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March 13. 2007
ROTC demonstrates Chinook helicopter by Hannah Jackson Student Writer
by Vista photographer Alex Gambill
Army CH-47 Chinook comes in for a landing with about 15 students from the Broncho Battalion aboard March 8 at the soccer field on Baumann and 2nd Street. See photo page on pg. 6 and 7.
A mushroom cloud of dust swept over a group of UCO ROTC cadets as a National Guard CH-47 Chinook landed on campus. The aircraft landed north of the Edmond Fire Station on a soccer field at 11 a.m. on March 10. The pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Ronald D. Black, and his crew took three groups of 16 Broncho Battalion cadets in the Chinook. Only cadets with dogtags were allowed to fly, said Mathew Young an MS-III cadet in the first group. The students were given static training and a safety briefing from Black early after his arrival. The uniformed cadets met again at 2 p.m. to take their 20 minute flight. "The Chinook aircraft is used a lot in Afghanistan because of its capacity to carry more weight at higher altitudes," said Captain Justin Covey, ROTC enrollment counselor at UCO. The Chinook has a weight limit of 50,000 pounds and can fly to altitudes of 14,000 feet. Although the typical flight height is 2,000 feet, in Afghanistan the altitude averages at about 12,000 feet. If
we could find an alternate source of oxygen for our crew, the Chinook could fly higher than 14,000 feet, Black said. Chinooks are primarily used for transporting cargo, but can also be used to put troops on the ground, in closeproximity to their objective, Black said. Although the seating capacity in the craft is 32 plus crew, there are times when that number is exceeded. Following Hurricane Katrina, Chinooks were used to transport thousands of medical supplies to victims and evacuate people from the Super Dome. The National Guard helps a lot during natural disasters, even dropped hay in the panhandle to stranded cows, said Black. The Chinook is also equipped with three hooks to which a collapsible bucket can be suspended to collect water from lakes and put out fires. The hooks below the aircraft are strong enough to carry other small planes, even a hummer. The Chinook is also large enough to drive a hummer inside the aircraft. Boats can be driven into the craft as it has the capacity to land and float on water. The Chinook can also
see Chinook, page 3
Troy Smith Jr. joins in celebrating 10 year anniversary "Troy Smith has not only given much of himself to the university, but he has also given much of himself to the state of Oklahoma." -Mike Shirley by Andrew Knittle Staff Writer
Troy Smith Jr., son of Sonic Corporation's founder, was on hand March 9 to mark the 10year anniversary of the Troy Smith Lecture Hall, the largest classroom and centerpiece of the Business Building. Mike Shirley, dean of the Business College, spoke to about 60 people gathered in the honorary lecture hall, repeatedly thanking the entire Smith family and Sonic, whose charitable efforts extend far beyond UCO. "Troy Smith has not only given much of himself to the university, but he has also given much of himself to the state of Oklahoma," Shirley said. Vice President of Academic
Affairs William Radke briefly addressed the crowd, telling the Smiths the school was grateful for all the gifts the family has given UCO. He also assured the Smith family members in attendance the $3 million the clan recently donated would be spent wisely — and frugally. "This university learned a long time ago to make our dollars go as far as they can go," Radke said. Completed in 1997, the recently renovated 125-seat Troy Smith Lecture Hall features a dual projection apparatus and a state-of-the-art multimedia system used to broadcast anything from PowerPoint presentations to streaming video off the Internet. Aside from providing the Business College with a large-
capacity classroom, the completion of the Troy Smith Lecture Hall also joined the department's two buildings, which once stood separate, together under one roof. Shirley said the new building gave business students a place to congregate and also helped people avoid the weather as they move from class to class. Before Shirley dismissed the audience for cake and bottled water, he once again expressed thanks and appreciation to the Smiths. "We are committed to your family," Shirley said, "and we will capitalize on those resources for generations to come." Andrew Knittle can be reached at aknittle@thevistaonline.com .
by Vista photographer Laehyung Lee
Mike Shirley speaks during the 10 year anniversary ceremony in the Troy Smith Lecture Hall in the Business Building on March 9.
Disability Days for raising awareness by Lyndsay Gillum Staff Writer
The fifth annual Disability Awareness Days, March 26 through March 28, is set to educate and inform the community about the barriers faced by a diverse group of people with disabilities. This year's theme is "Label Jars... Not People," and the event will feature interactive challenges and free food at Broncho Lake. "We want to teach people to think outside of the box and to think more universal design,"
Kimberly Fields, assistant director of Disability Support Services, said. "If people will do this, then people with disabilities will be more likely not to have these barriers." March 26 starts DA Days with a Blind Challenge. Participants will go through a maze either wearing a blindfold or low vision goggles and will hopefully help them understand the barriers that the blind or visually impaired face everyday. Free pizza will also be provided by UCO's Student Programming board. On March 27, Steve's Ribs will provide free food for the
Watch News Central Channel 6 @ 5 p.m.
VIBE Media offers all-expense paid trip by Aaron Wright Staff Writer
Photo Provided
Participants in the wheelchair challenge during the Disability Awareness Days of March, 2004. participants of the Wheelchair Challenge. It will teach participants how to navigate a wheelchair in a non-accessible course. "This will show you what it's like to change things
ever so slightly," Fields said. "People will be like 'oh wow,' they make it look easy." To conclude the week, a
see Awareness, page 3
Tailor Barnes won an allexpense paid trip to the VIBE Awards at the Big XII Conference on Black Student Government in February. Barnes, a fashion marketing junior, was one of 50 students who attended the conference from Feb. 15 through Feb. 17. "All weekend, they kept saying students would have a chance to walk the red carpet," said MeShawn Conley, director of Multicultural Student Services. During the last night of the conference, the announce-
ment of the winners was made. Barnes took her ticket out and followed the numbers listed as the speaker called them out. "I was only one number away from them calling my number," Barnes said, remembering her excitement. When the final number was called, Barnes said she screamed and ran towards the person calling numbers. "I took off numing like I was running track," she said. Her prize package includes a three-day, all-expense paid trip to New York City and Los Angeles
see Barnes, page 3
"The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success." - Bruce Feirstein
TUE. 73/52
WED. 80/53