OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
The Daily Barometer
DAILYBAROMETER.COM • 541-737-2231
OSU student Democrats meet with Obama n
DAILYBAROMETER
TUESDAY MAY 12, 2015 VOL. CXVII, NO. 135
@DAILYBARO, @BAROSPORTS
‘Bob the Builder’ to bid farewell
College Democrat members travel to Portland for White House Victory Fundraiser By Chris Correll
THE DAILY BAROMETER
Five students from Oregon State University received the opportunity of attending President Barack Obama’s Victory Fundraiser last Thursday. The president was visiting Oregon for several speeches to bolster the Democratic Party in the upcoming election season. Erica Fuller, a junior in political science and the president of the College Democrats at OSU, got the surprise of a lifetime when several tickets — which run at least $5,000 a piece — arrived for her and her staff. “I actually got a call and I was taken out of class Monday morning to say that we had gotten tickets, and we were going to see the president. At first I shocked — I was like ‘president of what?’” Fuller said. “I was shocked for the next few days.” After sending out emails, Fuller gathered four College Democrats volunteers to join her for the trip. They were in Portland meeting Barack Obama just three days later. “It sounded more like speculaSee OBAMA | page 2
Multifaceted, multitalented n
Second-year graduate student excels in research, art
Justin Quinn
n
After 17 years with Oregon State Athletics, Bob De Carolis steps down, effective June 30 By Brian Rathbone
By Courtnee’ Morin THE DAILY BAROMETER
Students at Oregon State University have interests in many areas, both pertaining to their majors and outside of them. Many students find ways to participate in their multiple areas of interest. Emily Swan, a second-year graduate student in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is one such student. Swan originally wanted to go to school for marine biology, considering fisheries and wildlife for a while, but eventually decided on the path to veterinary medicine. But Swan doesn’t see herself working at a normal pet clinic; her interests See SWAN | page 4
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Oregon State Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis interacts with the crowd after the Oregon State women’s basketball team beat Cal in Gill Coliseum and secured the program’s first ever Pac-12 title on Feb. 28.
THE DAILY BAROMETER
Bob De Carolis, Oregon State director of Athletics, will step down from his position on June 30, ending his tenure that started in 1998 as associate athletic director of internal operation and ended with the 14 years as Director of Athletics. “There is never an optimal time for decisions like this,” De Carolis said in a press release Monday. “Especially after an incredible journey of 17 years.” The timing of De Carolis’s decision comes at a time where the OSU athletic program is making tremendous strides, not only on the court, but also in the construction of the athletic facilities. This year alone has seen success
Ocean acidification and future of Science Pub discussed downtown News, page 3
under De Carolis’s leadership. The women’s basketball team won their first conference title, after a down season the volleyball team reached the “Sweet 16” in the NCAA tournament; the wrestling team won their fourth consecutive Pac-12 title; the men’s soccer team won their first postseason match in program history; and the gymnastics team continued their run of postseason berths. And three times this year, an OSU coach was honored as the conference’s Coach of the Year. De Carolis earned the nickname “Bob the Builder” for his the transformation of the athletic facilities that were either renovated or erected during his 15 years as AD. The Truax center, the OSU Boathouse, The Ossey Golf Center, the Samaritan Athletic Medicine center, the Dale Thomas Wrestling Facility, the Sports Performance Center, the OSU Basketball Center, The Beth Ray Center for Academic Support, the Softball Complex, and the first phase of the Whyte Track and Field Center
are all new additions while Reser Stadium, Goss Stadium, Gill Coliseum, and Tommy Prothro Football Complex were renovated. With the addition of the “Victory through Valley” project, which will give a makeover to the current Valley Football Center, more than $220 million has been invested in renovations since the turn of the millennium. For all of the great accomplishments that De Carolis had in his time as AD, there are three instances that made many OSU alumni and fans question if he was the right man for the job. The rumblings started when former head football coach Mike Riley received a heavily incentivized deal that would add another year to his contract whenever the team went to a bowl game—or got at least six victories. But when the football team started to struggle just to get to six wins and Riley’s seat became warmer by the second, many believed that the program was handcuffed due to the
The Daily Barometer Athlete of the Week: Anica Yoo Sports, page 5
longevity of Riley’s contract. In 2010, De Carolis was slow to react to the complaints from players and their family members for the way the then women’s basketball head coach LaVonda Wagner ran the program. At the time, she forced her players to play with serious injuries, threw chairs in the locker and caused mental damages to some of the players, according to a 2010 article from Lindsey Schnell of the Oregonian. And just last year, after a disastrous end to the men’s basketball disappointing season after a first-round loss in the CBI to Radford in front of a nearly empty Gill Coliseum, De Carolis continued to show support for Robinson, despite never reaching a post-season tournament larger than the CBI. Then, seven weeks later, Robinson was fired. When it appeared the school’s athletic department was on a downhill slide after those three instances, De Carolis strung together multiple hires See DE CAROLIS | page 6
Column: The complexity of losing (and maintaining) weight Forum, page 7