The Student Voice Since 1903 THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Sweeping down the plains, and powering a university UCO makes switch to wind power, officials expect to save thousands by Heather Warlick Staff Writer
When the wind comes sweeping down the plains, UCO will save thousands of dollars because of the April I switch from traditional fossil fuels to a more environmentally friendly source of power: wind. UCO is the first university in the state to be 100 percent powered by wind, and UCO Executive Vice President Steve Kreidler said he expects $260,000 in savings this year alone. "With the current cost of fuel, the money we can save, and the fact that we're helping to protect Oklahoma's environment, we just think it's the right thing to do," Kreidler said. UCO uses about 27 million kilowatt hours per year and as the price of natural gas continues to rise. Wind is an abundant source of inexpensive energy in
Oklahoma, said Don Powers, manager of compliance for the UCO Office of Legal Counsel. The wind power comes from a wind farm near Woodward that has 39 1.5 megawatt turbine windmills. A single 1.5 MW turbine windmill can provide continuous power for about 400 homes, according to the American Wind Energy Association. It reports that Oklahoma ranks fifth in the country for states with the most wind energy installed. Wind farms are a booming industry. OG&E's Web site boasts growth rates in excess of 30 percent per year. "Not only is this good for the environment, we are also saving Oklahoma taxpayers' money," Kreidler said. UCO began the initiative toward wind energy in October 2004, when it shifted five percent of its power use to wind energy. The goal was 50 per-
cent, but as fuel prices went up and wind power prices went down, the decision was made to use wind for all UCO's electricity. "We are looking at every opportunity that we can to reduce our cost, improve our performance and promote a clean environment," Powers said. UCO has made many energy saving changes over the last few years including installing new, more efficient heating and air conditioning systems, replacing inefficient toilets with water saving ones and eliminating steam and gas burning boilers. These changes were part of an $8.9 million 20-year contract with Johnson Controls that UCO entered into in 2002 to save on energy costs. Heather Warlick can be reached at hwarlickŠthevistaonlinacom.
Bioterrorism drill at UCO to test emergency responders by Heather Warlick Staff Writer
by Vista photographer Travis Marak
A wind farm near Weatherford is seen April 17, similar to the farm in Woodward that will supply UCO with all its electricity.
A simulated anthrax attack will be the scenario for a mass immunization drill 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 26 at UCO's Hamilton Field House. "Students will not only learn what to do in a real event," said Don Powers, director of the UCO Disaster Resistant University program, "they will be helping fine-tune the system so they will be protected." In the event of a bioterrorism attack, bird flu outbreak or other medical epidemic, local emergency responders must be prepared to help thousands of people who need immunizations, antidotes and treatments. The drill will be a test of the state and county health depaitments' ability to distribute medicine to the public in such an event. UCO will be a Mass Immunization Point of Distribution, which means it will work with the health departments to distribute medications during emergencies.
"We thought we could serve the community well by being a location where they and their families can be taken care of," Powers said. Local first responders like fire and police departments will participate in the twohour drill at three different locations: UCO, Oklahoma City Community College and Carl Albert High School in Midwest City. Medical personnel from the UCO Student Health Center and students from the UCO School of Nursing will be specially trained and certified to administer treatment in the event of an attack or epidemic. "We will be the core, and they will bring in trained professionals from the area to supplement our staff," said Cayt Walls, administrative assistant to the director of student health at UCO. In the event of a real emergency, there would be at least eight distribution points in the metro area, and the goal would be for
see DRILL, page 6
SNL comedian Seth Meyers brings comedy to campus by Nathan Winfrey Senior Staff Writer
Actor and "Saturday Night Live" cast member Seth Meyers performed standup comedy in Hamilton Field House April 18. Meyers followed opening band Dreams from Jettison, and was careful to study up on UCO trivia while preparing for his routine, working into his monologue the university's founding, including jokes about the spelling of "broncho." He kept the crowd laughing constantly, and seemed to be improvising it as he went along, gleaning jokes and segues to anecdotes from frequent discussions with the audience, making nostalgic jabs
at college life and impersonating celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey and Owen Wilson. Meyers became a full-time "SNL" cast member in 2003 after being featured on the weekly, live sketch comedy show for years before that. "The first few shows were crazy," he said, sitting in a T-shirt and jeans on a couch in the women's locker room that doubled as his green room. Showers lined the wall behind him. He said he'd never been to Oklahoma before, "but my dad did basic training here and one time a buffalo ran into his car." "That's the best thing about doing college gigs; you get to see a lot of towns," Meyers said. He said he's vis-
ited between 10 and 20 colleges. "It's not stressful at all," he said. "You get used to traveling." Meyers said he watched "SNL" growing up, long before he got on the show. "I can't imagine a job being more stressful," he said. "It's a great job for procrastinators. There's no time to do anything but work." He said the cast members meet the host for each week's show on Monday, write the entire show on Tuesday, read through each script and pick the best 12 on Wednesday, and on Thursday and Friday they rehearse. As if he weren't busy enough,
Second-place finish The UCO men's golf team fell short of winning the LSC championship, losing in sudden death to Northeastern State April 18 in Southlake, Texas.
See Sports pg. 12
see COMEDY, page 5
by Vista photographer Travis Marak
Saturday Night Live cast member Seth Meyers performs for students April 18 at Hamilton Field House.
Who's the man? With a host of eligible candidates, Vista sportS buffs Matt Cauthron and Teddy Burch face off in an argument about the NBA's most valuable player.
See Sports pg. 9 ,-s7„