The Daily Barometer OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY • CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014 • VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 82
DAILYBAROMETER.COM • 541-737-2231
By Sean Bassinger THE DAILY BAROMETER
See OSA | page 4
COURTESY OF Tally
An example of the Tally application.
Social shopping mobile application hits campus, allows friends to help each other make decisions
Now, the Tally team is giving all OSU students exclusive access to the application before officially releasing it to the public in three weeks. Tally allows users to send side-by-side By Courtney Gehring images of clothing to their followers or in a THE DAILY BAROMETER private message to certain friends. Friends Tally, a mobile application that two or followers can then vote and comment recent Oregon State University graduates on what clothing article they like best — founded, launched an exclusive beta test creating a poll. to four OSU sororities last month. “We’ve seen great usage on Tally so After one month of the application’s far, and we think with some of the new test release, it partnered with a local shoe features we are working on, it will generate even more interest,” said Andy Miller, boutique and gained 200 users. n
Oregon Student Association lists accessibility as No. 5 out of 6 on top issues
The Oregon Student Association, working with the Associated Students of Oregon State University, wants to tackle accessibility issues facing all college campuses statewide. Created in 1975, OSA brings student leaders from various state colleges and universities together to discuss institutional and financial challenges that everyday students face. Each year, the organization conducts a survey of key topics to discuss with state officials during short and long legislative sessions. Currently, tuition costs and affordability remain at the top of the list. Accessibility has made it to number five on the list of goals for 2015. Eric Noll, chair of the board of directors at OSA, credits ASOSU for their work to get accessibility on OSA’s priority list for next year’s legislative sessions. “It’s their advocacy,” Noll said. “They’re the reason accessibility is part of our six-issue platform for the next two years.” Working with Jeffery Evans from the Able Student Alliance, ASOSU President Brett Deedon and Taylor Sarman, ASOSU executive director of government relations, spoke out about the issues facing campus in an effort to gain additional support from OSA. Sarman, who serves on the OSA board of directors and was present when it voted on priorities during a Nov. 16 meeting, said discussions must continue to grow since some students may not even consider them. “You don’t look at our buildings and automatically think they’re not accessible,” Sarman said. “That’s why we wanted to prioritize it as an issue for the next biennium.” According to Bryan Williamson, director of accessibility affairs at ASOSU, Deedon and Sarman notified him that accessibility made it to number five on the OSA survey in November 2013. “We just kept pushing it and pushing it,” Williamson said. “It was huge news when it happened.” Williamson said both Deedon and Evans were together in La Grande when the announcements came through. Beforehand, surveys ranked lower on the organization’s lobbying priority list. “People don’t always understand
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Tally app launches at OSU
Accessibility issues top priority for OSA n
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co-founder of Tally. Miller said with new features in place, the current users will be able to invite their friends who are not yet part of the exclusive test. The Tally team hopes to eventually see viral growth as a result. Originally, co-founders Miller and Ryan Connolly set out to create a biometric sensing company, which collected user heart rates and sweat levels while they played video games. However, after spendSee TALLY | page 3
The plight of the lamprey: A struggle to survive n
Science Pub discusses saving 5-million-year-old fish species found in Oregon rivers, oceans By Spencer Ingram THE DAILY BAROMETER
Sometimes the smallest piece in the puzzle is the most vital toward its completion. Monday night’s event, “Cry of the Pacific Lamprey: What this ancient fish is telling us about our water” at the Old World Deli, was a dynamic discussion on the conservation efforts of the lamprey fish species in Oregon rivers. The Oregon State University science pub hosted the event with filmmaker Jeremy Monroe and professor of fisheries Carl Schreck as the keynote speakers. Terra Magazine editor Nick Houtman organized the speaker session. Lampreys are a specific type of fish species, which subside in Oregon rivers and the ocean. They do not have jaws, but a suction See LAMPREY | page 4
COURTESY OF JEREMY MONROE
Lemprey, a species of fish that lives in Oregon rivers and the ocean, swims in a stream. They do not have jaws, but a suction mouth, which allows them to graze for food and move through rivers.
OSU Muslim students hand out roses to promote love, peace n
‘Muhammad: A Prophet of Mercy’ campaign still successful after snow postpones event By Kaitlyn Kohlenberg THE DAILY BAROMETER
Nicki Silva
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Students Abdulaziz Alsharidah, 22, and Mshry Aldossary, 19, hand out roses Tuesday to OSU junior Catherine Lu.
In an effort to spread messages of unity, love and peace, Muslim students at Oregon State University participated once again in the campaign, “Muhammad: A Prophet of Mercy.” To spread these messages, students handed out flowers on campus Tuesday. Though the students originally had planned to hand the flowers out Friday, campus closures due to snow forced the event to be rescheduled. Gufran Alhejji, a sophomore studying industrial engineering, said the resched-
uling went smoothly despite the reservation of fresh flowers. “(Expressions in Bloom Fine Flowers) was very welcoming to save the roses till the campus opened again,” Alhejji said. One year ago, students participated in the same campaign, conveniently coinciding their event with the week of Valentine’s Day, a time traditionally spent focused on love. In fall 2013, students handed out red, reusable cups that had names of great leaders printed on them and held small informational flyers about the campaign. “We will give roses in the name of our prophet, Mohammed, the prophet of mercy and religion of love and peace,” Alhejji said. “This year, the campaign is under the name of Mohammed as a See ROSES | page 4