OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
The Daily Barometer
DAILYBAROMETER.COM • 541-737-3191
DAILYBAROMETER
TUESDAY MAY 13, 2014 VOL. CXVI, NO. 135
@BARONEWS, @BAROSPORTS, @BAROFORUM
Fire forces MU to evacuate
COURTESY OF SID COOPER
Fire on the second floor men’s bathroom caused damage to the toilet seat and wall.
Corvallis Fire Department extinguishes fire located on second-floor bathroom
Fire Department reported on scene at approximately 7:15 p.m. When firefighters Leo Onderko and Will Kalenius, from Fire Station 2, reported to the MU, some people were still inside. By Megan Campbell THE DAILY BAROMETER “This is a serious, serious thing A suspicious fire in the men’s here,” said Corvallis Battalion Chief bathroom on the second floor of Randy Harrison. Harrison, like Onderko, Kalenius the Memorial Union disrupted the Oregon State campus Monday and other department employees, expressed the need for people to night. The cause is unknown. Corvallis Fire Station 2, the first take fire alarms seriously. When the responders, contained and quickly alarm sounds, people need to react and evacuate. extinguished the fire. After Onderko and Kalenius Memorial Union staff first pulled the fire alarm, said MU staffer evacuated the remaining people, Jarrad Schulte, and the Corvallis they located the bathroom, which n
was full of black smoke. They put their masks on, entered and extinguished the small fire behind the toilet seat. The smoke, which Onderko described as “all the way to the floor,” ventilated throughout the large building. “There was potentially fatal smoke and gas on the second floor of the Memorial Union,” Kalenius said. The fire caused slight damage to the toilet seat and the wall behind it, said Jim Patton, fire prevention officer for the Corvallis Fire Department. Firefighters set up three fans
throughout the building and opened the windows to allow for airflow and to vent the smoke outside. The building re-opened in time for the Face AIDS annual Condom Couture Fashion Show at 8:30 p.m. in the ballroom, but MU staff limited access to the upper sections of the building. Oregon State Police will continue to investigate the fire. If anyone has any information regarding the incident, people are urged to call (541) 737-3010. Megan Campbell
Managing and news editor managing@dailybarometer.com
Condom couture carries on Lab supplies modern tech to OSU n
Face AIDS fashion show persists despite cancellations, fire
n
By Kaitlyn Kohlenberg THE DAILY BAROMETER
After rescheduling due to the Memorial Union power outage March 28, the Oregon State University chapter of Face AIDS nearly had to cancel its annual Condom Couture Fashion Show Monday night in the MU ballroom due to a fire on the second floor of the Memorial Union. Haripriya Prakash, a junior in premed biology and the coordinator for the fashion show, said that if they had needed to cancel their show Monday night, they would not have tried to reschedule again. “It was really stressful,” said Prakash of the first reschedule. “(Designers, models and coordinators) were panicking. Especially since this is a science midterm week … so that’s why we had to crunch down the show.” Because of the rescheduled time, a few of the designers and models were unable to participate in the show and it was condensed to a half-hour, rather than a full hour. Still, they were able to host a keynote
Center for Genomic Research and Biocomputing enables Oregon State faculty, staff to pursue cutting-edge research By McKinley Smith THE DAILY BAROMETER
NICKI SILVA
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
A model shows off designer Lacey Orr’s peacock-themed top, pieced together with a fully lined and layered high-low skirt made of 370 condoms. speaker, Anne Julian, who is a Ph.D. candidate in public health at OSU. See CONDOM | page 4
Keeping the technology up-to-date is a never-ending race at the Center for Genomic Research and Biocomputing. “I like staying up with the current technology,” said Brett Tyler, the director of the CGRB. “We put a lot of effort into making sure we have the very latest technology accessible for the faculty.” The CGRB is a centralized laboratory on the Oregon State University campus that handles genomic data and large data sets. The CGRB has an annual budget of $2.1 million and is funded by the university and user fees for the CGRB itself. Colleges and departments of benefitting faculty often help cover fees for expensive machines, Tyler said. “We cover everything from human health to marine biology to forests to crop breeding to animal science, pharmacy — the whole gamut,” Tyler said. Representative faculty members
McKinley Smith
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Brett Tyler, director for the Center for Genomic Research and Biocomputing, stands beside a robot that programs samples for the HiSeq 2000. from 25 departments are associated increased from 11 to 25 and the staff at with the CGRB. Like these faculty mem- the CGRB has nearly doubled. Automated machines prepare large bers, Tyler also uses the lab’s resources for his own research. Since his appoint- quantities of samples for heavy-hitting See TECH | page 4 ment as director, that number has
Providing new perspective on everyday tasks, obstacles Marijuana policy n
Wheel-A-Thon challenges people to experience daily life in a wheelchair By Ria Rankine THE DAILY BAROMETER
It’s an issue many do not consider unless it directly affects them. But for students with physical disabilities, navigating through campus may seem like an obstacle course. In an effort to raise awareness of physical disabilities, the Pre-therapy and allied health club is sponsoring the 2014 Wheel-A-Thon. The three-day event, which began Monday, is a 20-minute relay race through an obstacle course that tests the physical and mental limits of each participant. All funds are divided equally between two programs at Oregon State that support locals with disabilities. This year, proceeds will go to the Multiple Sclerosis Exercise Program and the Individualized Movement and Physical Activity
for Children Today program on campus. The event takes place at the Memorial Union quad from 12-6 p.m. Teams range from six to 10 members, with no limit to how many teams can participate. Participants are carefully instructed on how to navigate through the course, which consists of six obstacles. “The obstacle course is set up to expose people to the difficulties of getting around campus while being disabled,” said Nikelous Patterson, a junior majoring in exercise sports science. “We always try to add new perks to it each year — stuff people with disabilities have to deal with every day.” Patterson brings awareness to the event as part of the media promotions services, but also for more important reasons that he said can’t be ignored. “We’ll see someone with a handicap, and we keep on going with our own lives,” Patterson See WHEEL | page 4
Wetzler’s arrest creates lose-lose scenario for OSU
Sports, page 5
project director to speak Tuesday THE DAILY BAROMETER
RIA RANKINE
OSU senior Anne Thompson traverses the obstacles in the wheelchair obstacle course.
Rape culture still permeating Forum, page 7
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Marijuana policy expert Mason Tvert will “share insights on the past, present and future of marijuana policy in the United States” at the annual Governor Tom McCall Memorial Lectureship Tuesday night, according to a press release from the OSU College of Liberal Arts. The lecture, which will be held at 7 p.m. in the LaSells Stewart Center, is sponsored by the OSU College of Liberal Arts and School of Public Policy. Founded in 1982, the lecture series aims See MARIJUANA | page 4
Dinklage shines ‘Game of Thrones’ A&E, page 8