ISTA
University of Central Oklahoma
THURSDAY July 11, 1996
The Student Voice Since 1903
Former UCO student celebrates gay pride By Joanna Owen Staff Writer
Standing in a sea of common faces, and people who practice common professions, a UCO graduate student experiences the effect of a common prejudice. Linda Crawford, the mother of five recently attended the I am not at all Ninth Annual ashamed of who I Gay Rights March and Pride am, but it has Parade with her partner Arlene. taken me a long "I'm not at all time to get there. ashamed of who I am, but it has Linda Crawford taken me a long UCO alumni time to get there." This year she and Arlene only watched from the side lines as the parade passed, but in years past they have been in the
405fOref;itt,
Participants in this year's Gay Rights March and Pride Parade walk the streets of downtown OKlahoma City on Sunday June 23. (Staff Photo by Lisa Tatum)
99
middle marching with everyone else. "We are both professionals and in the past year we have had very little time to be active in the organization so we did not march," she said.
The original gay pride parade In June of 1969 the community started as a result of the Stonewall of gays got tired of what was going riots in 1969 in New York. on and stood up to the police. Stonewall was a gay bar that was That was the first time that gays frequently raided by police. Gay had ever come together to fight the patrons were frequently beaten, 'See Crawford, Page 4 harassed and arrested, she said.
Nigh asks Regents to up ante for UCO's presidential post By Gayleen Langthorn Staff Writer
Last week, UCO's President Nigh sent a letter to the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges recommending a substantial increase in the salary for UCO's next President. Currently, President Nigh's base salary is $111,250 annually, according to the 1996-97 UCO budget. This is the fifth lowest among Oklahoma's regional
universities, said Nigh. "I have no dollar amount in mind," Nigh said when asked what he considered a substantial increase. "UCO has grown far beyond a regional university. We are a metropolitan university and should be considered one of the big three in Oklahoma," he said. "I'm not complaining about my pay...but the pay is not commensurate with the position," Nigh said.
Nigh said the same is true of other positions at UCO. "Most of our administrative positions are underpaid," he said. Nigh said it would be embarrassing for a person to be hired as president and then have the salary increased. That's the reason, he said, he brought up the issue now, less than a year before he leaves the office. Roger Webb, who many sources on and off campus consider the leading candidate
for the position of UCO's presidency is currently president of Northeastern State University in Talequah. His base salary is $116,750 annually. Student leaders from the InterFraternity council, Panhellenic Sociey,Student Government Association (SGA), President's Leadership Council, Student Senate and the President's Club sent a letter to the BOROC endorsing Webb as a talented candidate who shouldn't be
overlooked, said Ben Harris of SGA. If the regents do increase the salary this year, no additional funds would be allotted to UCO. The money for the salary increase would have to come from the UCO's current budget of $56.9 million. Last fall the presidents of all regional universities in Oklahoma received a salary 05o increase of $12,000.
INSIDE TODAY INDEX
COLUMN
Editorial 2
Gayleen Langthorn explores the wide world of numbers. Read about it inside.
Sports 7 Entertainment 9 Around Campus 4 Classifieds 12
The Vista's
7
SPORTS
Freshman Jana Vnouckova was one of three UCO players in the top ten rankings.
SEMPER Fl UCO student John 1 Shelton rebuilds life after the Vietnam War. Story Inside.