TUESDAY APRIL 28, 2 2009
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Tomorrow’s Weather
news he Know where the NCAA gets itss trophies? It’s closer than you ou may think. PAGE 3
Com off a Coming recent sweep of rece Baylor, the OU Bay baseball team bas sets its sights on Arkansas. Ark PAGE 5 PAG
52°/70°
‘The Lion King’ kicked off its month-long run in Oklahoma City this weekend. Check out our review. PAGE 10
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OUDAILY.COM » IF YOU MISSED THE NORMAN MUSIC FESTIVAL, CHECK OUT THE DAILY’S COVERAGE ONLINE WITH THREE SLIDESHOWS, VIDEO AND SEVERAL STORIES.
Sophomore volunteer pays it forward Former ‘little brother’ grows up, becomes ‘big brother’ volunteer LEIGHANNE MANWARREN The Oklahoma Daily
Soon after beginning his freshman year at OU, petroleum engineering sophomore Darryl Blackburn committed himself to a program he said influenced his life greatly. Wanting to help a young boy have a positive male influence in his life, Blackburn signed up for the Cleveland County Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, the same organization that once influenced his life. “The Big Brothers, Big Sisters program had such a huge impact on me, I feel obligated to give back,” Blackburn said. Growing up in Houston with a single mother, Blackburn’s mother, Paulette, signed him up to become a little brother when he was 8. “As a single parent, there were some manly things that I was not equipped to do, and I wanted him to be as well-rounded as possible and give him that opportunity,” she said. Blackburn was paired with a married couple in the oil industry who remained his mentors for the next four years. But growing up in a predominately black elementary school, VOLUNTEER CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
MICHELLE GRAY/THE DAILY
Darryl Blackburn, petroleum engineering sophomore, teaches his “little bro”, Jaylin Dennis, 10, how to spin a ball on his finger on the playground at Jefferson Elementary School Thursday. Blackburn has been Dennis’ “big bro” for the past two years and said he was in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program as a child and had a “big couple” with whom he is still in contact.
New UOSA executives focus on community, transparency Public events, talks to function as circuits for unity CADIE THOMPSON The Oklahoma Daily
ASHLEY HAGGARD/THE DAILY
John Jennings takes the oath of office as UOSA Congress chairman during the UOSA inauguration Monday evening at the Union courtyard.
New UOSA President Katie Fox told a group of students she seeks to strengthen the sense of community at OU during her presidency Monday evening at the UOSA inauguration in the courtyard of the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Fox, international and area studies junior, said she and UOSA Vice President Dewey Bartlett want to increase student representation, make the organization more visible and address “tangible changes” at the university. She said it will be the small changes affecting the everyday lives of students that will strengthen UOSA’s presence as an organization and to the student body. “Whether it’s going to be increasing the information available on the UOSA Web site or if it’s going to be trying to increase the amount of time that we spend talking
to students and student organizations, I think it’s these small types of changes that are really going to help strengthen UOSA and make it the best that it can be,” Fox said. About 20 people attended the event to celebrate the transition of power from former student leaders to the incoming leaders of student government. Fox, Bartlett and John Jennings, the new Student Congress chairman, were among the new leaders who attended the event. The Student Congress chairman, Graduate Student Senate chairwoman and CAC chairman were supposed to be sworn in at the event but Jennings, management information systems senior, was the only one who actually took oath. Fox has been involved in student government since she was a sophomore and has served as director and chief of staff of Student Organizations. Fox said she is grateful to former UOSA President Amanda Holloway and Vice President UOSA CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
Seniors hope to increase independence for palsy patients Capstone students create device to aid mobility LAUREN STALFORD The Oklahoma Daily
A team of four mechanical engineering students has created a device to help a local woman with cerebral palsy get from point A to point B. For their senior capstone project, the students have worked an average of 60 hours a week this semester to create a contraption that will carry Norman resident Linda Shannon from her shower to her toilet. Over the past three years, the students have been working with Shannon, who has suffered from cerebral palsy for 49 years and only has movement in her right arm, said Kuang-Hua Chang, mechanical engineering professor and the group’s capstone adviser. Past teams have worked to create a device that will carry her from her wheelchair to her bed and from the wheelchair to the toilet, Chang said. The current team also has redesigned the old device that carried her to bed to make it more lightweight, said team member Mark Schoelen, PATIENTS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
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STATE DEPT. URGES CAUTION AS SWINE FLU SPREADS No cases of swine flu have been reported in Oklahoma, but the State Department of Health said it’s likely the disease will arrive and is urging citizens to take precautions. The death count in Mexico has risen to 149, with about 2,000 people possibly infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 40 U.S. cases in five states, but so far none have been fatal. State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said she anticipates finding swine flu cases in Oklahoma soon. In a statement released Monday, Gov. Brad Henry said Oklahoma’s health care, public safety and emergency management communities are diligently preparing for any possible cases in the state. “This is a serious health concern that demands attention and alertness,” Henry said in the statement. “Panic is not helpful, but caution is. That means practicing proper hygiene and visiting a health care provider if you start having symptoms consistent with the flu.” According to the CDC Web site, the disease can be spread person-to-person through coughing and sneezing. In a press briefing, CDC spokesman Dr. Richard Bresser said individuals who begin to experience flu-like symptoms should stay away from school and work for seven days to reduce the chance of spreading the disease. Swine flu symptoms are similar to normal flu symptoms, including fever, body aches, coughing, sore throat, respiratory congestion, and in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting. Though no vaccine exists specifically for swine flu, antiviral drugs, including Tamiflu and Relenza, are available in Oklahoma to combat any cases that might manifest. — Jared Rader/ The Daily The AP contributed to this report
SIMPLE MEASURES TO AVOID CATCHING SWINE FLU, INCLUDING:
AMY FROST/ THE DAILY
Adam Herrington, Travis Wilkes, Mark Schoelen and Daniel Hamilton, mechanical engineering seniors, stand by their project in the machine shop located in the basement of Felgar Hall Monday. The group is working on their capstone project, a wheelchair crane for a Norman resident that has them working anywhere from 40-80 hours per week. © 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD
• Wash hands often to protect yourself from germs. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Source: CDC
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