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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2004
ATO house damaged in weekend skirmish â– Students were hit over the head with glass bottles and furniture in a fight between UCO football and Alpha Tau Omega fraternity members. from Vista Staff Reports
Photo by Justin Avera
Broken glass, chairs and the remains of a table litter the porch of the Alpha Tau Omega house. A fight between members of the fraternity and football players occurred early Saturday morning.
A table and bottles were used as weapons during a fight at the Alpha Tau Omega house early Saturday morning, according to an Edmond Police report. No one was arrested because everyone scattered when police arrived, Public Information Officer Glenda Chu said. Police broke up a fight between 15 to 20 people, Chu said. "It was a very big brawl," she said. One person was hit in the head with a bottle and another was hit over the back with a small chair, Chu said. "We think it (the fight) might have stemmed from an altercation at an earlier party," she said.
"By the time we got there, the fight had dispersed, and we saw 15 to 20 people running." She said football players and ATO members were involved. Words were first exchanged at an 11th Street residence around 11:45 p.m. Friday. People then moved to the ATO house at 12:45 a.m., and officers responded to a call at the house over an hour later. "It was enough time for several people to get faces hurt and cut," she said. "By my understanding, this fight had actually started at another residence at 11th Street." One witness, who did not want to be identified, said the fight initially began between a group of people at a party across town. The witness said 40 people
showed up in the front of the ATO house with cleats on. One victim "caught a beer bottle in the back of the head and on the chin," the witness said. "Everyone was swinging and then the cops rolled up." A table leg was used to break a window, the witness said. Justin Wilson, a UCO student and an uninvolved witness, said he woke up from the police lights and went outside. "I was walking my dog and saw a mob of people fighting," he said. Chu said UCO football players, ATO members and others were involved, and more were present but uninvolved. "It's not over by any means. Now we have to investigate it," Chu said.
Seniors prepare for spring graduation by Sherrod Wall Staff Writer The Spring 2004 Graduation Commencement Ceremonies will be May 7 and 8 at Hamilton Field House. The ceremony for College of Education bachelor's graduates will begin at 3 p.m. May 7. Master's ceremonies for the college will be at 7 p.m. the same day. The College of Mathematics and Science ceremony will also be held at 7 p.m. May 7. The ceremony for the College of Business Administration will be at 9 a.m. May 8. Ceremonies for both the College of Arts Media & Design and the College of Liberal Arts will start at 1 p.m. the same day. The graduates should meet at Old North one hour before their scheduled ceremony to participate in the traditional march from Old North Tower to Hamilton Field House. The march will begin 30 minutes prior to their ceremonies. "They walk over to Hamiliton Field House, and then they are organized over there by representatives of their college," said Dr. Pat La Grow, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs. A packet of information concerning graduation has already been sent out to students, she said. "They will get a packet of information in the mail that will tell them all of the information that they need," La Grow said. The packet includes six guest tickets, instructions and a parking map. If students haven't already done so, they need to apply for graduation, La Grow said. "The deadline for undergraduates was actually last December, but they can continue applying for graduation and we will have a cut of date for inclusion in the program," she said.
April 9 is the deadline for undergraduates to apply for their name to appear in the program. "They all have to have their appropriate academic regalia to participate in the commencement," La Grow said. "The cap and gown are formal attire and should be worn as such." We asked for men to wear dark slacks and black shoes and black shoes for the women. Caps, gowns, tassels, announcements and other graduation items can be purchased in the UCO Bookstore, room 210 of the Nigh University Center. The list of class marshals, students who are graduating with the highest honors for each college are as follows For the College of Arts Media and Design, the Marshal is Charles Joseph Ackerly, an 2- D art studio major, with a GPA of 4.0. For the College of Business Administration the Marshal is Judy Gail Brown, a Business Administration-International Trade major, with a GPA of 3.95 For the College of Education the Marshal is Lori L. Dillman, an Elementary Education major with a GPA of 4.0. The Marshall for the College of Liberal Arts is Karen Sue Spilman, a History-Museum Studies major with a GPA of 4.0. For the College of Mathematics and Science Melissa Lee Dingfield is Marshal. She is a nursing major with a GPA of 4.0. If graduates need extra tickets, sign up will begin April 19 in the Nigh University Center. Guests without tickets will be admitted on a space-available basis after the National Anthem. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Pat La Grow at 974-3371 or via e-mail at plagrow@ucok.edu .
Photo by Justin Avera
Justin Pyle Jr., a criminal justice senior, looks at the graduation gowns April 5 in the UCO Bookstore.
LDSSA to host religious forum Student group cleans lake from Vista Staff Reports A new student organization, Burros del Rios, picked trash out of Broncho Lake Monday. The organization, whose names translates to the River Donkeys, was formed about a year ago under the leadership of former journalism student Caleb Germany and current student Herman Crabtree. Crabtree is prime minister of the organization. "We just go out and make people smile and better the community," Crabtree said. They do not have a platform or belong to a political party. Instead, they promote random acts of kindness, said student David Doughty, a member of the organization. Their last community project was called "Have a Coke and Smile Day," Doughty said. To join, contact Brad Crowe, corporal of recruitment, through e-mail at bcrowl@ucok.edu . "We live here — we ought to Photo by Gavin Elliott make it look good," said Jerre! Welch, Herman Crabtree, Chancen Flick and Chancen Flick, Minister 0' Lane Perry, all members of the Burrows del Rios, Propaganda.
clean trash from Broncho Lake April 5.
by Stephanie Johnson Staff Writer The Latter Day Saints Student Association will host a forum to discuss different religions at 6 p.m. April 13 in the Nigh University Center's Constitution Hall. Caitlyn Crane, senator for the association, said Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, the Methodist Church, the
Baptist Church and the from religious campus orgaChurch of Latter Day Saints nizations or those representwill be represented at the ing the religions. "We want it to be inforforum. "When you're in college, mational," Crane said. "We everyone is searching for came up with the idea their purpose," Crane said. because it would be fun to "The main thing that we do, and we hope a lot of peowant to focus on is finding . ple come," she said. the purpose of life in God For more information and where God fits into it." about the forum or the Emcee of the forum Matt Latter Day Saints Student Gasney will present ques- Association, call Crane at tions to the representatives 819-2510.
Rice to testify before panel by Lauren Pulsinelli Staff Writer After weeks of debate Condoleezza Rice is set to testify Thursday before the committee investigating the September 11 attacks. "She should testify because the commission needs to know," said Dr. Jan Hardt a political science professor. However, Rice is not required to testify because she has executive privilege, an asserted common-law privilege of the president and other executives to keep presidential papers, records and other documents secret. Executive privilege is
based on the claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president. Some argue that Rice has already talked on a multitude of networks that are publicly broadcast, like CNN, so why . not testify in front of the commission. Others argue that those closest to the President, such as his National Security Advisor, shouldn't have to testify because it may keep them from fully in forming the President. In fact, it was President Bush who stopped Rice from
testifying. "Unfortunately, for the Bush administration it became a bigger deal than they anticipated, because of all the media coverage," Hardt said. Rice has received tremendous amounts of political pressure from congress, even from President Bush's own cabinet to testify. Now, we have to wait and find out what will happen to the Bush administration after her testimony. "My guess is that it won't be that damaging," said Dr. Randall Jones, a political science professor. "I think its good that she is going to testify because 9 11 is so important."