Celebrating 100 Years American Democracy oject
The Student Voice Since 1903 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2004
Zeurysients Perry to take charge of UCOSA
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■ Applications for the William P. Willis Scholarship are due at 5 p.m. April 30. Call Office of Prospective Student Services for more information. ■ "My Beautiful Life" is on display in the Donna Nigh Gallery of the Nigh University Center. The exhibit features the photography of 14-yearold Ronah Hunter, who captures her unique perspective in her travels. ■ "Murder at Capone's" will be at 7 p.m. April 23 and 24, and at 2 p.m. April 25 at the Silhouette Events Center. It is presented by the Department of Theatre, Dance and Media Arts. For ticket information, call 974-3375.
■ Lane Perry and Bryan Walker were elected president and vice president of UCOSA. by Lauren Pulsinelli Staff Writer Presidential candidate Lane Perry won the April 14 student government election with 88 percent of the student vote. A ceremony to swear in Perry and Bryan Walker will be held at 1 p.m. April 26 in the Heritage Room of the Nigh University Center Walker was elected vice president with 95 votes over Nicholas Harrison, one of two
other vice presidential candidates. Of the 14,167 students currently enrolled, 835 voted in the student election. "I want to immediately start working with the administration," Perry said. He said one of his first priorities is to discussfunding issues with Paul G. Risser, chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Perry said he has gathered hundreds of student letters concerning the allocation of funds.
"I am waiting to get them to legislators because they can help aid our concerns and let them know what we are striving for," Perry said. Perry and Walker said as elected officials, they plan to have an open door policy when they are on campus. "We want students to come and talk to us and tell us what is going on with them," Perry said. "If students want to make something happen, they can. "
The Long Road to Graduation
■ The nomination form for the Herbert S. Dordick Award for Outstanding Mentor is available online at http://bronze.ucok.eduicampus_life/dordickapp.pdf. ■ "May Day: Under the Big Top" will be from 12 to 5 p.m. April 23. The Residence Hall Association will sponsor the event. To participate, volunteer or reserve a booth, call 974-4166, or e-mail srasmussen@ucok.edu . ■ The OKC Memorial Marathon is April 25, and volunteers for the event are still needed. Call Ross Lampert at 478-3180 or visit www.okcmarathon.com .
Blue October to play SPB spring concert by Krista. Lander Student Writer Doors will open at 7 p.m. April 20 for the Student Programming Board's annual spring concert featuring Blue October and Thirteen Stars. The show at Hamilton Field House will start at 8 p.m. when Thirteen Stars takes the stage. "This is a great way to end the year for the students and for those involved in SPB," said David Doughty, concert chairman. Blue October is touring the United States to promote the record "History For Sale." Their hits include "Calling You" and "Come in Closer." The concert is free for students with valid student IDs and $5 for general admission.
Students pass referendum to increase fees by Lauren Pulsinelli Staff Writer
■ The 2004 American Heart Walk will be at 9 a.m. April 24 at the SBC Bricktown Ballpark. To volunteer, call LaBetta Wallenmeyer at 9742317 or Pat Casey at 9742373. ■ Residence Life Leadership Community (RLLC) will hold a campus-wide canned food drive April 21. Canned or nonperishable food items can be dropped off at the West Hall lobby at any time. To donate large boxes for the items, email msimpson6@ucok.edu .
Lane Perry
Photo by Gavin Elliott
Tom and Kathy Sexton sit outside of the Business Administration Building.
UCO couple to graduate after 38 years of college ■ Local insurance agents and UCO students will start a new chapter this May. She said she does it "the right way." "That's OK. My 100 is higher than yours," Torn replied. Their shared sense of humor started Some college students have taken the four- or five-year college plan. But Tom when they met in the ninth grade of high and Kathy Sexton are on a 38-year plan. school. They became involved the next Both will graduate from UCO in year, they said. Tom and his family May with bachelors' of science moved to Ardmore before degrees in general studies and "Sooner or graduating, but Tom and minors in finance. Kathy reunited in 1967 "It wasn't a shortcut," Torn later, we're when she joined him at said. going to get Oklahoma State More than 30 years after takUniversity. ing their first college courses, the it right." After marrying in Sextons started school at UCO January 1968, the Sextons -Kathy Sexton in 2001. moved to Baton Rouge, "I think going back to school La. They found jobs, and has been much of a self satisfacTom took night classes at tion," Kathy said. "It's not because I'm going to be able to get a bet- Louisiana State University. "When he came home and said he ter job. I want to do it." Every Tuesday and Thursday, the cou- was quitting school, I said, 'Not permaple meets after class for lunch at Legends nently, you're not,"' Kathy said. And so they started on the decadesin the Nigh University Center. "Most of the time, we've been very long path to college degrees. "Things happened, so I just never finfortunate in being able to take the same courses," Tom said. "We get to spend a ished," Tom said. Throughout the years, they spent lot of time together." stints of time at universities in But they said that they each do their Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alaska and New own homework and studying. "He studies entirely different than I Mexico. Tom said he attributes their determido," Kathy said. by Caroline R. Duke Editor in Chief
nation to Winston Churchill: "Never, never, never, never give up." The Sextons moved back to Oklahoma in 1993. "We totally started over in Oklahoma," Tom said. "We just started from scratch." They now live in Yukon, where they own an insurance agency. "It's been a lot of extra work," Tom said. They have sacrificed 12 hours of work each week, and they spend 12 to 15 hours studying during the weekend. He said it is easier to be focused because they treat going to school like a job. "We get up, get dressed and go to school, rather than work," he said. They said that they want to set a good example for their family. Their daughter Karie also lives in Yukon with her husband and two daughters, Anastasia and Makayla. :Ifs almost like we've taken the last three years off from family," Torn said. After graduation, they said they will continue running their agency and spend more time with family. Kathy said that she wouldn't rule out taking more classes at a later time. But for now, she said, it's time to enjoy life. "Sooner or later, we're going to get it right."
A proposed student activity fee increase passed with 460 out of 807 student votes April 14. The increase requires that Central students pay $1.10 more per credit hour. The increase will generate a total of $360,000. "I knew it would be a fairly close vote, but I think it will do a lot for the campus and the athletic department," said Nicholas Harrison, UCOSA senator primarily responsible for the increase proposal. Half of the student activity fee money will go toward athletics. It will primarily be for new sports scholarships. The athletic department will receive $180,000 total. Student organizations are allotted 25 percent, or $90,000, of the money. This money will be distributed by the Student Activity Board. The remaining 25 percent will be used for campus-wide programs. The money will be divided into four different areas. The speakers bureau, which will be formed to bring big-name speakers to campus, will receive $40,000. A university employee will be hired as special events coordinator and will receive $25,000. The coordinator will work with the speakers bureau and other campus events. The remaining $15,000 will be used for student activity stipends, and then $10,000 will be for miscellaneous increases in other programs. "This sends a huge message about how much students care," Athletic Director Bill Farley said. He said it is undecided how the athletics' money will be divided among the sports.
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Fee increase break-down.
Association teaches students barriers, challenges of disabled by Caroline R. Duke Editor in Chief Students for an Accessible Society held an Ironman Wheelchair Race April 12 to show students the challenges those with disabilities face everyday. Kim Fields, advisor to SAS, said between 200 and 300 people went through the 50-yard "sprint" in front of the Human Environmental Sciences Building. "We had some who liked to
dominate those chairs," Fields Disability Awareness Week. said. "Some did really good, and Participants during the week some of them didn't." went through blind, hearing, She said wheelchair users wheelchair and lip-reading simshowed participants the limita- ulations. tions of wheelchairs usage in "There are so many barriers everyday life. that we don't think about," "It was pretty educational for • Fields said. "We need to make both sides," she said. sure that things are accessible to "The point was to under- people with all disabilities," she stand the physical barriers that said. people face all the time," Fields SAS meetings are at 3 p.m. every Wednesday in Room 312 said. The race was the last event of of the Nigh University Center. the semester. Earlier in the For more information, call semester the group sponsored Fields at 974-2549.
Photo by Justin Avera
Moates Eldib, biomedical engineering sophomore, and Corbon Huckleberry, undecided freshman, compete in the Iron Man Wheelchair race April 12.