Opinion: The separation of church and state is good for our political freedoms and guards the virtue of the church. (Page 3)
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SHUTDOWN
Crisis averted—uncertainty looms With the government open, professors wonder if this solution is temporary MOLLY EVANS
Assistant Campus Editor
The nation averted a government crisis on Wednesday, but if Democrats and Republicans can’t agree by January or February, another shutdown could occur, OU political science professors fear. Th e 1 6 - d ay g ove r n m e nt s hu t d ow n c o n c l u d e d Wednesday night with steps to form a budget resolution by mid-December, political science professor Ron Peters said.
Those steps included funding government agencies until Jan. 15, lifting the debt ceiling until Feb. 7, compensating the furloughed government employees and ultimately averting default. That means in the weeks ahead the government will be getting back to work, avoiding a debt crisis and adhering to crucial decision deadlines, Peters said. “This is a positive development insofar as the nation averted a crisis and set in place a timetable that might yield an agreement,” Peters said. “It is, however, no way to run the country, and we can only hope that next time around they’ll be able to reach a compromise on a sustained fiscal policy.” To compromise, the conferees will have to address
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expenses and revenues as well as discretionary and entitlement programs, Peters said. “This debate over the budget has been going on for several years, and it is not clear whether the Republicans and Democrats can now reach agreement when they have not been able to in the past,” Peters said. An extension of the debt ceiling and increased stability in fiscal policy are possible if Democrats and Republicans can reach an agreement, Peters said. But if they cannot, then Peters believe there will be a similar “showdown” in January or February, he said. SEE SHUTDOWN PAGE 2
HOMECOMING TRADITION
It’s time for an upgrade: D2L Version 10.2 Web interface to undergo a few minor mid-semester changes this Sunday RACHAEL MONTGOMERY Campus Reporter
OU’s learning management system, Desire 2 Learn, will go offline Sunday to upgrade to system 10.2, making the website easier and more efficient for students and faculty to navigate and access. D2L will be inaccessible to students starting at 12:01 a.m. Sunday and will come back online later that day, according to the OU Academic Tech website. The main changes that will come with the upgrade include a new look for the discussions pages, a more easily accessible view of the content list and an auto-complete option for composing email messages, said Becky Grant, information technology communications manager. Although the upgrade is not part of the digital initiative introduced last year, it is OU IT’s means of offering the best possible learning experience to students, Grant said. The upgrade from version 10 to 10.2 is a minor switch, Grant said. By making small updates more frequently, the learning curve for students and instructors will be minimized, Grant said. A big change, such as the upgrade from DSL version 9 to 10, would not occur mid-semester but rather at the end of a semester, Grant said.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
20 year old class facing potential cancellation Upper-division course in the education department is facing low enrollment BENNETT HALL Campus Reporter
A mid-semester weekend course about Oklahoma’s ecosystem is facing low enrollment and potential cancellation as its Oct. 19 start date approaches. “Projects WET, WILD and Learning Tree,” a two-credit upper-division course within the education department, is offered over a four-week period each semester to education and non-education undergraduates and graduate students. Open to all students for over 20 years, the class typically operates with 15 or more students, said Edmund Marek, the course instructor and a College of Education SEE WET, WILD PAGE 2
SHELLY PERKINS/THE DAILY
Mums have been planted on the South Oval for homecoming week. This year’s theme is “Homecoming Ribbon.” Over 12,500 red, white and yellow chrysanthemums, along with 10,000 Joseph’s coat plants, were used in this year’s design. The design resembles a continuous ribbon with an OU banner at each end.
Flowers on South Oval in full bloom Landscape and Grounds hard work finally pays off
side they should come together,” said Tech 3 landscaper Angel Mejia. After semesters of preparing the South Oval for homecoming with CAITLIN SCHACHTER thousands of chrysanthemums, the Campus Reporter work of OU landscapers was put to the It takes months of planning and test on Thursday when aerial photos cultivation, but the time has finally ar- were taken of the flower design. rived. The mums have blossomed. More than 12,500 red, white and “Media and photographers yellow chrysanthemums, along with 10,000 Joseph’s Coat plants, were from across the state come planted for this year’s landscape deto the campus every year sign on the South Oval, according to a to take photographs of the press release. However, planning to get these designs.” chrysanthemums in the ground starts ALLEN KING, almost five months in advance, and LANDSCAPE AND GROUNDS DIRECTOR the process isn’t completed until homecoming. The flowers have been planted in Before homecoming every year, OU a different design for homecoming landscapers photograph the South every year for the last 25 years, said Oval from a hydraulic lift to make Allen King, Landscape and Grounds sure the chrysanthemums have been director. planted in the correct pattern, Mejia This year, the flowers were planted said. in diamond patterns that resemble a OU also invites members of the continuous ribbon with an OU banner media to use the bucket truck to take at each end. The flowers are planted so their own aerial photos of the oval, acthat the yellow and red diamond pat- cording to a press release. terns are split into two matching rows “Media and photographers from all the way down the South Oval. across the state come to the campus “If you look at one row on the left every year to take photographs of the side and then look at a row on the right designs,” King said.
L&A: Students have an opportunity to see the work of graduate art students in new exhibit. (Page 6)
OU Landscape and Grounds workers began tilling and ripping out the flowerbeds in the spring, King said. In the second week of June, it took them about a week to plant all of the chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums are planted because they bloom during football season, King said. Though the flowers are planted months ahead, they don’t begin to blossom until a few weeks before homecoming, said gardener Chester Warner. For the chrysanthemums to peak around homecoming, workers use varying amounts of fertilizer. After the flowers have been in the ground for three to four months, the gardeners use a slow-release fertilizer to help the chrysanthemums reach their full bloom, Mejia said. A month before homecoming, they also give the chrysanthemums blossom food, which helps to increase the blossom. “The more fertilizer you have, the better,” Mejial said. “Although this year we’ve had really good rain so that has really helped the mums.” Planting chrysanthemums on the South Oval has been a homecoming tradition for many years, King said. The Morris Pitman family’s garden endowment fund pays for funds planting the chrysanthemums each year.
Sports: Oklahoma hopes to bounce back against an improved Kansas team. (Page 5)
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