The Oklahoma Daily

WEDNESDAY APRIL 8, 2009

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news If you refuse to take food togo because you worry about packing landfills with foam containers, Housing and Food Services may havee the the h solution. 3A

Sophomore basketball all forward, Blake Griffin, announced Tuesday he will forgo his junior and senior seasons at OU and enter the 2009 NBA draft. 1B

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RUNNER-UP CHALLENGES CAC ELECTION RESULTS Complaints filed allege Nunley knowingly broke UOSA rules

DOCUMENT To read Kely Van

Eaton’s entire complaint, go online.

CADIE THOMPSON

OUDAILY.COM

The Oklahoma Daily

Kely Van Eaton is challenging Tyler Nunley’s victory in the race for Campus Activities Council chairman.

A court order released Tuesday by the UOSA Superior Court issued a stay on the validation of the election results and the inauguration of the CAC chairman until the court hears arguments from each candidate.

Nunley narrowly beat Van Eaton in last week’s election, winning 181 more votes than Van Eaton. Nunley was set to be sworn in as CAC chairman Tuesday, but instead will spend the day defending his win.

Van Eaton and Nunley will present arguments to the UOSA Superior Court Tuesday in the Dick Bell Courtroom at the OU College of Law.

According to the court order, Van Eaton is challenging the election results because one of the five polling places was not open during the election and OU staff members sent e-mails endorsing Nunley to students on university e-mail lists.

Nunley, an international and area studies junior, said he was meeting with UOSA legal counsel on Tuesday and could not comment on the situation.

According to Van Eaton’s complaint, a polling place that was supposed to be open at Cate Center was closed.

On March 27, four days before the ELECTION CONTINUES ON PAGE 2A

ZACH BUTLER/THE DAILY

New CAC Chairman Tyler Nunley celebrates with University College freshman Melissa Mock while receiving the news of his election April 1.

Congress aims to increase voter registration Bill calls for greater involvement from higher education institutions LEIGHANNE MANWARREN

The Oklahoma Daily

AMY FROST/THE DAILY

Austin Ryan, aviation management sophomore, stands with one of the OU planes Tuesday. Ryan began flying this semester and planned on flying to Tulsa and back Tuesday evening.

Student soars above Despite tragedy, sophomore navigates independent life SHERIDAN STOVALL

The Oklahoma Daily He files his own taxes, pays his own bills and gets a bird’s-eye view of Oklahoma three times a week, all as an OU student.

Austin Ryan, aviation management sophomore, is this year’s recipient of the Pearl Carter-Scott Aviation Scholarship and it came at a time when he needed it the most.

Playing rugby, studying and hanging out with friends might make the aviation management sophomore seem like a typical undergraduate, but Ryan’s circumstances are definitely different than most.

Ryan lost his mother due to medical complications during his senior year of high school and his father to bone marrow cancer in November. Losing both parents made him quickly realize how hard it would be financially to achieve what he wants in life, he said.

His dreams of becoming a pilot began last year after riding in a plane with a friend.

“I couldn’t believe people could fly for a living and get paid for it,” he said. “When I realized it was so expensive to fly, I started

working to come up with money for it, and now I have scholarships and a loan or two.”

But he said his accomplishments and sense of self-reliance wouldn’t be what they are today without his parent’s tough love.

“As far as being successful, it was always my parents,” Ryan said. “My parents forced me to take the ACT like six, seven times in high school and apply for scholarships. It was my parents breathing down my neck with love because they always wanted me to have a successful career.”

He said his sister’s test scores and scholarships were another reason his parents pushed him to excel, but said he’s gained more from his sister than just academic motivation.

“She is the only person who is in the same boat as I am,” he said.

“She’s the one person I can relate to. I had to do my own taxes this year and I have to pay bills. It’s just growing up faster than I would have had to otherwise.”

Ryan said he and his sister, an OU nursing student in Tulsa, support each other but wouldn’t have been the same without their parent’s encouragement.

“My parents were both awesome people, and they made me really strong,” he said. “Me and my sister are both really solid in our faith. Outside of my parents, my sister has had a huge influABOVE CONTINUES ON PAGE 2A

U.S. lawmakers soon hope to require all federally funded colleges and universities to provide students with the opportunity to register to vote as they enroll in classes.

S en. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Rep. Steven LaTourette, R-Ohio, introduced the Student Voter Opportunity to Encourage Registration Act late last month.

“The federal legislation was conceived and developed through [the Student Association for Voter Empowerment’s] members and we are happy to see the bill go on the floor,” said Matthew Segal, SAVE executive director. “With this bill, we hope to further institutionalize voter registration to the universities and colleges around the country.”

SAVE, a student-led nonpartisan, nonprofit group has worked with elected officials since 2006 to help voter registration run more smoothly for young voters.

About 99 percent of America’s higher education institutions, both public and private, receive some sort of federal funding, Segal said. The bill would exclude, however, forprofit higher education institutions like the University of Phoenix.

Segal said he thinks the Student VOTER Act would be a continuation of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act and the 1998 Higher Education Act, which requires colleges and universities to make “good faith efforts” to offer voter registration to students.

Students also respond more favorably to institutionalized registration, he said.

“According to a [Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement] study that came out in 2004, about 30 percent of young people register to vote at Department of Motor Vehicles,” Segal said. “It is apparent that they like the help that they receive in institutionalized registration.”

More students are voting now than before but the vast majority aren’t because registration can be somewhat confusing, he said.

According to the same CIRCLE study, 22 percent of 18- to 29-year-old citizens claimed the reason they did not vote was because of VOTER CONTINUES ON PAGE 2A

U2 CONFIRMS NORMAN CONCERT DATE Rock super-band U2 officially confirmed yesterday a stop in Norman as part of its 360 tour.

U2 is expected to perform at the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 18, according to a press release.

This comes almost a month after the band prematurely released a set of unofficial tour dates that included an Oct. 19 stop in Norman.

The dates were subsequently removed from the official Web site without warning.

Now, the dates are confirmed, the venue is FREE — ADDITIONAL COPIES 25¢

official and U2 unquestionably will be heading to OU this October.

Tickets will go on sale April 17. At least 10,000 of those tickets will be priced around $30.

The U2 360 tour will stop at stadiums across North America and Europe and has already sold 2.5 million tickets.

There is still speculation as to an opening act, but an official announcement has yet to be made.

—TYLER BRANSON/THE DAILY

© 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MERRILL JONES/THE DAILY

PHOTO PROVIDED

A program initiative is going through the U.S. Senate to increase young voter registration.

The program, proposed by college students, would allow students to register to vote when registering at college.

VOL. 94, NO. 128

2A

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Voter

STUDENT CONGRESS SETS STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS BUDGETS About $324,140 was allocated to student organizations at the Student Congress meeting Tuesday night as part of The Administrative Appropriations Act of 2009-2010, with the greatest portion going to Campus Activities Council.

CAC will receive $165,000, dropping $10,000 from last year.

Brett Stidham, budgetary committee chairman, said all student organizations are facing budget cuts because of the economic climate.

Stidham said that although the budget for allocation has increased by about $5,000, the demand has also gone up.

Megan Bebb, CAC chairwoman, came to the meeting and shared her concerns about the cut in funding.

“I just want to make sure that it was

Election

continues from page 1A election began, School of International and Area studies adviser Malin Eichman sent an e-mail to SIAS students encouraging them to vote for Nunley, who is an international studies major.

On March 31, the first day of the election, adviser Shannon English sent a similar e-mail to about 1,500 students on an International Advisory Committee email list.

English, who is new to OU, immediately was informed by Student Life Director Kristin Partridge that university policy does not allow faculty or staff to endorse candidates in student elections, according to an e-mail exchange provided to The Daily by a superior court clerk.

English’s e-mail was sent primarily to international students. About 22 hours after it was sent, Jack Hobson, assistant director of Education Abroad and International Student Services, e-mailed the same students an official retraction of English’s e-mail.

Van Eaton blamed Nunley for the endorsements in his written complaint.

Above

continues from page 1A ence on me.”

At one point, Ryan said he realized he didn’t have enough scholar-

known we did not ask for an increase, we asked for the same amount as last year,” Bebb said.

Bebb said her organization intentionally did not ask for more money because they wanted to be respectful of smaller organizations in the economic downturn.

CAC will still be able to request additional money from subsidiary or emergency allocations, Stidham said.

“Everyone is taking cuts and there is nothing we can do about that,” Stidham said.

Stidham said the decision to cut CAC’s funding was made by the entire committee and was not to direct any malice towards the organization.

CAC’s allotment constitutes about 45 percent of all the funding allotted.

“Tyler was informed of the UOSA election rules and this violation beforehand and chose to ignore them, also taking advantage of an ignorant staff member. This is in no manner representative of the action of our Campus Activities Council, not suitable for such a high student position and simply unfair,” Van Eaton wrote.

According to the complaint, both the e-mail from a staff member and the closure of the polling place were violations of the UOSA student code.

Both Van Eaton and Nunley have until noon Friday to file written complaints or responses. They will present oral arguments before the court Tuesday.

Kyle Eastwood, chief justice of UOSA Superior Court, said the court will try to make a decision quickly, possibly issuing a written decision as early as April 16.

The members of the court will decide whether to validate the results of the election. If the results are overturned, the UOSA legislature will create legislation to establish a special election before the end of the semester, Student Congress Chairman Kurt Davidson said.

ships to cover all his college costs but decided a degree in something he loves is worth a little debt.

To cover what he can, Ryan participates in the Henderson Scholars Program, serves 25 hours

continues from page 1A the confusion on how to register and they missed the deadline.

Because of the confusion and the somewhat “bureaucratic” voting registration in some states, students feel disheartened in the voting system and become apathetic, Segal said.

But the bill wouldn’t just take some of the confusion away from students. Colleges and universities could also benefit from it.

“With them concentrating on voter registration instead of giving out grants to various student partisan organizations, this allows the universities and colleges

to conduct registration along with enrollment, saving money and allowing the student groups to become more proactive in campaigning for their chosen candidate,” Segal said.

Because members of both major political parties introduced the bill, Segal said SAVE is hopeful and confident the House will pass the bill before summer session.

After a meeting with President Barack Obama’s administrative transition team, Segal said the administration showed an interest in approving the proposed bill.

But the bill isn’t perfect.

Segal said one flaw in the bill is its inability to reach out to those not pursuing college degrees.

“One day, I hope that we will

be able to access the millions of students who graduate from high school with a similar bill to what is being proposed now and make high schools ‘voter registration agencies,’” he said. “While the bill may have a slightly elitist component, it is a step in the right direction.”

Segal said he’d like to see the U.S. adopt an automatic voter registration policy like the ones many European countries have in place.

“Voter registration should not be a barrier to participating in politics,” he said. “While I would love to see America establish a more automatic voter registration policy, I believe we are taking a crucial step.”

DOUBLE VISION

JAMES CORNWELL/ THE DAILY

Tom W. Boyd, professor emeritus of the religious studies program, poses with a bust presented to him during a special event honoring his career at OU in Beaird Lounge on Tuesday. To honor the Boyd’s achievements, a scholarship was put together in his name and his bust will be displayed on the third floor of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

of community service a semester and constantly applies for new scholarships.

Ryan said he’s thankful for all the financial help he receives and said anyone struggling financial-

ly should spend more free time applying for scholarships because the reward is worth the sacrifice.

“If you sit down for four or five hours and get a $500 scholarship, your hourly payoff is pretty good,”

he said.

The Pearl Carter-Scott Aviation Scholarship is worth $1,250 and is awarded annually to a Chickasaw Nation student pursuing aviation at OU.

Take center stage!

Take home the prize!

DATE : Saturday, April 11, 2009 LOCATION: University of Oklahoma

Memorial Stadium North East TIME : 9: 00 am – 2: 00 pm

Rock your style – and the stage – at the Garnier Fructis Sing in the Shower event.

Give your hair the star treatment at our makeover station. Then step into the spotlight and perform to win tickets to the American Idol finale, $ 5,000 and more!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

3A

Kansas tornado allowed Greensburg to go green Community a center for research, development JAMIE BIRDWELL

The Oklahoma Daily

Greensburg, Kan., wants to be the real-world version of the Emerald City.

On May 7, 2007, the 65-mile-wide city of Greensburg was destroyed by an F5 tornado, leaving only two buildings standing in the town, Mayor Bob Dixson told the OU community on his Tuesday visit as part of Green Week 2009.

Although the devastation was tragic and 12 residents were lost, the community decided to pull together and completely rebuild the town but, this time, in an environmentally friendly way, Dixson said. Without the tornado, the community would never have been able to start such a sweeping program, he said.

“We were very blessed to have lost everything,” Dixson said.

“It’s easier to go in and start talking about things.”

Dixson said the Midwest was where the idea of “green” originated. Early settlers around Kansas and Oklahoma knew how to utilize the land, wind and sun, he said.

He said a grass roots community effort pushed the city to adopt the green movement.

“The decisions weren’t from the top-down,” Dixson said.

“We wanted input from all stakeholders. Everyone had an opportunity to voice their opinion, and if they didn’t, well, that’s their fault.”

One of the very first things to go up after the tornado was the town’s first water tower to replace individual well use, Dixson said.

All of the municipal buildings have some element of green in them, he said. The arts center has solar energy panels, geothermal heating and air conditioning; city hall was rebuilt from bricks found in the debris from the tornado; and Greensburg became the first town in the nation with all LED streetlights, saving 70 percent of overall costs, Dixson said.

Even the private homes were built environmentally friendly, although they don’t look any different, Dixson said.

“It doesn’t have to look so modern that it looks like it came from the moon,” he said.

The future plans for Greensburg include a new green hospital, high school and a new John Deere store, Dixson said.

The rebuilding of Greensburg has received a lot of outside help, he said. The federal government provided $1 million and actor Leonardo DiCaprio donated another $400,000, Dixson said. In addition, some New York City firefighters who responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks came to Greensburg to help build the new fairgrounds and community center, he said.

Dixson said Greensburg has also become a center for research and development.

Abby McCune, sociology sophomore, said she believes we all can learn something from Mayor Dixson.

“It’s hard to think that something [tragic] like that gave the opportunity for something so great,” she said.

John Jennings, management information systems junior and vice chairman of student congress, said he was pleased with the turnout at the Dixson lecture.

“This year’s Green Week is about sustainability,” he said.

“We want to show students ways they can move away from fossil fuels.”

PHOTO PROVIDED

An all LED welcome sign in Greensburg, Kan., is one of many green upgrades the city has implemented since an F5 tornado leveled all but two buildings in 2007. Greensburg is the first city in the nation with all LED streetlights.

Cate ala Carte gets eco-clamshell food containers Program reduces Styrofoam trash by reusing, rotating containers RENEÉ SELANDERS

The Oklahoma Daily

Housing and Food Services launched an environmentally friendly food container program for students who want to limit the amount of trash they produce at Cate ala Carte restaurants.

A week into the program, H&F has sold 28 of these reusable “eco-clamshell” containers, according to Lauren Royston, H&F marketing and public relations director.

She said the eco-clamshells are a green alternative to the usual polystyrene foam containers, which don’t easily break down in landfills.

“We know from focus group and surveys that our residents are interested in, and committed to, green initiatives, and with that, Food

Services researched into Styrofoam alternatives for this pilot eco-clamshell program,” Royston said in an e-mail.

Instead of throwing away a Styrofoam container after finishing a meal from Cate, students may purchase a plastic eco-clamshell for leftovers, and then exchange a used eco-clamshell for a clean one the next time they buy a meal at Cate Center.

This rotating system began April 1 with 100 eco-clamshells total; 50 for sale to students and 50 kept at Cate Center for rotation.

H&F Services Director Dave Annis said student comments inspired the program.

“It gives students a chance to step up and live their convictions,” Annis said in an e-mail. “If a student is concerned about the use of polystyrene and recycling, they have a personal option they can choose.”

Abbie Hunt, Cate ala Carte employee and University College freshman, said Tuesday

STATE BRIEFS CALIFORNIA TO TRANSFER INMATES TO SAYRE PRISON OKLAHOMA CITY — As many as 1,000 California inmates could be sent to a private prison in Sayre, an Oklahoma corrections official said Tuesday.

Oklahoma already has approved more than 300 California inmates for transfer and expects to review hundreds more prisoner files over the next several days, said Renee Watkins, administrator of private prisons and jails for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

UNINSURED OKLAHOMANS TOP 36 PERCENT IN 2007-2008 OKLAHOMA CITY — A new study by a health consumer organization says more than 36 percent of nonelderly Oklahomans were uninsured at some point in the 2007-2008 period.

The report was released Tuesday by the Washington, D.C.-based Families USA. It said 1.1 million Oklahomans, or 36.3 percent of the state’s citizens under 65 years old, were uninsured at one time during the two-year period.

According to the report, 79.3 percent of the uninsured Oklahomans worked either full or part time.

Three-fourths of those Oklahomans were uninsured for six months or more.

PRISON CLOSING DISCUSSION SURFACES OKLAHOMA CITY — Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee confirmed Tuesday that he asked the Department of Corrections to provide an analysis on the cost of closing state prisons and sending the inmates to private prisons.

Coffee, however, said there is no plan to shut down any prisons this year. He described it as a datacollecting process and said the DOC selected the prisons to be studied.

—AP

morning was the first time she had seen a student use the eco-clamshells at Oliver’s All Day Breakfast and Hot Bar. She said while students may not be aware of the program, she thinks it is a convenient way for students to make OU a greener university.

“I do think it is a good idea if enough people embrace it,” Hunt said.

As of Monday, only 12 eco-clamshells had been sold, according to Annis. With the number of containers sold more than doubling as of Tuesday afternoon, Food Services Director Chuck Weaver, who has had an integral part in bringing the program to OU, said he has high hopes about the future of the eco-clamshell program.

“It makes me very optimistic and in fact, we’re going to have to start looking at ways to get that same program moved over into the Union and over to Couch, so we’ve got quite a project ahead of us,” Weaver said.

CAMPUS BRIEF OU WINS RECYCLEMANIA OU placed first among Big 12 schools participating in this year’s RecycleMania, a national 10-week recycling competition.

With more than 320,000 pounds recycled and 12.49 pounds per capita, OU beat the following schools in pounds recycled per capita: University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Colorado at Boulder, Baylor University, University of Kansas, Texas A&M University and University of Texas at Austin.

This is OU’s first year participating in RecycleMania.

RENEÉ SELANDERS/THE DAILY

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COMMENTS OF THE DAY »

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

In response to Tuesday’s news story about green initiatives on campus

Ray Martin, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

YOU CAN COMMENT AT OUDAILY.COM

OUR VIEW

“This is the very initiative that Student Congress’ Green Week is undertaking. There are going to be events and tables set up all week in the union and on the South Oval, not to mention the free concert featuring Nelo on Walker-Adams Mall on Thursday.

They will be selling shirts and taking donations for recycling bins on campus. All the money

goes right to the cause. Student Congress doesn’t see a dime of it.”

- MBURRIS “Everywhere there is a trash bin on campus, inside of buildings and out, there should be a recycle bin next to it.”

- ARCHITECT

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

E-mail restrictions, faculty members problematic for student candidates The mess that is student elections on this campus keeps getting messier.

The latest debacle came with the CAC Chairman elections. Tyler Nunley, who won the election last week by fewer than 200 votes, was endorsed by staff members of the school of international and area studies and the international advisory committee.

In case you’re wondering, that’s against the rules.

And it should be.

Advisers sent mass e-mails encouraging students to vote for Nunley and stating his platform. For many students, that was probably enough incentive to vote for the guy.

To ensure such endorsements are

avoided in future elections, two things need to change: Faculty and staff need to keep their noses — and opinions — out of student elections, and candidates should be allowed to send one mass email to the student body to give their pitch for their respective positions.

Each candidate could be allowed a mass e-mail during his or her campaign. Or, UOSA and CAC could be given one e-mail all together that would contain info from all candidates. Either way, candidates need better ways to communicate to students than handing out shoe coupons and wearing gorilla masks.

Faculty and staff members and departments have no business endorsing

OU MAKING STRIDES IN RECYCLING

candidates. They don’t vote. Nor should they. And their influence before the election should match their influence at the polls.

The Daily sometimes endorses candidates because, as an independent entity made up of students who actually vote, we have the right, even the responsibility, to inform students who we think is the best choice, and why.

No faculty or staff members vote on our endorsements or affect our decisions.

Candidates should have more means of campaigning and getting their messages across. But those means should not include enlisting staff and faculty members in a fight for student votes.

INHOFE’S TIFF Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe expressed frustration earlier this week at Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ budget cuts, which will stop development of 12-15 cannons that are being assembled in Elgin. Are Inhofe’s gripes legitimate?

VOICE YOUR OPINION ONLINE AT THE OPINION BLOG.

Despite what a letter to the editor said last week, during the winter break, 12 outdoor trash cans were refitted with a blue dual-purpose lid for a new trial program. In fact, there are four dual-purpose lids on the South Oval, for the outdoor recycling convenience of the OU community. This new lid features slots for plastic and aluminum, in addition to a slot for non-recyclable materials. Under each of these new lids are separate receptacles for recyclables and trash. At the end of this semester, we’ll conclude our trial. At that point we’ll explore increasing the number of outdoor dualpurpose lids and the subsequent impact on our small Refuse and Recycling staff.

- Amanda Hearn, OU physical plant communication

STORY WAS FULL OF ERRORS I read the article “Carnegie Hall soon to be reoccupied,” featured in The Oklahoma Daily Tuesday, while attending class in Carnegie Hall. The caption underneath the photograph stated that the building now sits empty due to the recent departure of the University College. Staff writer Hannah Rieger failed to perform whatever writer learns in their preliminary stages of the journalism profession: research.

Rieger’s research could have simply consisted of entering Carnegie Hall. Had she only entered the foyer, she would have observed a building occupied with educational life. Since the mid 1950s, the Department of Regional and City Planning (RCPL) have been tenants of Carnegie Hall. RCPL just celebrated its 60th anniversary in the fall of 2007.

Housed on the second floor of Carnegie Hall for many decades is the Department of Landscape Architecture. The curriculum of these two disciplines is also cross-listed with sociology, political science, architecture, landscape architecture, geography, civil engineering and environmental science and economics. This building still facilitates the education of many undergraduate and graduate students.

As a result of this extremely erroneous article, we demand an immediate retraction. It is only fair for Rieger, as well as this newspaper, to do so in order to redeem their reputation and integrity.

- Sasha Marshall, RCPL graduate student

STAFF COLUMN

HONORARY DEGREES NOT SO HONORABLE I’m a graduate student here working on a master’s degree. This means I pay for my education in monthly installments, and then I go to class, complete my assignments and do research.

You know, intellectual engagement and contribution to the university – required accountability and expectation of academic JON achievement. So MALONE it was a bit surprising to see that OU is lowering its standards of Ph.D. achievement to an equal status of economic donor to the school. Honorary or not, buying or just showing up to get a degree is pretty weak.

Renowned historian David McCullough, author of the brilliant “1776” and “John Adams” books, is coming to speak at the OU commencement. A smart historian with a touch of storyteller, his choice to come is a great addition to the graduation festivities. I hope to hear what he has to say about education to the graduating class of 2009.

However, much to my puzzlement, I also read that McCullough will be presented with an honorary doctorate at OU when he comes.

If a degree were a gesture of thanks or a salute to nice work in a field, I would be more inclined to accept this. McCullough has neither studied nor taught at OU, having appeared twice at OU to discuss historical topics (once with former President George H.W. Bush.) So

we will give him a high-level degree in recognition of his contributions to our university?

This is obviously not new, as McCullough has received close to 40 honorary degrees in his lifetime.

Does this seem strange to anyone else?

But the confusion didn’t stop.

To my amazement, The Daily reported on Tuesday that three other individuals will receive honorary doctorates for their respective work; however, two of them, Harold Hamm and Walter H. Helmerich III, are recognized for their endowments to create new programs at OU and other educational centers.

To be fair, I’m certain each of these men are wonderful contributors to the university.

But that’s just it. They are donors.

To get a Ph.D. in most any department at OU, the process is long and arduous. Classes must be taught, original research must be done and published and the vaunted dissertation has to happen. My classmates mostly roll their eyes when any of these aspects or the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for research are mentioned in conversation. It is a grueling, stressful, time-and-money-eating endeavor, one that results for many in the achievement of the degree.

I fully recognize that the honorary title is significantly different from the orthodox achievement.

But to lump this group of four in with the students who have poured their free time, weekends, and sacrificed time with their families to pursue this academic goal seems to cause the honor to be

cheated a little bit of its worthwhile recognition.

Inviting McCullough is a terrific idea, one which far outweighs some of OU’s past commencement speakers (Katie Couric, anyone?).

But the idea of a doctorate awarded to someone practically unaffiliated with the university, which is made up of the hard-working students seeking their various degrees, lessens the importance and value of such a degree.

As such, I suggest we find an alternative method for recognizing these people, such as creating a yearly award recognizing such contributions. This would keep the donors happy, the historians writing and the doctoral candidates valued.

Jon Malone is an English education graduate student.

STAFF COLUMN

Conservatives, liberals misunderstood in ‘legislating morality’ debate Liberals and conservatives are waging many strange battles in the U.S. today, but one of the strangest is over the extremely sticky phrase: “You can’t legislate morality.”

Liberals seem to have a tendency to scream this without having any idea what they’re saying, and conservatives seem to want to dismiss it as the fantasy of some wackos.

Neither side is really listening to the argument MICHAEL WILKINSON of the other, and those of us who aren’t particularly high-ranking party officials are liable to get caught in the crossfire.

All laws are, as the conservatives say, moral judgments in a sense. Every law is based on the idea that some action is bad

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or “immoral” and some other action is good and “moral.” (The astute in the audience may wonder what standard the government could possibly be using to make these judgments, but we’ll come to that later.)

Thus, in a sense, legislating morality is unavoidable. The very idea of legislating demands it. The misunderstanding comes when liberals say, “You can’t legislate morality.”

They usually mean, “The government can’t restrict my freedom unless I’m harming someone.”

Why should harming someone be the great determining factor?

The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights,

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Governments are instituted among Men…” So our government, by its own statement, is here to protect our lives, our liberties and our pursuits of happiness. Any law overstepping these boundaries is what liberals are decrying when they say, “You can’t legislate morality.”

Now, most of the time, conservatives argue that since all legislation is legislation of morality, complaining about legislating morality is frivolous.

Since, as we’ve already seen, this line of thought side steps the true motive behind the claim “You can’t legislate morality,” I won’t bother discussing it further.

When conservatives aren’t busy making that argument, however, they can argue the means of protecting liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Their natural argument might be that man is most free when he’s following God’s

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will and law.

While this is true so far as I can see, the lack of a consensus on what, exactly, is God’s will and law among the populace precludes the use of any sacred books as a basis for the laws of the U.S. The best route, therefore, would seem to be to allow (and ensure) as much freedom of action as possible where such action does not result in the jeopardy of life. It is this route that’s usually being advocated when people cry, “You can’t legislate morality.”

So there you have it. Liberals aren’t just trying to throw off all restraint and live amoral lives; they’re generally just trying to keep the government true to its foundations.

And conservatives aren’t just trying to dominate the world; they’re generally just trying to make it better.

Michael Wilkinson is a University College freshman.

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Columnists’ and cartoonists’ work is representative of their own opinions, not those of the members of The Daily’s Editorial Board.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

5A

FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH US LAWMAKERS Wants to help change US foreign policy WILL WEISSERT

Associated Press

HAVANA — Signaling its willingness to discuss improved relations with the Obama administration, Cuba on Tuesday granted three visiting members of the Congressional Black Caucus the first meeting with Fidel Castro by American officials since he fell ill in 2006.

The surprise meeting came a day after the full delegation of six representatives spent more than four hours talking privately with Cuban President Raul Castro, his first encounter with U.S. officials since formally replacing his brother as head of state nearly 14 months ago.

The sessions occurred as Washington discusses whether to warm up long chilly relations with Cuba. President Barack Obama has ordered an assessment of U.S. policy toward the communist nation and some members of Congress are pushing to lift a ban on Americans visiting the island.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., current head of the 42-member caucus, said at a news conference in Washington after the group’s return that lawmakers met for nearly two hours with Fidel Castro and found him “very healthy, very energetic, very clear thinking.”

Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Calif., who also met Fidel with Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., said Castro “looked directly into our eyes” and asked how Cuba could help Obama in

AP PHOTO/JAVIER GALEANO

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., front, reacts during a news conference in Tuesday in Havana. Cuba’s President Raul Castro met Monday with six visiting members of the Congressional Black Caucus for more than four hours, his first face-to-face discussions with U.S. leaders since he became Cuba’s president last year. Back from left to right; Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Calif., Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D- Mo., Rep. Bobby Rush, D- Ill. his efforts to change the course of U.S. for- Washington keeps here instead of an embaseign policy. Richardson said she had the sy, said he expected the Cuban government impression that 82-year-old Fidel wants to to release details during the nightly newscast see changes in U.S.-Cuba relations in his on state television, though it was not clear if lifetime. photos or video of the encounter would be Raul Castro, added Lee, “said everything made public. was on the table.”

Fidel Castro has not been seen in public Greg Adams, a spokesman at the since undergoing emergency intestinal surU.S. Interests Section in Havana, which gery in July 2006 and it was his first meeting

in several years with American officials.

Although he gave up his presidential duties after becoming ill, he remains an influential force in Cuba.

Among the last U.S. officials to see him face-to-face were state governors visiting the island separately on farm trade missions in 2005: Dave Heineman of Nebraska and Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana.

Lee’s group was in Cuba five days on a trip meant to encourage dialogue between the United States and Cuba.

Jeffrey Davidow, the White House adviser for this month’s Summit of the Americas, which Obama will attend, says the U.S. president has no plans to lift the 47-year-old trade embargo against Cuba. But he says Obama will soon ease travel and financial restrictions affecting the island as his administration reviews its Cuban policy.

Lee’s delegation is sympathetic to Cuba, with most of its members openly praising the country’s communist government while decrying U.S. policy.

Before the meeting with Fidel Castro was revealed, Lee said her group’s talks with Raul Castro left lawmakers “convinced that President Castro sees normalization of relations and an end to the embargo as a benefit to both countries.”

In commentaries Monday in state media, Fidel Castro said that Cuba is not afraid to talk directly to the United States and that the Cuban government does not thrive on confrontation as its detractors have long claimed. He also welcomed the visit by the U.S. lawmakers.

Vermont legalizes gay marriage with veto override Vermont’s is first legislature to act for gay marriage DAVE GRAM

Associated Press MONTPELIER, Vt. — The marriage proposal came not over a candlelit dinner or on a scenic mountaintop; instead the couple were surrounded by a throng of gay rights supporters outside the Vermont House chamber.

“We haven’t decided who’s going to propose to who yet,” former lawmaker Robert Dostis said as he stood next to his longtime partner, Chuck Kletecka. “But we’ve been together 25 years in September, and I think September 14th would be a nice wedding day.”

“Sounds good to me,” Kletecka replied. “I accept.”

The exchange came just after the Vermont House narrowly achieved the two-thirds majority necessary to overcome Republican Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto of a gay marriage bill.

Vermont was the first state to give gay and lesbian couples legal recognition with its civil unions law in 2000. It jumped to the lead

again Tuesday: After courts in three other states had legalized gay marriage, Vermont became the first to have its Legislature do so on its own.

Bills to allow same-sex marriage are currently before lawmakers in New Hampshire, Maine, New York and New Jersey. The three other states that allow same-sex marriage — Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa — moved to do so first through the courts, not their legislatures.

“For a popularly elected legislature to make this decision is a much more democratic process” because lawmakers have to answer to the voters every other November, said Eric Davis, a retired Middlebury College political science professor.

Courts typically deal with arcane points of constitutional law. While legislatures debate some of the same principles, the process may become much more personal. In Vermont, some of the most gripping debate came when gay lawmakers took to the House floor last Thursday and told their own love stories.

Getting gay marriage approved in a political, rather than purely

legal, forum is a big step, said Boston University law professor Linda McLain, an expert on family law and policy.

“What may give courage to other legislatures is that this legislature managed to do it,” she said.

She added that using the civil rights language of equality — the measure in Vermont was dubbed the marriage equality bill — could help make gay marriage more acceptable elsewhere.

Opponents said they, too, believe activists will be emboldened in other states and could attack the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman and provides that states need not recognize the marriage of a samesex couple from another state. The Vermont action comes just days after the Iowa Supreme court ruled that not permitting gay marriage there was unconstitutional.

“To the millions of Americans who care about marriage, we say, ‘Get ready. President Obama and Democrats will use Vermont as an excuse to overturn the bipartisan federal Defense of Marriage Act,’” said Brian Brown, executive direc-

AP PHOTO/TOBY TALBOT

Gay marriage advocate Beth Robinson, center, holds back tears following the passage of a gay marriage bill Tuesday in Montpelier, Vt. Vermont becomes the fourth state to legalize gay marriage. tor of the National Organization for Marriage, which waged a radio campaign against the measure. “The next step is to ask the Supreme Court to impose gay marriage on all 50 states.”

To date, the same-sex marriage movement’s main gains have been in New England, which some attribute to Yankee liberalism and the gradual acceptance of gay relation-

Licensed to kill? Gunmen in killings had permits Laws continued to ease, not tighten gun access DEBORAH HASTINGS

Associated Press

They had more in common than unleashing carnage — nearly every gunman in this monthlong series of mass killings was legally entitled to fire his weapons.

So what does that say about the state of gun control laws in this country? One thing appears certain: the regulations aren’t getting stricter. Many recent efforts to change weapons laws have been about easing them.

Despite eight rampages that have claimed 57 lives since March 10, “it hasn’t sparked any national goal to deal with this epidemic. In fact, it’s going the other way,” said Scott Vogel of the Freedom States Alliance, a gun control activist group.

Even President Barack Obama has felt that sway. Last month, 65 House Democrats said they would block any attempt to resurrect an expired federal ban against assault weapons.

The pro-gun Democrats, led by Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas, wrote Attorney General Eric Holder saying they opposed not only a ban on military-style guns, but also efforts “to pass any similar law.”

Gun control issues would only produce “a long and divisive fight,” they said, at a time when Congress should be focused on the roiling economy.

A few states are trying to loosen gun restrictions. In the Texas Capitol — where legislators can carry guns — bills easily passed the Senate in recent weeks that would allow employees to bring weapons to work as long as they leave them locked in their cars, and let those packing heat off the legal hook if they walked into a bar that didn’t have signs saying guns weren’t allowed inside.

The state also is considering allowing students licensed to carry a concealed weapon — there are about 300,000 such adults in Texas — to bring guns on campus.

Kansas plans to put a measure on its 2010 ballot that would rewrite the state constitution to make gun ownership a personal, rather than collective, right. In Tennessee, lawmakers made progress this month toward allowing guns to be carried in state and local parks.

“I think you’re seeing a continuing change of culture,” Vogel said. “I think the gun lobby wants to take away any stigma to gun ownership. I think they feel emboldened, like who’s going to stop them?”

The National Rifle Association, the country’s most powerful gun lobbying group, declined to comment this week on gun control laws. “Now is not the time to debate politics or discuss policy. It is time for families and communities to grieve and to heal,” it said in a prepared statement.

Groups such as Vogel’s, and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, say existing laws are already too weak — just look at the men who received gun permits, legally bought high-powered weapons, and then mowed down family, friends and total strangers in these past few weeks, they say.

Joining their outrage was the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

“How many more gun-related acts of violence must we experience before the nation’s leaders will decide that it is time to act?” asked president Manuel Diaz, mayor of Miami.

Gun enthusiasts say there is no way to prevent human beings from committing insane acts. Whether they have a gun permit or not.

ships after Vermont’s groundbreaking civil unions law took effect in 2000.

Douglas had announced his intent to veto the gay marriage bill two weeks ago, saying he believed marriage should be limited to a man and a woman and calling the issue a distraction from more important economic and budgetary issues.

6A

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

OBAMA TELLS TROOPS IRAQ MUST TAKE OVER America’s combat role to be phased out over 19-month time-table DAVID ESPO

Associated Press

BAG H D A D — Fl y i n g u na n nounced into a still-dangerous war zone, President Barack Obama told U.S. troops and Iraqi officials alike Tuesday it is time to phase out America’s combat role in a conflict he opposed as a candidate and has vowed to end as commander in chief.

With violence diminished but hardly disappearing — a car bomb killed eight Iraqis just hours before Obama’s arrival — the president met with Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki and emphasized that “we strongly support” steps to unite political factions, including integrating minority Sunnis into the government and security forces.

Iraqis “need to take responsibility for their own country,” Obama told hundreds of cheering soldiers gathered in an ornate, marble palace near Saddam Hussein’s former seat of power.

“You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country. That is an extraordinary achievement,” he told some 600 troops, saluting their efforts during six years of American fighting and losses.

CHARLES DHARAPAK/AP PHOTO

President Barack Obama greets military personnel at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Tuesday, April 7, 2009.

“We love you,” someone yelled from the crowd of photo-snapping men and women in uniform.

“I love you back,” responded the president, repeating a sequence that played out at hundreds of campaign stops on his successful run for the White House last year.

Obama met with top U.S. commanders as well as senior Iraqi leaders on a visit of a little more than four hours that was confined to Camp Victory, the largest U.S.

military base in a war that began in 2003 and has cost the lives of 4,265 members of the U.S. military. Many thousands more Iraqis have perished.

A helicopter flight to the heavily fortified Green Zone a few miles distant was scrapped, but White House aides attributed the change in travel plans to poor weather rather than security concerns.

Al-Maliki, appearing alongside Obama after their meeting, told

reporters, “We assured the president that all the progress that has been made in the security area will continue.”

American commanders told the president the country is experiencing a relatively low level of violence, although the car bomb explosion in a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad was evidence of a recent resurgence. Obama flew from Turkey, the next-to-last stop on an eight-day itinerary that also

included Britain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Aides said Obama chose to visit Iraq rather than Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are also in combat, in part because it was close to Turkey and in part because of upcoming Iraqi elections.

In his remarks to the troops, Obama made no mention of the Afghanistan conflict — where he has decided to commit 21,000 additional troops.

Somali pirates back in action, seize 5 ships ELIZABETH KENNEDY

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya — For the first three months of 2009, Somalia’s notorious pirates faded from the headlines as a massive international naval force moved in, and many observers thought the pirates were running scared.

Not so fast: the pirates have hijacked at least five vessels since Saturday.

Using a new strategy, they are operating further away from warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden. And they no longer have to contend with the choppy waters that always plague the seas off Somalia in the early part of the year.

That has allowed the sea bandits to come back in force — seizing five vessels over a 72-hour period.

“The weather has improved west of Seychelles and they’ve realized they have much more freedom of action down to the south because the coalition are not there in great numbers,” said Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of the British company Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service Ltd.

“We’re going to end up probably playing a cat-and-mouse game in the next six months.”

The lull in successful major attacks was partly because the pirates found it harder to strike inside the Gulf of Aden, where warships from the United States, China, France, India and elsewhere have concentrated their efforts to protect one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

Now, analysts say, the pirates have moved many of their operations further south, targeting ships as they come out of the Mozambique Channel.

“It’s exactly the same tactics as before, it’s just a different area ... Perhaps they’re trying to get the navies to spread their assets more widely,” said a Nairobi-based diplomat, noting that better weather was also encouraging attacks. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The pirates received tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments with high-profile seizures last year that included a Saudi oil tanker and a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks, both of which were later released.

But while the gunmen seized nearly 38 percent of the vessels they targeted in 2008, their success rate in the first two month of 2009 plummeted to about 13 percent. The five attacks since Saturday show a new strategy — they are moving further out to sea and down the Somali coast.

One reason is that surveillance in the Gulf of Aden is higher, with unmanned drones, helicopters and aircraft flown from shore.

The helicopters have frequently intervened in attacks, firing at gunmen or even picking up crew members who jumped overboard.

But one analyst at a private security firm says the international patrols are poorly coordinated.

He pointed to a recent case where one of the security company’s guards escorting a vessel did not see a warship for over 100 miles and then came across three at once.

At other times, warships were in Djibouti harbor instead of out patrolling, said the analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to publicly criticize naval forces.

Cmdr. Jane Campbell of the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet, which monitors piracy in the Gulf of Aden, said “international navies alone will never be the complete solution to piracy.”

“Even with the increasing number of international navies operating in the area, AP PHOTO

The German war ship Frigate Rheinland-Pfalz docks at the port in Mombassa, Kenya March 10 as they prepare to hand over suspected pirates to the Kenyan police after the German navy arrested them off the coast of Somalia last week.The frequency of attacks has actually increased since last year: 31 were reported in January and February compared to 111 for the whole of 2008.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

1B

Steven Jones, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

« TODAY’S SPORTS Women’s Tennis at Oklahoma State - 2 p.m.

Softball vs. Arkansas - 5 p.m.

Baseball at Wichita State - 7 p.m.

OUDAILY.COM

MEN’S BASKETBALL

GRIFFIN DECLARES FOR 2009 NBA DRAFT Sophomore will forgo final years of eligibility ERIC DAMA

The Oklahoma Daily

Two days after being named the Naismith Player of the Year, sophomore forward Blake Griffin made national headlines again Tuesday with the announcement that he will forego his final two years of collegiate eligibility to enter the 2009 NBA draft.

“This past week I have been going over in my mind what I should do,” Griffin said. “I sat down with Coach Capel and my family and I think it is time for me to move on and take my game to the next level.”

Sitting beside the 6-10, 251-pound forward was Capel, who said there was no question the Oklahoma City native he recruited two years ago was doing the right thing.

“This is the right decision. In my mind it was a no-brainer,” Capel said. “It was the best thing for Blake, it was the best thing for the University of Oklahoma and it was the best thing for our program.”

Also on hand were Griffin’s parents, Tommy and Gail, as well as his older brother, Taylor. Although Griffin’s family is a major influence on his life, this was a decision that Griffin’s father said he had to make on his own.

“We told him last year the most important thing is he has to make the decision himself,” Tommy Griffin said. “And it was the same this year. He cannot live his life if I tell him what to do.

“I just told him make sure whatever you do, it’s going to take care of you, because if you have too many people pulling on you, that’s not good. We just told him whatever decision he comes up with, we’re going to back him 100 percent.”

Many people have speculated for the past few months that Griffin would not be returning to OU next year. Although they

AMY FROST/THE DAILY

Sophomore forward Blake Griffin and men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel talk to reporters at Tuesday’s press conference in Lloyd Noble Center. Griffin announced his intentions to leave OU after his sophomore year and enter the 2009 NBA Draft.

“This is the right decision. In my mind it was a nobrainer.”

HEAD COACH JEFF CAPEL

turned out to be right, the consensus national player of the year said making his decision to leave OU was not easy for him.

“The decision was tough. I love playing here, this is my home state,” he said. “This is the school I wanted to come to, obviously. It is tough to walk away from something like this, but at the same time this is a big opportunity. I felt like I was ready for it this year as opposed to last year.”

Griffin, who set OU and Big 12 single season records for rebounds, field goal percentage and double-doubles, will leave OU as one of the greatest players in school history.

For Capel, his departure is bittersweet.

Watch sophomore forward Blake Griffin announce his intention to declare for the 2009 NBA Draft online.

OUDAILY.COM

“It’s sad on one end,” Capel said, “but it’s a great thing to know that you had a kid that has worked his butt off in something he’s wanted to do his whole life, and he’s going to have a chance to pursue that, not only pursue it but to be very successful.”

BASEBALL

No. 11 Sooners finish off short road trip against Wichita State JONO GRECO

The Oklahoma Daily

With the start of a tough Big 12 stretch nearing for the No. 11 baseball team, the Sooners head up to Wichita State University at 7 p.m. today to take on the Shockers.

Away from L. Dale Mitchell Park, OU (257, 6-3) posts a 10-6 record while WSU (17-11, 3-1) is 14-6 at home.

Witchita State’s record against teams on the Sooners’ schedule is 1-4. Their only win came against Nebraska while their four losses came against Texas Christian University (three) and Kansas (one).

The rest of WSU’s schedule features four games against three other Big 12 opponents and the team will visit Norman on April 22 for one game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH JUNIOR PITCHER GARRETT RICHARDS Richards will make his sixth start of the season Wednesday. Despite a 7.77 ERA, he is 3-1 on the season and has struck out 22 batters in 24 1/3 innings.

In Richards’ last outing on April 4 against the Missouri Tigers, he threw three innings in relief while allowing one run on three hits.

He was credited with the victory in a three-

strike out effort.

FRESHMAN THIRD BASEMAN GARRETT BUECHELE Prior to March 24’s 12-6 victory over Central Arkansas, Buechele was the only regular starter without a home run, but since then he has hit four long balls and has climbed to second on the team in batting average. He is one of five Sooners to start all 32 games and his .395 average is only bested by junior shortstop Bryant Hernandez who leads the team with a .433 average.

Even though he is not the most surehanded infielder on the team, he exhibits good range and makes the plays when the team needs him to make them.

SOPHOMORE LEFT FIELDER CASEY JOHNSON Johnson has been a stable force in OU’s lineup as he has been consistently hitting out of multiple spots in the batting order.

His .333 average ranks fifth among players who started a minimum of 25 games, his six long balls are tied for fourth and he is fourth in RBIs with 29.

Johnson has committed two errors in left field while making 41 putouts and has two outfield assists.

SHOCKERS JUNIOR FIRST BASEMAN CLINTON MCKEEVER

TENNIS BRIEF The OU women’s tennis team suffered a loss in their last match against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but the Sooners look to get back on track as they continue Big 12 play today.

The Sooners will be on the road as they take on in-state rival Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. today in Stillwater. The Sooners, who are currently 2-4 in the Big 12, need a big win to get back on track and gain confidence going into the Big 12 champion-

ships which begins April 23.

This should be an even matchup as OSU is currently 3-5 in Big 12 play and has won two of its last six matches.

After this match, the Sooners will have a weekand-a-half break before playing again. They will be back at home to host Baylor on April 18 at the Gregg Wadley Indoor Pavilion.

AMY FROST / THE DAILY

Junior pitcher Andrew Doyle pitches during OU’s game against Nebraska March 29. The Sooners defeated the Cornhuskers in the first game of their double-header 12-9.

McKeever leads WSU with three homers – the team has hit 17 in 28 games – and his .330 average is second among the regular

starters.

He has yet to commit an error as he has recorded 232 putouts and 15 assists.

BE A PART OF OU HISTORY. (AND FIT IN DAD’S WALLET.)

— James Roth/The Daily

Grand Opening!

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Call (405) 325-3668 Or walk in: Copeland Room 160 Today-April 17 Sooner yearbook is a publication of OU Student Media in the division of Student Affairs.

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2B

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

SOFTBALL

STAFF COLUMN

Texas’ display of Big 12 title embarrassing

M

AMY FROST/THE DAILY

Freshman right-handed pitcher Kristen Allen pitches during the first game of OU’s doubleheader against Baylor Wednesday. Baylor shut out OU 5-0.

OU HOSTS ARKANSAS TODAY AARON COLEN

The Oklahoma Daily

The softball team will host nonconference rival Arkansas at 5 p.m. today at the OU Softball Complex.

The No. 13 Sooners (30-11, 7-3 Big 12) have won three straight games after losing three in a row before that.

BIG 12 BREAK After an up-and-down start to conference play, OU will get a Big 12 breather when it faces 22-15 Arkansas from the SEC. The Sooners lead the all-time series 14-1, and have never lost to the Razorbacks in Norman, winning all seven meetings.

The last meeting between the two teams was on May 17 during the

NCAA Regional in Norman. OU won that game 6-5 in 11 innings.

TRIPLE THREAT The heart of the Sooner lineup has been playing in top form of late, led by junior second baseman Amber Flores and her .425 batting average. She has 45 hits on the year, and has reached base on balls 48 times (34 walks and 14 times hit by a pitch).

Hitting behind Flores is senior first baseman Samantha Ricketts, who is one home run shy of tying former Sooner Ashli Barrett’s school career home run mark of 46.

Ricketts has been a rock in the OU lineup over the years, starting in 178 consecutive games.

She had a game-winning hit in the first of two games against Nebraska

over the weekend.

Finally, there is junior catcher Lindsey Vandever, who contributed to OU’s last two victories while barely taking the bat off her shoulder. Vandever walked six times over the weekend, with Nebraska pitchers being so careful against her that she saw few pitches over the plate.

PITCHING PLATOON Freshman pitcher Allee Allen has been nothing short of spectacular this season.

The Sooners have relied on her and fellow freshman Kirsten Allen while senior pitcher D.J. Mathis works her way back to 100 percent. Allee Allen is 14-2 this year with a 2.36 ERA and she leads the team with 95 innings pitched.

SPORTS BRIEFS QUIRKE BREAKS IRISH JUNIOR NATIONAL RECORD IN DISCUS

CONNECTICUT’S MOORE TAKES WOMEN’S NAISMITH AWARD

Freshman Colin Quirke, who is redshirting this year for OU, is making the most of his year off and broke his second Irish Junior National Record of the year Saturday.

Quirke, with a throw of 181 feet, 2 inches, broke a 22-year old record in the discus.

His throw was well past the previous record of 165 feet, 5 inches, set in 1987.

UConn sophomore Maya Moore won the 2009 Naismith Trophy as the top women’s college basketball player in the country Monday.

OU senior center Courtney Paris was a finalist for the award.

Moore, who was a two-time Big East Player of the year, is the sixth athlete to win a Naismith Trophy in high school and college.

Other players to reach the feat are Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie.

This season, Moore averaged 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and shot 53 percent from the floor.

She also set Connecticut’s single-season scoring record.

Paris, who won the award as a sophomore in 2007, averaged 15.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game this past season.

Paris, who was named a first-team AllAmerican during her four years at OU, and a recipient of the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, finished her decorated career with a loss to Louisville Sunday.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS DRAWS EIGHT SEED FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS The women’s gymnastics team earned the eight seed for the NCAA Championships, which starts April 16 in Lincoln, Neb. In OU’s preliminary afternoon session, the Sooners will start on bars and will compete against Georgia, LSU, Florida, Stanford and Penn State.

Following the session will be a night session comprised of Utah, Alabama, UCLA, Oregon State, Arkansas and Illinois. The top three teams from each session advance to the team final.

Last season, Georgia won its fourth consecutive national title in Athens, Ga.

— Daily Staff

any people have little sisters. You know, the ones who complain constantly to get their way?

I know I have one (no offense if you’re reading this, little sister).

Well, make that two now, courtesy of the Texas Longhorns football program.

As was widely reported Monday, the Longhorns have added another Big 12 championship — with an asterisk — on the team room wall in the Moncrief-Neuhaus training facility. The 2008 Big 12 Championship.

Apparently the university thinks it’s OK to claim something that isn’t its own. Sure, the Longhorns were close, I will give them that. And yes, I thought Texas had just as good of a case to play for the Big 12 Championship as OU did, maybe more. I even wrote a column about that last semester. It’s off my chest, let’s keep moving.

But the thing is they didn’t play in the Big 12 Championship. So they didn’t win it. It’s impossible.

Perhaps I could add one to my wall? I too watched the game from my couch.

If “almost winning” earns prestige MJ now, then go ahead and forget about CASIANO Courtney Paris’ guarantee. Better yet, add Hillary Clinton to Mt. Rushmore.

It’s just beyond me why they would put a negative and annoying reputation on themselves.

It was an agreed-upon rule that couldn’t change. If Mack Brown didn’t like the rule, he could’ve stood up about it before the seasons started. It’s nobody’s fault but their own that they lost to Texas Tech.

Brown said Monday he was unaware of the display, and will have it taken down. Whether or not he’s telling the truth, however, the damage has been done. Furthermore, the Longhorns continue to act like they won the championship, as it was reported Tuesday that Texas coaches — excluding Brown — received the salary bonuses that accompany winning a Big 12 title, even though Texas didn’t play in the championship game.

Texas never ceases to amaze me.

With both highly-talented quarterbacks coming back for another season, I’m looking forward to seeing OU and Texas battle it out for the Big 12 title this year. One of these two teams will be playing for a National Championship this season.

Maybe this time around, no asterisk will be needed for Texas’ training facility wall.

Nowadays, when my sister wants her way, I let her have it. So congratulations, Texas, on your new championship.

Now your training facility looks like Barry Bonds’ home run record.

MJ Casiano is a broadcast and electronic media sophomore.

3B

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

« SLIDESHOW

Luke Atkinson, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051

OUDAILY.COM

To see more photos from the Pauls Valley Toy & Action Figure Museum, go online.

OU GRAD PRODUCES NEW COMIC Comic book anthology offers unique look at comics industy Brian Winkeler likes comics. Å lot.

He’s a Visual Communications graduate student who is having the second part of his and artist Dave C u r d ’s “ B a s t a r d Road“ series published in Image Comics’ anthology “Popgun Volume 3.”

Winkeler describes it as a postapocalyptic buddy comedy about OSIZIMETE complete opposites AKEN’OVA Bastard and Farel as they wander the “ B a s t a r d R o a d .”

Here they run into several odd characters in this barren landscape, including Luchadors , the sexy mutant

women and giant one-eyed chickens who spit fire.

Brian started out working for various advertising firms doing things in radio and television before he settled at 3rd Degree Advertising in Bricktown, where he works as the associate creative director. Winkeler says his job helps encourage his creativity.

“I have a job where I produce cool stuff for eight hours a day,” said Winkeler.

A self proclaimed child of pop culture, he also gets his ideas and inspirations from a wide range of influences.

“Half of everything I do is stolen from ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Futurama’ and ‘30 Rock,’” said Winkeler. “I love Tina Fey, the British television series ‘Peep Show’ and ‘Newsradio.’”

“Newsradio” starred Phil Hartman,

who Winkeler described as a direct influence of his work, because Winkeler also started out in design like Hartman did, but later moved on to comedy writing for various TV shows like “The Simpsons.”

The idea for “Bastard Road” initially started out as an animation pitch for “Adult Swim.” Three years ago, a friend from college, who helped launch the Cartoon Network program, read some of Winkeler’s works and asked him to do work for the channel.

The first series, which introduces the two main characters, was published in “Popgun Vol. 2” in July and after the release of the third anthology, Brian along with his partner Dave Curd and new artist Eric Sandhop will be working on a 24-page version, as opposed to the regular 12-page format.

Winkeler doesn’t limit himself only to comic books, he is presently working on two screenplays and more comics, he said.

“We kind of lucked into the industry,” Winkeler said. “My goal is to be able to do more comics and work on screenplays.”

Winkeler’s advice to people hoping to get into the industry is just to get involved.

“Really, it is just a matter of doing and absorbing as much as you can,” he said. “I’ve read books on writing, tried to find examples of comic books and screenplays.”

Winkeler said ultimately, it is all about having fun.

“What I’m doing is having fun while I’m doing and looking for opportunites to doing it more.”

As for the book, “Popgun” is a comic anthology “mixtape” by both mainstream comic book artists and writers, along with independent upand-coming artists to create a series of shorts.

It’s filled with rare shorts that haven’t been published in a long time. It’s a fun series to read , especially since mainstream artists and writers get the freedom to do whatever they want.

As a comic lover, I think it is always fun to see what your favorite artists would do with this kind of carte blanche. It also gives little know writers and artists an opportunity to showcase their work and reach a bigger audience.

“Popgun Volume 3” will be available today at Speeding Bullet Comics and Atomic Pop!.

Osizimete Aken’ova is a film and video studies junior.

SAM NOBLE MUSEUM TO HOST EGG HUNT The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and the OU J.C. Penney Leadership Program will host the 10th annual “Eggstravaganza” tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. on the front lawn of the Museum.

Activities will include a giant egg hunt, face painting, crafts, sack races, a cookie walk and pick-a-duck. Museum hours will also be extended from 4 to 7 p.m. with free admission to the museum during this time.

“Eggstravaganza is a wonderful philanthropic event that has become a tradition in Norman,” event cochair woman Lauren Edwards said. “Children and parents have a lot of fun, local businesses generously support the event and J.C. Penney Associates are given the opportunity to interact with the and give back to the community.”

— Richie Mills/The Daily

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily’s Tyler Branson and Katie Parker offer advice every Wednesday based on issues concerning students.

I JUST REALIZED I’M GRADUATING IN A MONTH. WHAT SHOULD I DO TO MAKE MONEY? Tyler: Ideally, you should follow your heart and your passion, which will hopefully manifest itself in a way for you to make a living.

But this isn’t the ideal world, this is the hellish reality we’ve been unfairly thrown into. A reality that includes job losses and shortages, and employers apparently unable to hire to a 22-year-old graduate with a liberal arts degree and a wicked beer pong shot.

Katie: I don’t normally suggest selling your body to the night, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I DON’T WEAR NORTHFACE OR UGG BOOTS. AM I UNLIKABLE? Tyler: It may be tempting, but I must advise you to stay away from those horrendous trends. These trends are similar to growing a mullet or wearing bell bottom jeans: everybody had them, but in 20 years, your kids will look at old pictures of you and call you an idiot.

Katie: No! I already like you! You sound like a semi-intelligent person. Congrats!

I NEED A POLITICALLY CORRECT WAY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT. “YOU’VE BEEN RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND” JUST DOESN’T WORK ANYMORE. Tyler: There’s a fine line between cheese and genuine interest. Ultimately, the best thing you can do is smile, say hello, and hope her boyfriend isn’t lingering in the shadows somewhere waiting to get you both thrown out of 747.

Katie: Once a guy told me my hair smelled like I stuck it in a washing machine. It didn’t work out. Corny comments are just flat out awkward and sound insincere. A simple conversational jogger about something going on around you tends to work.

Tyler Branson is an Engish senior and Katie J. Parker is a journalism senior.

L&A BRIEFS PART OF ‘CUCKOO’S’ HOSPITAL TO BE SAVED FOR MUSEUM SALEM, Ore. — It’s one of the most memorable moments in movie history: silent Chief Bromden smashes a heavy appliance through a barred window to escape from a cruel mental institution in the 1975 classic “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

As demolition begins on most of the 125-year-old building where the movie was filmed, workers plan to preserve one section and the marble hydrotherapy device Bromden used for a museum of mental health.

“It’s the thing that many people remember about the movie,” said hospital spokeswoman Patricia Feeny.

Workers on Monday used a trackhoe with a 95-foot arm to begin tearing down the roof of the Oregon State Hospital’s J Building to make way for a new 620-bed hospital complex that’s to be finished by 2011.

Feeny said the movie’s producers donated the prop that resembles a large bathroom

sink with various faucets and spigots, to the hospital. It has been on display outside the hospital superintendent’s office.

APPLE CHANGES ITUNES PRICES SEATTLE — The era of oneprice-fits-all-songs on iTunes came to an end Tuesday as Apple Inc., the Internet’s dominant digital music retailer, began selling some of its most-downloaded songs for $1.29 apiece.

Apple said in January that it would end its practice of selling all individual songs for 99 cents each and begin offering three tiers: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29.

Recording companies pick the prices, much as they did for CDs sold in stores and online.

On day one, songs including “Jai Ho” from the “Slumdog Millionaire” soundtrack, “Single Ladies” by Beyonce and “Chicken Fried” by the Zac Brown Band were bumped up to $1.29.

–AP

4B

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

PLACE AN AD

L

Phone: 325-2521

LOST & FOUND

E-Mail: classifieds@ou.edu Fax: 405-325-7517 Campus Address: COH 149A

DEADLINES Line Ad ..................2 days prior Place your line ad no later than 9:00 a.m. 2 days prior to publication date.

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Businesses may be eligible to apply for credit in a limited, local billing area. Please inquire with Business Office at 325-2521.

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Classified Display, Classified Card Ads or Game Sponsorship Contact an Acct Executive for details at 325-2521.

2 col (3.792 in) x 2 inches Sudoku ...........$760/month Boggle ............$760/month Horoscope .....$760/month 1 col (1.833 in) x 2.25 inches Crossword .....$515/month (located just below the puzzle)

POLICY The Oklahoma Daily is responsible for one day’s incorrect advertising. If your ad appears incorrectly, or if you wish to cancel your ad call 325-2521, before the deadline for cancellation in the next issue. Errors not the fault of the advertiser will be adjusted. Refunds will not be issued for late cancellations.

The Oklahoma Daily will not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religious preference, national origin or sexual orientation. Violations of this policy should be reported to The Oklahoma Daily Business Office at 325-2521.

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All ads are subject to acceptance by The Oklahoma Daily. Ad acceptance may be reevaluated at any time.

Lost & Found

J Housing Rentals APTS. FURNISHED

LOST 14 yr old male Poodle, white/gray, lost vicinity 12th & Santa Fe, Moore, pink collar w/bell. REWARD!!> Cody, 405-9215700.

$400, bills paid, efďŹ ciency LOFT apartments, downtown over Mister Robert Furniture, 109 E Main, ďŹ re sprinkler, no pets, smoke-free. Inquire store ofďŹ ce.

Announcements

Need Peace and Quiet?

Large, private studio. Furnished, bills paid incl basic cable, near I-35 & Hwy 9. $375/ mo, $200 dep. 360-9983 (W) 639-7571 (C) or suzanne.wyatt@yahoo.com

SPECIAL NOTICES www.therealapocalypse.com YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

1 bedroom near campus, $400/mo plus electic, $200/dep, no pets. Call 8866709.

J Housing Rentals

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HOUSES UNFURNISHED

CONDOS

NEAR OU, 915 W Lindsey - 1 or 2 bd, 1 ba, $500.

NEAR OU, 1104 Grover Ln - 2 bd, 1 ba, garage, CH/A, W/D, stove, ref, mic, compactor, $800.

NEAR OU, 707 Juniper - 3 bd, 2 ba, CH/ A, W/D, carport, garage, $975.

NEAR OU, 1415 McKinley - 2 bd, 1 ba, garage, W/D, stove, ref, CH/A, $675.

911 Nebraska - 2 bd, CH/A, W/D, ref, stove, $650

Housing Sales

Edge Condo, 4 bd/ 4 bath, $126,900 - 1st time homebuyers: $8000 tax rebate Call Carol Lindley 401-0246 - Dillard Group

Sell your stuff.

NO PETS, References Required.

Contact: 329-1933 or 550-7069

C Transportation

AUTO INSURANCE

AUTO INSURANCE Quotations Anytime

Foreign Students Welcomed Jim Holmes Insurance, 321-4664

Employment HELP WANTED Looking for leasing agent at Clarendon Apts. Call 364-8815 for application. $7.50-8.00 / hr, exible hours. F/T during breaks.

STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid survey takers needed in Norman 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys.

GREAT STUDENT JOB Part time leasing agent, M-F Rotating Sats. Pay based on experience.

Must be friendly & detail oriented.

Apply at 2900 Chautauqua Or call 360-6624 for more info.

GREAT STUDENT JOB Part-Time Leasing Agent 12:45pm-6pm M-F, Rotating Sats.

Pay based on experience.

Must be friendly & detail oriented.

Apply at 2900 Chautauqua Or call 360-6624 for more info Positions working with individuals with developmental disabilities. 7.50/hr to start, paid training. Call Panhandle Opportunities 942-4822 or fax resume 942-4993.

Now hiring lifeguard, swim instructors, and AM pool managers. Apply at the Cleveland County Family YMCA, 1350 Lexington Ave. EOE.

APTS. UNFURNISHED 1 BLK FROM OU, very nice 4 room apt, 800 sf, wood oors, 1016 S College, Apt 1, $295/mo. Call 360-2873 or 306-1970.

Post Oak Apartments 1-2 bed apts available! Newly renovated. Visit postoakliving.com - 364-3039, 705 Ridgecrest Ct. P/L Now for Summer & Fall! *Free Membership at Steel Fitness! $99 Deposit! No Application Fee! Models open 8a-8p Everyday!

Elite Properties 360-6624 or www.elite2900.com FREE RENT or up to $300 off First Mo! Student and Military Discounts Models open 8:30-5:30 M-F; 10-4 Sat 1-2 bedroom apts/townhomes with washer/dryer hookups in 2 bedrooms.

Pets Welcome! Free Tanning! Immediate Move-in!

Two locations: Apple Creek and Hillcrest Estates Call us at 329-2438 or 360-2048 or look us up online, apartmentguide. com

HOUSES UNFURNISHED Clean 3 bdrm, 1 bath near campus, big yard, ďŹ replace, basement, $800/mo. 4478313.

JUNE RENTAL 850 S Flood - $475+bills. 212 S Flood - $600+bills. Smoke-free, no pets, 1 year lease, security dep. 360-3850 NICE 3-4 bd, 2.25 ba. 929 Branchwood, $750. 1621 Chaucer, $850. 826 Jona Kay, $950. 2326 Lindenwood, $1150. Call 3602873 or 306-1970 216 S. Lahoma 2 bd, 1 bath, all new inside with w/d included, no pets, $750/mo. 405-208-3303, Southwest Properties.

SHORT WALK TO OU 1-5 blks west, nice brick homes, wood oors, CH/A, w/d, disposal, good parking.

4 Bdrm $1,800-$2,000 3 Bdrm $750-$1,500 2 Bdrm $600-$800 1 Bdrm $420-$460 Bob, MISTER ROBERT FURNITURE Mon-Sat, 321-1818

classifieds@ou.edu

3 bdrm, 2 bath, 1 mile east of campus!New carpet and paint, fridge, w/d included. Pets okay, $825/mo. Call 637-7427.

805C Cardinal Creek Condo’s, 2 bdrm, 2 bth gated community, pool, weight room, on-site washer/dryer, close to campus, nice enviroment to study, overlooks OU golf course $585/mo. Call (580) 7634278 211 W Symmes, 4 bd, 2 bth, CH/A, wd, dw, $1500/mo, security dep, no pets, 719748-5141

TOWNHOUSES UNFURNISHED Taylor Ridge Townhomes 2 Bdrm, 2.5 Bath, Fully Renovated Townhomes near OU! Pets Welcome! • Call for current rates and Move-in Specials!!!

Taylor Ridge Townhomes (405) 310-6599

ROOMS FURNISHED NEAR OU, privacy, $250, bills paid includes cable, neat, clean, parking. Prefer male student. Call 329-0143.

oudaily.com

1

6 9 3 7 6 4 4 1 2 1

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MetroShoe Warehouse now hiring energetic persons for FT/PT sales and mgmt trainees. Hrly + comm. Apply at 1732 24th Ave NW, Norman.

Previous Solution

5 4 2 1 1 7 5 7 6 3

9

6 2 3 9

2 4 9 6 3 5 7 8 1

3 8 7 1 2 9 6 4 5

6 5 1 7 8 4 3 2 9

7 1 6 4 5 3 2 9 8

4 2 3 9 7 8 1 5 6

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9 7 4 8 1 6 5 3 2

1 3 8 5 4 2 9 6 7

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

8

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Make up to $75 per online survey, student opinions needed www.cashtospend.com.

Patient needed for dental hygiene exam.

Pays $250. Call 817-714-3236 for details.

Universal Crossword

$5,000- $45,000

Edited by Timothy E. Parker April 08, 2009

PAID EGG DONORS up to 9 donations, + Exps, non-smokers, Ages 19-29, SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00 Contact: info@eggdonorcenter.com

ACROSS 1 “All About Eve� actress 5 Hidden supply 10 “Are you ___?!�

14 Hodgepodge 15 Not terrestrial 16 Czech runner Zatopek 17 “Kon-Tiki� embarkation country 18 Cousin of a dik-dik 19 Historic ship 20 No-goodnik 22 Six, for the big hand 24 Makeshift tables 26 Sculling piece 27 Checkers, compared to chess 30 How some slug it out 35 Crookedly 36 Zodiac dozen 37 Coffeehouse container 38 Fed. procurement overseer 39 Held title to 40 ___ for tat 41 Midback muscle, briefly 42 Moccasin without laces 43 Play boy?

45 How some like to see things

Bartending! Up to $250/day. No exp nec.

Training provided. 1-800-965-6520, x133.

Riverwind and Newcastle COCKTAIL SERVERS are the ambassadors of hospitality. They are both men and women, carefully selected via extensive interviews. They are part model, part beverage server, part charming host and hostess. Interested applicants must exude conďŹ dence, poise, style and professionalism. Great earning potential.

Flexible availability. Must be at least 21.

Apply in person at Traditions Spirits corporate ofďŹ ce: 2813 SE 44th, Norman.

Take highway 9 West past Riverwind, travel 2 1/2 miles, turn right on Penn, take an immediate left. 405-392-4550.

Save a Life.

47 Quick on the uptake 48 Humble dwelling 49 Less common 51 Uno, por ejemplo 54 After a while 58 Holder of combs, needles, etc.

59 Marlon Brando’s birthplace 62 Heavenly glow 63 Give some lip to 64 Pat or Richard 65 Fund-raising need 66 The other team 67 Wield, as influence 68 Princely Italian family DOWN 1 Brewing ingredient 2 Bar with no alcohol 3 Capital of Italy, once 4 Canadian cop 5 Salad fit for a king?

6 Admixture 7 Virginia creepers?

8 Brood creator 9 Contiguous 10 La Motta portrayer 11 Weighty Kuwaiti?

12 Substandard contraction 13 Scold scathingly 21 Accepted a gunslinger’s challenge 23 Roles, figuratively 25 Word in a Bugs Bunny catchphrase 27 Bird of prey 28 Ore examination 29 Do axels and lutzes 31 Molding type 32 “___ Frutti�

33 Celestial hunter 34 What a pass provides 36 Dance romantically 39 Simple ratio 42 Whisky concoction 43 Vicinity 44 Slaughter

46 Belief in one God 47 Legendary Bear of Alabama 50 Find loathsome 51 Woodpecker pad 52 Home to five national parks 53 Erato, for one 55 Twosomes 56 Little terror 57 School since 1701 60 Be sociable 61 What a woodsman wields

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Š 2009 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com

“I’VE GOT CONNECTIONS� by Alistar Goodling

Call the Hotline at

325-5000

to report hazing, illegal or unsafe drinking.

All calls are anonymous.

The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

Previous Answers

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

5B

Bidders’ bounty? Storage unit auctions on the rise CHIGAGO — The auctioneer slides the steel door up, and a small crowd at the storage facility steps forward for a peek.

They are here to bid on possessions left behind when the people who rented the storage unit on Chicago’s West Side stopped paying for it.

The bidders are barred from entering the garage or touching its contents, so they stand on their toes to see as much as possible. Some shine flashlights inside, hoping to catch sight of a plasma TV or maybe a leather recliner.

The scene is evidence of an unusual opportunity: Business is booming in the sale of belongings that owners can no longer afford to keep at the nation’s storage units. For buyers, it’s a grab bag that can yield either junk or the luxuries of a life left behind.

The troubled economy is reflected in the items being sold — trendy clothes, high-end appliances and other indicators that the owners were, until recently, well off.

“What we are selling now is indicative of higher-income people than what we were selling in the past,” said Rich Schur of Schur Success Auction Services in Colorado Springs, Colo. “Clearly these are people who fell on hard times.”

There’s no specific tally of storage unit auctions, but auctioneers say they are busier than ever. Schur’s company has seen the number of units it auctions jump from 950 in 2007 to 1,250 in 2008. In January alone, the company auctioned 250 units.

“We are hearing from auctioneers across the country that they are seeing an increase,” said Chris Longley, spokesman for the National Auctioneers Association.

Wayne Blair said his Michigan-based business has seen its number of auctions rise about 10 percent in the last year. These days, he’s selling off the belongings of customers who have rented storage space for years and

until recently paid their bills.

Neither auctioneers nor bidders are allowed to inspect the items until after the sale, meaning they are often bidding blindly.

The reason is simple: Right up until the auctioneer says “Sold,” the items are legally the property of those renting the space.

And with tougher times, it’s easier to sell the notion that these units could contain what amounts to buried treasure.

“There’s a flock of new bidders that show up that heard from a cousin, saw on the Internet that you’re going to make a million dollars at auctions,” Schur said.

In truth, the dusty boxes often turn up little of value: old clothes, worn-out furniture, worthless documents. Auctioneers continually warn buyers to bid only on what they can see.

Brook Snyder, the auctioneer at the West Side storage unit, said his auctions are typically over in a matter of moments, with crowds ranging from 20 or 30 people to as many as 80.

On one day, a bidder paid $10 for a unit containing a small, old television, a lamp and a few boxes. Another buyer paid $225 for a unit in which bidders could see a washing machine, dryer and lawn mower.

Once in a while, someone gets especially lucky.

“There was one where they bought the unit and moved the boxes and found a Harley,” Schur said. “For $400 or $500, they got a unit with a $10,000 motorcycle in it.”

Not that the bidders want anybody to know that.

Theirs is a secret society. They write their last names when they sign in for the auctions, but when asked, they are “just Curtis” and “Brian from Lake Zurich,” ‘’Rhonda Smith” and “John Smith.”

Most bidders avoid looking at their purchases until they are alone. Instead, they

AP PHOTO/M. SPENCER GREEN

Auctioneer Brook Snyder auctions off unclaimed property from a locker inside a storage facility March 25 in Cicero, Ill. Like houses in foreclosure, the contents of storage units are being auctioned off at a steady clip as more and more people fail to keep up with their monthly payments. slap their own lock on the unit and return later, sometimes covering items so nobody sees what they are carting off.

Many buyers are concerned about being seen with something the previous owner still might want.

“You don’t want people to see what your wins are,” said Tim Donahue, who followed Snyder as the auctioneer went to nine sites in one day. Donahue has heard of winning bidders who bring strings of large helium balloons to block the view of security cameras as they take their new belongings.

Some of the items can be intensely personal, such as wedding albums, baby pictures or even urns containing the remains of a loved one. Blair said some bidders ask the

storage facilities to return sentimental items to the original owners.

“We found an old love letter, a card from 1902,” said Laura Taylor, who drove from her home in western Indiana to Chicago for the auctions last month. “You cry.”

Then there are instances when what appears to treasure ends up being trash.

Blair recalled one woman who paid $65 for a unit in which she could only see a printer, computer components and a few boxes.

The woman “reached in one box, popped the flaps open and there was $44,000 in cash inside,” he said. “The problem was (the bills) all had the same serial number,” meaning they were counterfeit.

— AP

FLIGHT STUDENT CHARGED WITH PILOTING CANADIAN PLANE INTO US ST. LOUIS — Suicide by fighter jet was the goal of a flight student who stole a plane in Canada, entered U.S. airspace and flew an erratic path over the Midwest with the military on his tail before he landed safely on a rural Missouri road, federal authorities said Tuesday.

Adam Dylan Leon, who was running out of fuel when he landed the plane Monday night in Ellsinore, Mo., was charged Tuesday with transportation of stolen property and illegal entry. The six-hour flight prompted a brief evacuation of the Wisconsin Capitol and warnings to

commercial aircraft over Chicago and other cities, but terrorism is not believed to be a motive.

According to the federal complaint, Leon told the FBI that he flew the plane into the U.S. expecting to be shot down by military aircraft. The complaint said Leon also told the FBI he “has not felt like himself lately” and he recently was being treated by a psychiatrist.

A background check of Leon, 31, of Thunder Bay, Ontario, showed no connection to terrorism, FBI agent John Gillies said.

Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for

POLICE REPORTS

ACKY-WAYS EWS-NAY

Names are compiled from the Norman Police Department and OUPD. The reports serve as a record of arrests and citations, not convictions. Those listed are innocent until proven guilty.

DUCKNAPPED SCULPTURE FOUND

ASSAULT AND BATTERY Larry Cieslak, 53. 4400 W. Main St., Sunday Glenn George Nemecek, 52, 901 N. Porter Ave., Sunday ASSAULT AND BATTERY WITH A DEADLY WEAPON Kevin Wiltz Vandagriff, 46, 333 N. Interstate Drive E, Sunday PETTY LARCENY Theta Elizabeth McDonald, 18, 3499 W. Main St., Saturday MUNICIPAL WARRANT Maggie E. Millican, 21, 2516 W. Brooks St., Monday Brian Keith Reed, 39, Constitution Street, Monday Carla Li Waldon, 30, 615 W. Main St., Monday COUNTY WARRANT Gale Suzanne Rose, 42, 3499 W. Main St., Monday Tommy Jason Shelby, 34, 1307 Garfield Ave., Monday OTHER COUNTY WARRANT Edward L. Moore, 31, Wylie Road, Monday

BOSTON — Boston police say a bronze duckling named Pack has been recovered after being stolen from the beloved sculpture in the city’s Public Garden.

A park ranger had discovered Pack’s theft early Monday.

Police say the sculpture was found by residents Tuesday on a street not far from the garden.

the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Leon was born in Turkey with the name Yavuz Berke, moved to Canada and became a naturalized citizen last year.

He would face up to 10 years in prison if convicted and would serve any sentence in the U.S. before being deported, U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said.

The plane was reported stolen Monday afternoon from Confederation College Flight School at Thunder Bay International Airport in Ontario. The college said in a statement that the flight was

Pack (pictured in 2004) is the next to last of the eight ducklings lined up behind Mrs. Mallard in the sculpture inspired by Robert McCloskey’s children’s book “Make Way for Ducklings,” in which a family of ducks walks across a highway to get to the garden.

Quack, Mack and Jack have gone missing over the years. All were recovered or replaced.

— AP

CAMPUS NOTES TODAY

THURSDAY

WOMEN’S OUTREACH CENTER The Women’s Outreach Center will host a night of music and poetry at 7 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

CAREER SERVICES Career Services will host an interviewing workshop at 10 a.m. in the union.

UNIVERSITY THEATRE University Theatre will present the musical “Baby” at 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center.

UNIVERSITY THEATRE University Theatre will present the musical “Baby” at 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center.

unauthorized but that Leon was enrolled in its program.

The plane was intercepted by F-16 fighters from the Wisconsin National Guard after crossing into the state near the Michigan state line.

The pilot flew erratically and didn’t communicate with the fighter pilots, said Mike Kucharek, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The pilot acknowledged seeing the F-16s but didn’t obey their nonverbal commands to follow them, Kucharek said in a telephone interview from Colorado Springs, Colo.

The plane’s path over Wisconsin prompted a brief, precautionary evacuation of the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison, although there were few workers in the building at the time and the governor was not in town.

The plane also flew over Chicago, Springfield, Ill., and St. Louis, prompting authorities to warn commercial aircraft in the area.

The Cessna 172 continued south over Illinois and eastern Missouri before landing near Ellsinore, about 120 miles south-southwest of St. Louis.

—AP

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Don’t hesitate to form an alliance with a person with whom you’ve never previously partnered. Even if you put the endeavor together loosely, it should work out rather well.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- If others ask you to oversee something important, they’ll have some valid reasons for doing so. Even though you may not realize it, your leadership qualities will be very much in evidence.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Do all that you can to keep everyone in a happy mood, because the attitude of your coworkers will affect you. When the mood of the place is good, your job will be made easier.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -To the casual observer, you may appear to be subdued, but, in reality, you’re likely to be hard at work observing all that is going on about you and getting a good handle on things.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Because you haven’t been playing favorites with your friends, it will prove to be a helpful tactic in getting along better with everyone. When all are equal, no one has to compete for attention.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- You are one who always likes to be where the action is, and group activities could be your cup of tea. In fact, the more integrated the activity, the more fun it is likely to be for you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- What makes you such a good mediator is the ability to review any testy situation or development from all sides. If something should develop, step up and keep warring factions in their place.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Instead of trying to step over others to achieve your objectives, you’ll invite them to join you, knowing they’ll have much to offer. You’ll let it be known that all will share in the coffers.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- In order to win others to your point of view, you need to have a fair-minded and unprejudiced outlook in your presentation.

When others see that you are unbiased, they’ll be receptive.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Some kind of arrangement in which you are presently involved can be better adjusted to everyone’s benefit. If you have some improvements in mind, make your suggestions at this time.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Because you’re apt to be extremely clever and resourceful when working with financial figures, this is a better-than-average day to put your monetary affairs in balance.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Most endeavors or ventures you share with others are apt to be the ones that will offer the greatest rewards, so it behooves you to be a team player. What you do on your own won’t be as gratifying.

6B

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

IN ACTION AT PAULS VALLEY TOY MUSEUM More than 40,000 visitors have surrounded themselves with unique action figures ADAM KOHUT

The Oklahoma Daily

Being Batman is easy, Josh Kraft says. Anybody can be Batman.

“The two things you have to know is you have to be rich, and you have to know a little karate and stuff like that,” Kraft, the manager of The Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley tells me.

We are standing in the “Back Cave,” (named after the Bat Cave, with a slight change for “licensing reasons”), which is a room filled with Batman memorabilia, from McDonald’s posters promoting 1992’s “Batman Returns” to an action figure-sized Wayne manor that turns into the Bat Cave.

“It’s not even a quarter of the [Batman] stuff that’s out there,” Kraft says.

Kraft shows me an exhibit that displays Kyle Windrix’s figures.

Windrix, a Purcell native, is a sculptor for NECA, a collectible toy and action figure company. Windrix’s work includes figures from the “Lord of the Rings” films. He’s also sculpted Jason and Freddy Krueger figures, which are absolutely incredible.

“One of the main things we like to focus on here at the museum is the art of the action figure,” Kraft says.

“Because really it’s a bona fide work of art.”

The museum sees more than 200 visitors a day in tour season, and more than 40,000 since it opened.

People from 30 different countries have come to see the 11,000-plus toys and action figures on display,

Kraft says. There’s an area devoted to 12-inch G.I. Joes (a room for the 3 ¾-inch figures is currently under construction; when it is finished it will hold more than 400 Joes).

A“Watchmen” exhibit displays all 12 original issues of the acclaimed graphic novel. “Star Wars” figurines cover a wall. A children’s area allows kids to play with action figures and dress up in superhero costumes. There is a wall dedicated to Oklahoma cartoonists. Despite the enormity of the museum’s collection, Kraft says it needs a bigger space. The place could be “five times bigger” and still full of toys.

Rick Masson and Ed Baxter approach me when they hear Kraft and I talking about the Power Rangers.

They are from Tulsa, in their late 20s and know more about toys, action figures and comic books than anyone I have ever talked to. Masson and Baxter tell me they have been in the museum for three hours. This is their third trip to the museum, and they have three more planned for this year.

“The first time we came here we went through and we looked at everything,” Masson says. “As we went through we went ‘yeah I know that, that, that, that’ — there was one piece in here that we did not know.”

We return to the subject of Power Rangers. Masson gives me a brief rundown of the original Rangers’ current lives.

We start by talking about the death of the actress Thuy Trang, the original Yellow Ranger, who died in a car accident in 2001. He tells me the Pink Ranger (Amy Jo Johnson) was in a movie in which she “took off her top.” The Black Ranger (Walter Jones) “hasn’t done anything.” The Blue Ranger (David Yost) is now a

PHOTO BY ELI HULL/THE DAILY

Toy figures from “Where the Wild Things Are” adorn a shelf in the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley.

PHOTO BY ELI HULL/THE DAILY

Josh Kraft, museum manager, adjusts action figures in the Adult Collectors Bedroom Diorama in the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley. The museum is open six days a week, yet Kraft is the only paid employee. producer. The Red Ranger (Austin St. John) has been in “a few shows here and there” — and Masson once saw him at a car show.

We wander over to the “Adult Collector’s Bedroom Diorama,” which is a mock-up of a bedroom that is entirely covered with action figures — more than 6,000 of them, Kraft says. They hang from the wall in their original boxes. They blanket the floor, freestanding and easily toppled. I spot Darkwing Duck, the Ghostbusters car and a Street Shark. A Terminator figure is inside the Star Trek Enterprise. Magneto sits in Chairy the chair, Pee Wee Herman’s favorite piece of personified furniture. Spiderman holds Tigger as though the bouncing tiger were a baby. Underneath the bed, Gonzo is attacked by some sort of wolf creature.

“It’s kind of like a game with this whole thing,” Masson says. “You gotta see how many of these you actually know. I can name probably 90 percent of these toys that I had, or that I played with, as a child.”

Masson and Baxter point out an enormous picture spanning nearly an entire wall of the museum. It depicts the Oklahoma City skyline as it is attacked by action figures.

I ask Masson about his favorite figure in the museum. He points to a particular figurine in the jumble of the bedroom diorama. It’s Soundwave, a Transformer robot

that transforms into a microcassette recorder. The figure still has its original tapes.

“We’re both big Soundwave guys,” Baxter says.

Masson pulls up his pants leg to reveal a “Transformers” logo tattoo. Baxter also has a tattoo. It’s the “Thundercats” logo.

They show me two cases which are full of Marvel and DC Comics’ superheroes. They ask if I can name them all. I tell them there is no way in hell. They can — and rattle off a few just to show me.

They tell me about Lobo, a DC character who is “like Wolverine and Superman combined,” Masson says.

“There’s no beating him, because hell nor heaven will take him,” Baxter says.

They tell me about the fight between Aquaman and Namor the Sub-Mariner in the “DC vs. Marvel Comics” four-issue comic series.

Aquaman won. He caused a whale to fall on Namor.

But there’s one aspect of the Toy and Action Figure Museum that eclipses everything else, according to Masson and Baxter: There are no Barbies.

“When you get action figures and toys and stuff like that and it’s in a museum, 99 percent of it is Barbie,” Masson says.

Baxter rolls his eyes.

This is a common misconception,

“I get a lot of people in here that go ‘Where the Barbies at?’”

JOSH KRAFT, TOY AND ACTION FIGURE MUSEUM MANAGER according to Kraft. He has to disappoint Barbie people on a regular basis.

“I get a lot of people in here that go ‘Where the Barbies at?’” he says. “[If you] look at our name it says the Toy and Action Figure Museum. There are a lot of doll museums, and a lot of toy museums, but there’s nothing in the world devoted to action figures.”

Masson and Baxter love the museum, they say. It’s pure nostalgia – and they’re right; it’s almost dizzying, like the results of my first 12 Christmases and birthdays combined into one spectacular building. They could — and do — stay here for hours, just looking, reliving childhood and talking about fictional characters. Both are action figure collectors, and plan to donate their stuff — at least some of it — to the museum.

“I have like a huge toy collection,” Baxter says. “I mean I have boxes and boxes of G.I. Joes and Transformers and all that. And yeah, I could sit there and sell it on eBay, but tell you the truth I’d rather come here and donate it here and have a chance for people who’ve never seen it or remember it to see it again. Something about that makes it so much more.”

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