The Student Voice Since 1903 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2004
Hundreds turn out for date rape mock trial by Joseph Wertz Staff Writer
■ Bathroom graffiti is everywhere on campus. the bathroom wall that is. And while some at UCO choose to solicit political views, make declarations of love, arouse the prurient interest or simply cause mischief, men's bathroom walls on campus seem to be repeatedly visited by those who feel compelled to make their innermost thoughts known through acts of vandalism. "It's frustrating, it's a hassle, and you wish you could stop it," said Charlie Johnson, University Relations news bureau director. However, when Johnson looked into the matter, he said that the university's coffers were not being drained by graffiti vandals. "It's not costly, to put it into perspective," Johnson said. "You generally just paint over it" At the Nigh University Center, Johnson said it costs an estimated $20 each year to cover bathroom graffiti in the building. "It just takes the stroke of a brush," Johnson . said, "(but) it takes labor. You have to pay the people doing the work." So why do people write on bathroom walls? Dr. Lorry Youll, a UCO associate professor of psychology, views the practice of defacing bathroom walls as a form of acting out, without personal accountability. "There is a pretty high level of anonymity," she said. "You can write something on a bathroom wall that you wouldn't ordinarily say." As to why UCO's men's rooms seem to be visited by vandals more often then women's, Youll attributes it to the tendency of males to be more aggressive than females. "Men in general tend to be
More than 450 people attended the "Date Rape Mock Trial" on Sept. 22 in Constitution Hall. The Student Counseling ,Center and the Office of Graduate Studies pregented the mock trial. "The trial went very well," said Jan Chapel, coordinator of the Student Counseling Center. "The prosecution Etas been doing this for over 10 years and is very knowledgeable." Sarah McAmis an Oklahoma County assistant district attorney in the Sex Crimes Division acted as the prosecutor. Ryan Houser, an Oklahoma County assistant public defender in the Juvenile Division participated as the defense attorney. Two UCO theatre students participated in the trial. Stacy Kettner acted as the plaintiff and Tim Burg as the defendant. Dr. John Garic, associate dean of the Jackson College of Graduate Studies and Research directed and judged the trial. "Several classes attended the trial, and the audience was very mixed," Chapel said. "This is the fifth or sixth trial we have had, and they have all been a success."
The Vista finds out why.
more aggressive," Youll said. Redding said people who write "Females sometimes, whatever on bathroom walls "must be their psychological disorder or bored." angst, turn inward. Sometimes Greg Mangus, senior music men get angry, while women get performance major who spends sad." Nevertheless, Youll stressed that writing on bath"Women talk to each other in room walls does not make an individual disturbed, instead the bathroom. Guys sit in the she said, it is more likely stall and write because they someone is expressing emodon't talk to each other." tions or writing crass phrases that they would not generally exhibit or say around other people. - Greg Mangus "On a continuum of acting Music performance senior out behavior, there's a level of social mischief," Youll said. "The other end would be saying these things to people." Be it emotion, or simply the most of his time in the Music lack of an apt writing device, the Building, said he has never written women's restrooms seem to be on a bathroom wall and describes spared for the most part from the building's restrooms as UCO's bathroom scribes. "clean." On a recent visit by a female Mangus did, however, refer to Vista reporter to several restrooms bathroom vandals as, "pathetic on campus, only one out of 16 people that need attention." ladies' rooms had been visited by And as to why men deface camvandals. pus restroom walls more often In turn, out of 15 men's rooms, than women, Mangus said, all but four had some version of "Women talk to each other in the graffiti written or carved into the bathroom; guys sit in the stall and walls and toilet paper dispensers, write because they don't talk to some in gold paint pen to defy each other." black stall doors and partitions. And while UCO's budding Not surprisingly, the restrooms bathroom poets, lavatory limerick with the least graffiti were in the writers and washroom statesmen Lillard Administration Building. feel the need to mark up restroom Trista Redding, sophomore walls, often their declarations connursing major said she has not tain enough grammatical errors to seen graffiti on bathroom walls make an English teacher laugh, or around campus: more likely cry. "I pretty much use one Generally, words are misrestroom (in the UC)" she said, spelled at an alarming rate, senindicating the newer restrooms at tence fragments pass as something the south of the building, "the nice vaguely resembling sentences and one." even the most basic words are
often bungled. For example, the word 'maybe' can be found spelled `mayb,"religion' in one instance is spelled `rielegion,"worshipping' is `worsheping,' and in bright red marker, the phrase, "Why say something else if it already been said better," speaks volumes about the anonymous author. Ironically, all of this graffiti is from the same men's bathroom stall. There are many inscriptions that are just plain humorous for their oddity or ignorance. One particular inscription on a stall in the Communications Building, that can actually be printed, began with the first party writing, "wrestling rulz," to which another party marked a bold "X" through wrestling and wrote "football." Then, what appears to be a third party came along and wrote "UCO" above the first line so that there would be no confusion as to which football or wrestling program was being discussed and, in fact, "rulz." Then again, what may even be the most disturbing aspect, are the messages or images that are carved into bathroom stalls, which must indicate that some people are carrying knives or other sharp objects into campus restrooms. And though no end may ever be in sight, an old bathroom wall adage that reads, in printable terms: "They paint these walls to rid my pen, but the bathroom poet strikes again," may extinguish any hope for those with the task of covering bathroom musings with paint, in the years to come.
College to hold forum to hear public concerns by Kenneth Reinbold Staff Writer
The UCO College of Education will WHO: hold its annual Students, faculty and state "Open Forum" from educators 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. WHAT: 30 in Rm. 115 of the "Open Forum" for the Education. Building. College of Education The forum will WHEN: give students, faculty, the public and 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 30 WHERE: state educators a Education Building, Rm. chance to voice their 115 opinions on the teacher preparation WHY: To allow the public to voice programs at UCO. UCO administra- opinions on the state of the tors will take ques- education program at UCO tions from the audience about the university's program and will offer important information. "We believe we have an excellent teacher
see FORUM, page 5
Bronze & Bold ■ UCO alumnus Joel Randell was chosen to sculpt the likeness of Lafeyette for the West Virginia city named for him. by Kelley Chambers Staff Writer
Photo Provided
Joel Randell, a UCO graduate, stands by his bronze sculpture of Marquis de Lafayette."
Sculptor Joel Randell, a UCO graduate, will travel to Fayetteville, West Virginia for the unveiling of his sculpture of the "Marquis de Lafayette" on Sept. 25. Randell, who graduated with an art education degree in 1997 and lives in Edmond, submitted his portfolio to a West Virginia committee that was choosing a sculptor. "They called me after reviewing my portfolio," Randell said. "Everybody on the committee reviewed it and approved." The six- foot one inch bronze sculpture will stand on a five-foot stone pedestal in front of the Fayette County Courthouse. Lafayette visited the area, in the southwestern portion of the state in the mid 1820's, and in 1831 the town was named after him. History says Lafayette aided American colonists during the American Revolution and was a friend of both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Randell first cast the
sculpture in modeling clay, and then wax at the Pawhuska Foundry in Pawhuska, Okla. Overall, he said the sculpting process took about one year from start to the installation in West Virginia this weekend, and cost
"He (Randell) was always very good, going above and beyond the assignments." - Dr. Bob Palmer UCO professor of art
around $30,000. "They wanted him captured in his younger years," Randell said, "I chose my primary reference from a portrait of him painted by Charles Wilson Peale, that was commissioned by George Washington." In a town with less than less then 3,000 residents, dignitaries to attend the unveiling will include several former West Virginia governors and a representative
of the French Ambassador to the United States, Randell said. Dr. Bob Palmer was one of Randell's art professors while at UCO. "Joel's one of our prodigies," Palmer said. "He was always very good, going above and beyond the assignments." Palmer did not know about Randell's "Lafayette" sculpture, but said he is very anxious to see it. Randell praised both the UCO art program, and the faculty for helping him to learn skills in sculpturing and 3-D arts. "Being at UCO was where I got my biggest opportunity to explore figure sculpting," Randell said. "UCO has been a great launching platform for my career." Randell's next project, which is currently in the works, is a statue of Charles B. Hall, a member of Oklahoma's Tuskegee Airmen from World War II. The bronze casting will greet visitors at the entrance to an airpark named for Hall, at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS ■ The 2004 Fall Career & Internship Fair will be Sept. 23 in the Nigh University Center's Ballroom. ■ To volunteer for Homecoming events Oct. 15 and 16, contact the Alumni Relations Office at 974-2421, or e-mail jmorgan@ucok.edu ■ The Department of Campus Life will host "Budgeting Basics Workshop" for all organizations at 11 a.m. Sept. 23 in Rm. 416 of the Nigh University Center. ■ TADCA, a peer education and support group for smokers who want to quit, will meet at 8 a.m. every Wednesday in Rm. 139 of the Liberal Arts Building.
INDEX Opinion 2 News 3 Campus Events 3 Out & About 5 Sports 6 Classifieds 8
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