The Oklahoma Daily

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THURSDAY APRIL 23, 2009

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The Oklahoma tattoo industry has been booming since its legalization in 2006 and the ink has spread to Norman. PAGE 12

Tomorrow’s Weather

Read about the prospects of some former OU offensive linemen in this weekend’s NFL draft. PAGE 7

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out The Daily’s picks. PAGE 11

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Students seek change to Honors College name Group says Honors College shouldn’t have been named in honor of McClendon family RICKY MARANON AND CADIE THOMPSON The Oklahoma Daily

Students are protesting the addition of the name “McClendon” to OU’s honors college amid concerns about donor Aubrey McClendon’s political views. Members of Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society are circulating a petition that demands “McClendon” be removed from the name of the Honors College. According to a 2008 OU Foundation press release, the name of the OU Honors College

was changed to the Joe C. and Carole Kerr McClendon Honors College to honor Aubrey McClendon’s parents after the Oklahoma City businessman donated millions of dollars to the university. Members of the organization say they wrote the petition after requests for more information about the donation were denied by honors college officials, who declined to comment for this story. “If there is more transparency, then there is more accountability,” Sean Hughes, president of OSDS, said. Hughes, letters and philosophy sophomore, said the group wants the name removed because members are afraid McClendon’s donation will be used to influence the curriculum of the Honors College. However, OU officials say donors don’t have that kind

influence. The petition states that McClendon “contributes generously to a slew of right-wing and anti-gay groups.” Hughes said he does not want to see McClendon’s donation used for the donors’ own political agenda. McClendon is the CEO and co-founder of Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy. According to the OU Foundation, $5.5 million of McClendon’s $12.5 million donation to OU is committed to the honors college. Currently, the honors college has received $1 million for the OU Debate Program and $750,000 to endow the first Chesapeake Chair in Meteorology. But a request by McClendon to endow three additional chairs as part of a new institute within the college has Hughes worried. According to the OU Foundation, the chairs

will be part of “a new Institute focused on the historic and political roots of the American Constitution and our form of government,” or what Hughes calls a “conservative think tank.” Hughes said he is afraid McClendon will have influence over who is chosen for the new chair positions and the extent of their power. “We do need donations, but we don’t need them from people who give money with stipulations,” Hughes said. “We would just like to give him his money back.” According to an e-mail statement from Robyn Tower, associate vice president for the Office of Development, “Donors determine the type of chair that will be established based on university needs and the donor’s NAME CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Stimulus could pave way for railway Potential rail system would connect Dallas, OKC and Tulsa WILL HOLLAND The Oklahoma Daily

Supporters of rail travel have been unsuccessfully pushing for a high-speed rail program in Oklahoma for years, but now money from the federal stimulus package could make that dream a reality. Last week, President Barack Obama announced a plan to spend about $8 billion in stimulus money to build a high-speed rail network across the country. These highspeed railways can carry trains at faster rates of 150 to 175 miles per hour. The plan identified 10 potential corridors where high-speed railways could be built. One of the corridors would connect Oklahoma City to Tulsa and the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which was designated a highspeed rail corridor eight years ago. But a high-speed railway was not built because federal funding was nearly non-existent eight years ago, said Matthew Dowty, representative for the Oklahoma Passenger Rail Association, a grassroots organization that advocates the improvement of rail services in Oklahoma. Dowty said rail services were not a priority of former President George W. Bush’s administration, so it was difficult for states to access federal funding for high-speed railways. Now, however, Oklahoma will have the opportunity to apply for federal money to build high-speed railways in the state. Gov. Brad Henry has made the expan-

Photo iLLUStrAtioN BY MerriLL JoNeS/the dAiLY

sion of Oklahoma’s rail service a priority, and state officials plan to seriously look at potential opportunities for federal funding, said Gary Ridley, Oklahoma transportation secretary and Department of Transportation director. He said Henry hopes to receive information on how states can apply for a

portion of the $8.1 billion within the next couple months. Ridley said in 2001 the cost of building a high-speed railway connecting Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa was estimated at about $900 million, but now the projected cost has escalated to as much as $2 billion.

Economic expert outlines steps for recovery CLARK FOY The Oklahoma Daily

A New York Times economics columnist spoke yesterday about the economy and where it is headed. David Leonhardt has covered the economy for The Times since 1999. “Clearly this is a difficult moment because of not only how bad the economy is already, but also because of how scary it is,” Leonhardt said. “The condition of the economy itself is still not as bad as it was in the early 1980s. Unemployment was noticeably higher in the 1980s than it was today.” Despite those facts, Leonhardt said the unemployment rate is rising and could eventually reach 10 percent; about the level that it was at in the ’80s, or just slightly above that. “The problem is that people aren’t exactly sure how to end situations like the one we are in right now,” he said. “And the history of financial crises is that they are unusually pernicious; they are difficult to end and they lead to much deeper

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view more from david Leonhardt’s visit online.

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downturns.” Many things have contributed to the current economic crisis over the past few decades, Leonhardt said. He cited excessive individual and government spending, the rising temperature of the planet and stagnating educational gains. To fix the economy, Leonhardt said a few essential actions are needed. First is working to provide a better and more affordable public health care system. The next step would be to focus more intensely on education. “To me, the evidence is really overwhelming of education being the lifeblood of the economy no matter how you look at it,” Leonhardt said. “I would not only give better funding for elementary schools and high schools, but I would do a much tougher evaluation of teachers. Good teachers have a really huge effect on kids.” For higher education, he EXPERT CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Dowty said the application process will be competitive, and states that take a proactive role may have an advantage. He said states like California with state money to put toward a high-speed rail program might have STIMULUS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Criminology class video gives hope to children Class looks to impact community by aiding children of jailed parents LEIGHANNE MANWARREN The Oklahoma Daily

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David Leonhardt, New York Times economics and business columnist, speaks with students Wednesday night at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. © 2009 oU PUBLiCAtioNS BoArd

After winning a state-wide competition, OU students are using their prize money to form a program to impact the community. The video produced by professor Kelly Damphousse’s criminology capstone class was among the five top-rated videos in the Social Innovation Challenge hosted by the University of Tulsa. “We were fortunate to win the contest,” Damphousse said. “We hope to use the money to provide programs at OU for children whose parents are incarcerated.” The five top-rated videos each received a $1,000 award this month. Damphousse, associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, said his class will use the prize money to sponsor a Sooner Fun Day. “Participants were given a topic concerning the high incarceration rate of women in Oklahoma and were challenged to come up with an idea of how to help the community,” said Susan Sharp, sociology professor and competition judge. Sharp said judges were asked to look at the potential impact each video would have on the HOPE CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

voL. 94, No. 138


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