The Student Voice Since 1903 University of Central Oklahoma
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Proposed immigration reforms prompt nationwide protests by Heather Warlick Staff Writer Proposed changes in America’s immigration laws sparked demonstrations in cities like Los Angeles, where 500,000 people took to the streets Saturday in protest of the new legislation. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee came to an unusual bipartisan vote of 12-6 March 28 in favor of moving a bill forward to the senate floor which may be a compromise acceptable to the thousands of activists whose chants of “Si , se puede” or “Yes, we can” united them in
protests nation-wide this week. Thousands of Latino students from high schools and universities nationwide joined in the protest by walking out of school Monday and Tuesday. Their anger stems from a bill that passed the House of Representatives in December which would make it a felony to live in the United States without proper documentation and would force illegal immigrants to return to their home countries before applying for citizenship. It would criminalize anyone found to be assisting or employing an illegal immigrant
and proposed building a fence along the United States’ southern border. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected many aspects of the original bill and amended others. U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) proposed an amendment decriminalizing assisting an undocumented immigrant with matters of food, shelter and healthcare. The new bill would create a “guest worker” program which would allow most immigrants AP who are currently living in the United States to illegally stay High school students run down a street near the John H. Francis Polytechnic High School on their see PROTESTS, page 5 way to protest proposed immigration legislation March 27 in Sun Valley, Calif.
Native American Student Assoc. to host powwow
Events help UCO students understand challenges of disabilities
Event to feature dancing and singing contests by Heather Warlick Staff Writer
by Alex Gambill Staff Writer UCO held its annual Disability Awareness Days March 27-29 giving students a perspective of what it’s like living with a disability. This was the fourth year for UCO’s Disability Support Services and the Student Programming Board to host the event. Students for an Accessible Society, sponsored by the Disability Support Services, and volunteers helped run simulations for students to experience some of the barriers faced when having a disability. “The main purpose of the event is to raise awareness of by Vista photographer Midori Sasaki individuals with hearing, visual, limited mobility or learning disabilities go through,” said Kristy Schneberger, speech pathology sophomore, participates in the "blind challenge" during Disability Awareness Days March 27 Reg Aldrich, business manage- near Broncho Lake. Participants in the exercise navigated a series of obstacles wearing a blindfold to simulate the challenges of blindment sophomore and president ness. of Students for an Accessible Society. Blind challenges were held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 27, and students had to walk an obstacle course blindfolded with the help of mobility canes to feel ing in car in front of him, their way over garden hoses and by Nathan Winfrey said the man who hit Cannon stairs. Students also participated Senior Staff Writer was hanging half-way out the in a dyslexic challenge where participants had to trace a star After a head-on collision window. “The guy had fallen asleep by using the reflection off of a on a quiet country road a mile concave mirror. from his home in the summer at the wheel,” Cannon said. “That obstacle course was of 2002, Daro Cannon was not He said the man was 10 times supposed to live. Despite his over the therapeutic level of very, very scary,” said Crystal “He doctors’ predictions, Cannon methamphetamines. Mohamed, business managedidn’t even get hurt.” is finishing school and has ment sophomore. “[The officer] said our tailtold his story to thousands of Mohamed said she has a gates came up and collided in people. greater understanding of what midair. It was that hard of an Cannon, kinesiology exerit’s like being blind. impact,” Cannon said. cise fitness junior, had just Mitchell Hubbard, psycholCannon said he remembers finished his freshman year as ogy junior, who is partially blind unbuckling his seatbelt and a kicker for the Southeastern in one eye and completely blind trying to open the doors of his Oklahoma State University in the other, due to diabetic retiChevrolet Silverado. football team when his truck nopathy, observed a few of the “I remember trying to push was struck by a truck driven blind challenges. the dash away, because the by a man on drugs. “Most people don’t have a dash smashed both my legs, “The last thing I remember clue to all the tiny things that can was the car in front of me but I couldn’t move it,” he get in your way and become an swerving off to the right into said. “I was thinking it was a obstacle just in everyday life,” a ditch. As I was looking off bad dream and I was just going Hubbard said. to the right, I remember glass to go back to sleep because I The Lions Cub of Oklahoma shattering over the left side was really tired.” by Vista photographer Brett Deering He said he fell asleep, and offered free visual and hearing of my face,” Cannon said. “I the next thing he remembered testes from their mobile screendidn’t know what happened.” were two women yelling at ing unit March 27. Jeremy Buzby, a McAlister police officer who was rid- him to stay awake and squeeze
The Native American Student Association will host the 36th annual UCO Spring Contest Powwow from noon to 11 p.m. April 1 at Hamilton Fieldhouse. The event will feature ceremonial gourd dancing, competitions in juniors, women’s and men’s categories in such styles as Traditional, Fancy, and Golden Age. More than $7,500 in prizes will be awarded to the winners in 16 competitions. “Technically what a powwow is, is a celebration and a chance for people to get together to celebrate a birth, a wedding, a graduation or in this case a homecoming for our Native American alumni, to reconnect with current students,” said Joseph Blanchard, vice president
see POWWOW, page 5
Student crusades for disabled after surviving crash
see DAYS, page 3
Daro Cannon
Perfect Putting The Bronchos hosted the UCO/Kickingbird Classic and picked up their third consecutive tournament victory.
See Sports pg. 10
A Healthy Dose Spring has sprung and it's flip-flop weather again. Vista health columnist Callie A. Collins details the health risks associated with getting that springtme pedicure.
See Opinion pg. 2
their hand. “I thought it was my mom,” Cannon said. “I was going back a year thinking it was high school, and it was my mom going in my room, trying to wake me up to go to school.” He said he remembered hearing a man’s voice ask if he had been wearing a seatbelt, and then looking up to see something going round and round above him. “I remember thinking ‘mom, turn of the fan, I’m freezing,’” Cannon said. “That was the last thing I remember.” “In that car in front of me were three people. There were two ladies in the front seat and a guy in the back,” Cannon said. “Here’s the weird part: those two people, the two ladies, were two emergency room nurses from the McAlister hospital, and the guy in the car was a McAlister
see CANNON, page 7
Tennis Triumph The UCO men's tennis team flexed its muscles with a mid-season shutout of East Central.
See Sports pg. 10