be the same without the university, and the university wouldn’t be the same without the town.”
ABOVE: Sooner Theatre, first opened in 1929 as the area’s first “talkie” movie theater. The storied building, listed on the state and National Registry of Historic Places, is now home to stage productions, live music and special events. photo by josh griff
FAR LEFT: One of Norman’s 55 parks, Lions Park offers two play areas, tennis courts, a pavilion, gazebo and sports field. photo by josh griff LEFT: Midway Grocery offers deli and catering services daily, and annually hosts Midway Jam, an all-day concert for Norman residents and families. photo by john stuart
norman’s authentic french bakery and cafe
La Baguette
924 w. main street (405) 329-5822
Unique sandwiches bistro dining crisp variety salads homemade quiche
fresh-baked pastries gourmet desserts rich cappuccinos Specialty wines
specialties
New location with bar
1130 Rambling Oaks across from movie theater 329-1101
Green Guide
SECTION A In Section B: Learn about UH students making an impact on the environment and find tips on recycling in Houston, saving energy at home so you can do the same
T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 1 7 , 2 0 0 8
BlUEPRINT IN
GREEN
Subpar grade on sustainability report card paints inaccurate picture of UH, official says by
JIM PARSONS
G r een G u i d e
Advertising senior Jonah Sanders works on a project in the Communication Technology Center, a lab that restricts communucation students to a 250-page print limit per semester. | Mauricio Lazo/Green Guide
Labs work to use less paper Implementing print limits, recycling cartridges, paper leads to decrease in waste on campus, officials say by
KELSIE HAHN
G re e n G ui d e
Somewhere in the world, the trees can breathe a little easier. UH computer labs are taking steps to cut back on excess student printing and reduce the paper the University uses each semester by hundreds of thousands of sheets. Three of the largest computer labs on campus — M.D. Anderson Library Computer Center, the Central Site Technology Commons and the Engineering Computing Center — all use the Uniprint Print Management System to regulate printing limits and reduce waste. The system works by using students’ Cougar One cards to release print jobs and monitor their printing for the semester, and all three labs say they’ve seen a dramatic decrease in wasted paper since implementing the system. Sara Baber, director of Academic Technologies with Information Technology, said the 24-hour CSTC
struggled with high numbers of abandoned print jobs until implementing a 150-page limit per semester four years ago. “Students were not real conscientious of what they were printing,” she said. “(The limit) wasn’t a punitive measure. We were trying to get a handle on the waste.” The CSTC has since increased the limit to 503 pages per semester based on the lab’s data on student needs and usage, but the reduction in wasted paper is still dramatic, Manager Thang Doan said. Before implementing the limit, CSTC used about 110 cases, 550,000 sheets, of paper a semester. Now, the lab uses 60 to 70 cases, about 300,000 to 350,000 sheets, of paper a semester, about a 36 percent reduction. “That’s saving a lot of recycling,” Doan said, noting the lab has also been able to downgrade from four large, wheeled recycling bins to two smaller ones, each about the size of a trashcan.
How much progress has UH made when it comes to sustainability? It depends on whom you ask. As an organized effort in academia, sustainability — balancing present needs with preserving the natural environment — is relatively young. The first public group push for it came in 1990, when the leaders of 19 universities signed an agreement to become world leaders in the field. Since then, schools have jumped into the green movement with gusto, hiring sustainability managers, buying fleets of bicycles and hybrid cars, installing solar panels, adding locally produced food to their menus and even starting composting programs to catch what’s left over. Even so, national reporting on universities’ progress in sustainability are few: The one that gets the most publicity, the College Sustainability Report Card, is only in its second year, and it only covers universities with the 200 largest endowments in the country. Unfortunately, a University official said, it’s also very misleading. UH appeared in the Report Card for the first time this year and got an overall grade of D for its work. The problem is that the report, published by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Sustainable Endowments Institute, isn’t based on thorough research and is inconsistent in its rankings, Associate Vice President for Plant Operations Dave Irvin said. “While I think the idea of a College Sustainability report has merit, the College Sustainability Report Card is deeply flawed and their approach very narrow,” Irvin said. “In the case of the University of Houston, they did not contact any administrators to confirm information, correct inaccuracies or develop a more accurate more broadly based report. Their report is almost entirely incorrect.”
» SUSTAINABILTY continues on Page 7A
Graphic by Luis Chacón
» PRINTING continues on Page 2A
New recycling center, bins on tap for fall With the help of Coca-Cola, Plant Operations officials aim to make recycling, efficiency a mainstay at UH by
DOMINIC DAMES
Gre e n G ui d e
Plant Operations plans to implement new recycling options on campus as early as this fall, officials say. Associate Vice President of Plant Operations, Dave Irvin, said students can expect to see more recycling bins around campus accepting more materials. “We’re talking with students to make a recycling center on campus. With a recycling center, even if you don’t live on campus you could bring the recycled material here. We’re hoping to implement (the program) this summer and have it ready when students come back in the fall,” he said. Sociology freshman Elysia Crocker, resident of Moody Towers, said the options are
limited at this point. “We have recycling, but they only have one or two right in front of the front desks,” she said. “We just throw our trash on the dumpster on our floor, there’s not one for recycling.” Irvin said while there are bins available, improvements could be made. “We do have recycling in residence halls, but we want to expand and make it easier for (students) to recycle,” Irvin said. Marketing senior Ose Anetor, a resident of Cougar Place, wants to see more options implemented for recycling. “I for sure would recycle. I’m from Canada; there we have designated trash cans for aluminum and glass. They don’t have that here,” Anetor said. The University has recycling bins avail-
able throughout campus, and Irvin said people can call the department to request more if needed. “There are blue bins underneath everyone’s desk and if they need more they can call (713) 743-4948 or FIX-IT and we can get them additional recycling bins,” he said. “Let us know where more bins are needed we can put them in more places as we roll out additional programs.” The blue bins for recycling in offices and buildings around campus were donated by Coca-Cola, and Irvin said more are on the way. “We’re working with Coca-Cola, our distributor; they volunteered to supply us with more recycling bins for metals and for cans. They promised to get those here for
» RECYCLING continues on Page 3A
For additional blue recycling bins for your office or department, contact Plant Operations at (713) 743-4948 or FIX-IT. | Mauricio Lazo/Green Guide
of mbia u l o C
e. d i u g ing s u o h te e l p m co 8 0 0 2 's r e t a e n a M e h T