THE
The Student Voice Since 1903
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2005
UCO relationship vital to mayoral candidates ■ Edmond voters will choose their next mayor April 5 by Joseph Wertz Senior Staff Writer
Business owner Julie Fost seeks to unseat Edmond's first female mayor, Saundra Naifeh, in the April 5 general election. Fost and Naifeh both recog-
nize the importance of UCO to the Edmond community. Fost said if elected she would pledge to work on the relationship between Edmond and UCO. "UCO is a huge part of the community," Fost said. "I believe that it needs to be strengthened and enlarged upon." Naifeh sees UCO's new forensics center as an opportunity for state and federal
OSU than research UCO. money. Naifeh has "We served two can target terms in the this, last four years Naifeh and said that if said. reelected she "Research would bring spawns jobs to economic Saundra Naifeh Edmond. growth." Julie Fost "Edmond Fost said it bothers her that more is a great place to live and a attention is placed on OU and great place to work," Naifeh
said. "This is such a great place because everyone has a part in it." Fost said that businesses aren't treated well in Edmond and cites municipal bureaucracy as a factor in limiting economic growth. She also said many business interests have been hampered by the city council. "Everyone from code enforcement to the fire department has an influence over the
Edmond economy," Fost said. "Our city council is voting against [approving] businesses in code. I don't think it is right to make a business do more than is on the books." Naifeh said she would continue with the initiatives she has put in place. "We need to look at the master plan that has been designed and figure out how to accom-
see MAYOR, page 3
de Lara named Miss Hispanic in sixth annual competition ■
Six UCO women of Hispanic origin vied for the title of Miss Hispanic UCO by Tynesia Omopariola Staff Writer Diana de Lara was crowned Miss Hispanic UCO at the sixth annual scholarship pageant March 5. An opening number started the night introducing the six contestants. The pageant consisted of five areas in which the contestants were judged. The interview, talent, 'Latina that you admire,' evening gown and
see PAGEANT, page 3 CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENtS
A mockingbird enjoys the advent of spring March 3 on campus.
Professors invited to Canada to present 'singing seniors' study ■ A pair of UCO proPhoto Provided
The design for the new Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation forensics lab was revealed Feb. 25. It will open in fall of 2005.
Forensics lab design unveiled by Ashlie Campbell Staff Writer The design for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Regional Forensic Institute being built near the UCO campus was revealed on Feb. 25. The building process began in the fall of 2003 with the
selection of Frankfurt-ShortBruza as the architectural/engineering firm, McClaren, Wilson and Lawrie as the forensic design consultant firm and Manhattan Construction as the construction manager. Construction on the site,
see LAB DESIGN, page 3
fessors found in their study of 22 seniors that singing can increase lung capacitY by Trisha Evans Staff Writer Two UCO professors were recently invited to present a paper at "The Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium V" June 30 through July 3 in Newfoundland, Canada. Dr. Ronald R. Manning, music professor, and Dr. Jamie Hooyman, kinesiology and health studies professor, conducted a study last fall after receiving a grant to document the connection between respira-
tory utilization and singing. For two days a week, for seven weeks, they studied 22 seniors ages 60 to 90 at Epworth Villa, an assisted living center in Oklahoma City. Fifteen years ago, Manning read about a similar study that found retired opera singers have younger and healthier lungs than their contemporaries. "I know of no other studies like this since," Manning said. "We found that more than half of the participants had a significant improvement in their respiratory capacity." As people get older, their ability to use their lung capacity decreases, which contributes to disease and increased illness as we age, Hooyman said. The subjects showed no significant change in their lung volume, but their ability to uti-
lize their lung capacity increased, Manning said. At the end of the seven weeks, participants could sing longer. Hooyman said this could be due to vocal training, posture improvement and possible muscle tone of the diaphragm. Hooyman said they are looking to take their research to the next step, which is to apply it to a larger group of people. She said they plan to publish their findings in a pulmonary or geriatrics journal. "They all testified to the fact that they had an improved sense of well-being," Manning said. Manning and Hooyman said they are very excited about the results and possible future studies. Trisha Evans can be reached at tevans@thevistaonline.com.
UCO to spotlight dancers from across region ■ The UCO dance department will host dancers from 35 regional universities by Trisha Evans Staff Writer Dancers will invade campus when UCO hosts the American College Dance Festival March 9 through 12. More than 460 dance stu-
dents from 35 universities will attend the regional South Central Conference held on campus. "This is such a neat thing for UCO to host and for it to be hosted in Oklahoma for a change," said Jamie Jacobson, dance director at UCO and a member of the national board of the American College Dance Festival Association. Five adjudicated concerts will be held in Mitchell Hall Theatre. Three dance profes-
sionals, Gem Houlihan, Dan Joyce and Claire Porter, will serve as judges. Houlihan has taught . dance all over the world and directed her own school and. company, the Boston Dance Project. Joyce, an assistant professor of dance at George Mason University, has also been a member of dance companies including the Mark Morris Dance Group, which was the national dance company of Belgium at that time.
Porter's work, "Portables," has been performed in several different countries. She has received several awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. "We are offering classes over this four day period that include ballet, modern, jazz, Mexican folkloric, belly dancing, flamenco, relaxation techniques, Pilates, improvisation, tap and much more," Jacobson said. They are holding three informal concerts in the Nigh
University Center Ballrooms. Jacobson said the dance department has spent over a year planning this event and said she hopes it will be good publicity for UCO and the dance program. Capezio/Ballet Makers Dance Foundation will sponsor the ACDF regional and national conferences. Trisha Evans can be reached at tevans@thevistaonline.com.
■ "Dress to Impress," the Spring Career & Internship Fair will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 8 in the Nigh University Center Ballroom. For information, call 9743346. Dress code is no shorts, hats or book bags. Men must wear a tie, and women wearing skirts must wear hose. ■ Volunteer team leaders are needed for Big Event, April 9. For information, contact the Volunteer Center at 974-2621 or e-mail dburks@ucok.edu . ■ Applications are available for the Presidential Partners Kirkpatrick Leadership Awards and Rothbaum Achievement Awards at the UCO Foundation Office, Rm. 102 of Evans Hall; Student Affairs, Rm. 213 of Lillard Administration Building; or from any dean's office on campus. Applications are due March 21. ■ Donations are being accepted for a campus-wide clothing drive for the YWCA domestic abuse shelter. The clothing drive will run through March 11, and donations should be dropped off at Rm. 201 of the Human Environmental Sciences Building. ■ UCO's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance will help taxpayers with their federal and state tax returns from Feb. 1 through April 12 in Rm. 347 of Thatcher Hall. For information, contact Dr. Mary Sheets at msheets@ucok.edu or at 974-2834.
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