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The Student Voice Since 1903 THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2004
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Regents OK 11 percent tuition increase ■ UCO administration announced June 17 tuition will increase 11 percent in the fall semester. by Lauren Pulsinelli Senior Staff Writer The Oklahoma Board of Regents unanimously approved an 11 percent tuition and fee increase for resident undergraduate students last week. UCO President Dr. W. Roger Webb presented the fiscal year 2005 budget to the Regents and announced the restoration and creation of full-time faculty positions that have been cut in recent years. "We regret (the increase),
but our students are still paying 15 percent less than what our peers are charging," Webb said. The Regents approved a tuition and fee increase of 18.8 percent last year. The increase will generate $4,356,000 in growth revenue, according to the proposed budget. Webb said he intends to make UCO a first-class place of learning. "(UCO) is making a leap from a good university to a great university," he said. He
said he is firmly committed to time faculty positions that have making been cut in the last UCO the three years. best univer- "We regret this, but "Full-time faculsity of its our students are ty should be a pritype. ority," Betz said. Dr. Don still paying 15 perPeer institutions, Betz, cent less than what universities compaprovost and rable to UCO in vice presi- our peers our charg- size, have an averdent of ing." age of 546 full-time - DR. W. ROGER WEBB faculty members, Academic President of UCO Affairs, said and UCO has 405. he wants to "Great faculty make certain that our institution members inspire students to be either restores or creates full- successful," Webb said.
International enrollment still declining
The additional revenue will also allow an increase of $400,000 in scholarship funds. UCO will also pay the mandatory cost of $1,469,700 for rising insurance rates, utility rates and technology contracts. Although utility rates have increased, UCO's recent performance contracts have lowered usage rates, said Steven Kreidler, vice president of Finance and Administration. "All of our rates skyrocketed," he said. Webb said all remaining rev-
enue money will be invested in growing academic programs, forensic sciences, leadership and civic engagement, library holdings and faculty positions. The administration also announced the addition of a third basketball court in the Wellness Center, which will be paid with $750,000 in bond funds and more than $100,000 in student fees. Webb called the third basketball court a "golden project."
see TUITION, page 3
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The enrollment of international students at UCO has been in steady decline since Sept. 11, 2001.
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by Kelley Chambers Staff Writer It is perhaps no secret, no riddle wrapped in an enigma, to explain why international student enrollment at universities around the nation is down. Dr. Ronald Paddack, director of the UCO international office cited war, visa complications, the department of Homeland Security and fear among families, especially in Islamic countries, as the primary reasons for the faltering enrollment. And while UCO has experienced a drop off in international students in the past few years nearly half the number of international students enrolled for the summer than in the sessions prior to September 11, 2001 - the numbers still stand as a testament that the school is drawing students from around the world. 101 countries to be exact, according to the head count last spring. In fact international summer enrollment topped 900 in both 2000 and 2001 but fell to just
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■ Long gone are the days of coughing in code, temporarily tattooing answers on any unexposed limbs and writing answers in tiny script on desktops. Welcome to the era of wireless technology.
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under 800 in 2002. Those numbers have continued to plummet with 548 international students out of 5289 students currently enrolled. On a somewhat more hopeful note Paddack said that summer enrollment is not as low as he thought it might be. "Summer 04 is down 69 from '03," Paddack said, "it surprised me, I thought it would be greater than that." Paddack, sitting in his office surrounded by photos and mementos from his travels abroad, said that he goes on recruiting trips around the world from time to time. In March he visited several Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, "I was asked by parents in the Mid East, 'is it (America) a safe place,"' Paddack said. He owes such fears from potential students families to anti-American media in the region. Students wishing to study in the United States must first visit the U.S. Embassy in their home country and request an 1-20 form. Paddack said that upon completion of the form, it takes about a year to be accepted or declined. "In the old days (prior to 9/11) 85% got
see International, page 3
Incidents of cell phone cheating have occurred in high schools and colleges across the country recently, but UCO academic conduct officer Chris Snoddy said no reports have been made on campus. With the most recent advances in camera phone technology, students can easily photograph tests and send the photographs to other cell phones. The older text messaging technology allows students to "text" test answers to another student across the room. Snoddy said he has not received any information on cheating with cell phones, but policies against academic misconduct are in place. He said the policies are in sections two and three of the Student Code of Academic Conduct. "Any form of cheating, any form of plagiarism, any form of copying old tests — all that falls
into guidelines of academic misconduct," he said. Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Dr. Pamela Washington said she knows of no instances in which students have been caught cheating with their cell phones. "We have not had an incident of cell phone cheating because we do not allow cell phones in class rooms," she said. A policy prohibiting cell phones from Liberal Arts classrooms was made at least three years ago, she said. "We've taken a very strict line about academic honesty," Washington said. "We try to find cases of plagiarism or academic dishonesty, and we do pursue them." "The other plus is we have very small classes," she said. Classes are relatively small with 65 to 80 students, and they are "much easier to mon-
itor than in a huge lecture hall." If students are caught cheating in any way, students will be turned over to the student disciplinary committee, Washington said. "Let (them) suffer the consequences of being dishonest and cheating," she said. The time-tested, old school methods of cheating are not absolutely obsolete. Advertising senior Courtney Childress said she has not seen or heard anything about cheating with cell phones, but she recently noticed
see HIGH TECH CHEATERS, page 3 -
Explosion forces Max Chambers Library to close by Lauren Pulsinelli Everyone was immediately evacuated from Max Senior Staff Writer The universities phone system is housed out of the library. Chambers Library due to an electrical blast, slightly before When the outage occurred the automatic battery power turned on. 9 a.m. June 21. The battery power is only supposed to last for a few hours, but it last"I went inside the library to use a computer, and everyone started run- ed almost six hours," said Charlie Johnson, UCO News Bureau Director. ning outside," said UCO student Tomomi Nakashmi. When the final power system shut down so did the phone lines. The The blast busted a solid wood door open, and smoke filled the park- university has 3,600 phones on campus, and none of them were working. ing lot. "We do have about a dozen outside phone lines that were working, in "It was like a concussion blast off a bomb, it blew the transformer case of an emergency," said Johnson. The phone lines remained inoperdoors open. I've never seen that before." able until about 10 p.m. After the blast the transformer was tested and is in good condition. It As of June 23 the north side of the library is open. Most of the comwas determined that the transformer did not create the blast, and soon puters are working, and students can use the computer lab. Johnson said after Osborne Electric vans were on campus. "It is definitely something it has not been determined when the south side of the library will reopen. electric," said an Osborne electric technician. It is still undetermined as what precisely caused the library blast. Almost six hours after the library lights went out, the phone lines went dead.