Homecoming 2005 events, Pg. 4
Dr. Kole Kleeman speaks as part of Holocaust exhibit, Pg. 5
The Student Voice Since 1903 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2005
Three lives saved, one hero lost
Hurricane evacuees, students find new home in Oklahoma Displaced New Orleans students settle in at UCO by Trisha Evans Vista Senior Staff Writer
by Vista photographer Justin Avera
Edmond Police Chief Bob Ricks presents Jamie Mathai with the department's "Life Saving Award" Sept. 21 in honor of her husband, Shibu Sam Mathai, who died while rescuing three children who were swimming at Lake Arcadia Aug. 13. by Brett Deering Vista Staff Writer
UCO student Jamie Mathai was presented with the Edmond Police Department's "Life Saving Award" Sept. 21 in recognition of her husband, Shibu Sam Mathai, who drowned Aug. 13, 2005, when he saved three children swimming in Lake Arcadia. Bob A. Ricks, Edmond chief of police said Shibu was with a Christian outreach
group at Lake Arcadia when three young people went out too deep in the lake. He said Shibu saved two of them almost immediately and went to save the third. "He got her to safety, and, in exhaustion, went under," Ricks said. Only three or four civilians in the last two decades have received the award, said Steve Thompson, Edmond deputy police chief. Ricks said the word 'hero' is frequently used, but over-
Dancing Dragons • _
minister. Justin Kuruvilla, Shibu's friend, said he remembered when he and Mathai had tried to help the homeless. "I noticed he was not scared o approach anyone, no matter their background or what was going on," he said. "He was the backbone of our church."
by Brett Deering Vista Staff Writer
,
i..., • ' ,i t 4r. 1 -
The UCO College of Education and Professional Studies will hold a public forum to discuss the college's teacher preparation programs Sept. 29. "It's a way for any constituent of UCO, or any other institution, to find out about the way they (the institution) are preparing teachers,"
A UCO dancer recently gained acceptance to the Kaleidoscope Dance Company after overcoming several failed attempts and two deaths in her family. Kayla Jenkins, dance junior, said she started dancing when she was about three years old and plans to continue on a professional level. "There's no other reason I want to be here," Jenkins said. "I wanted to dance on the UCO said Ted Gillispie, executive stage. I want to graduate knowdirector of the Oklahoma ing that I did it with something I Commission for Teacher like and that I'm going to use." Preparation, which oversees Jenkins said she auditioned the accreditation of 22 teach- three times before she made it
Please see FORUM, page 3
Asian Moon Festival
Sports The UCO volleyball team will try to remain undefeated in Lone Star Conference North competition when they host Cameron University at Hamilton Field House Sept. 27. See Sports Pg. 12
Review: "The Passion of Dracula" See Entertainment Pg. 9
by Nathan Winfrey Vista Staff Writer
INDEX Opinion 2 News 3 Announcements 4 News in Brief 5 Classifieds 10 Sports 12
by Vista photographer Justin Avera
A firefighter stands under a sprinkler nozzle Sept. 23 on the fourth floor of Central Plaza. The sprinkler was set off after clothing was hung from it, firefighters said. See Pg. 4
into the dance program. "The first time I auditioned, I was scared and intimidated," Jenkins said. "I had a bad audition." Jenkins said even though she didn't make it on her first audition, she continued studying the program and taking dance classes. "The second time I auditioned was in May of 2004," Jenkins said. "My dad had died that previous November. I had just moved on campus that January. So I had a lot of change going on." Jenkins said her dad died the night she danced at Victory Christian Center with Victory
Please see DANCE, page 5
Supreme Court expert gives speech to history honor society students Political science professor discusses the current transition and new nominees to the high court
See photos from the Sept. 23 event, Pg. 11
Arts
by Courtney Bryce Vista Staff Writer
Brett Deering can be reached at bdeering@thevistaonline.com .
er preparatory programs in the state and mandates the annual forums. "It's also an opportunity to say 'we're proud of what we're doing,"' Gillispie said. According to the OCTP
Please see MOVE, page 3
Dancer overcomes loss, failed tries to join selective company
Teacher preparation focus of upcoming education public forum
INSIDE
fri
utilized. "A true hero takes action under very difficult circumstances and puts his own life in peril," Ricks said. "He was truly heroic." Shibu's wife, Jamie, said she was studying for a test and didn't go to the lake. "He was always selfless, others came ahead of him," she said. "I would have expected him to be the first in the water." Ricks said Shibu had a master's degree in electronics and had decided to become a
On Aug. 28 the Mascarenhas family left New Orleans to stay with friends in Jackson Mississippi in what they thought was another routine hurricane evacuation. The . Mascarenhas family lives in Mederie a suburb of New Orleans that was hit by Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29. "We were actually on the later side Ryan to leave because in previous years we had so many false alarms," said Ryan Mascarenhas, now a UCO post-baccalaureate student. Ryan said they evacuated
for Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Hurricane George in 1998, and last year his family evacuated to his Baton Rouge apartment to wait out Hurricane Ivan. Ryan said they thought this would be similar, a vacation at the beginning of the school Mirelle year and a chance to hang out with friends for a couple of days before they returned to their normal lives. Three weeks ago Ryan, 22, was taking pre-med classes at Xavier University in New Orleans and applying to"medical schools. His sister Mirelle, 19, had just started her second year at New Orleans University,
Phi Alpha Theta, a history honor society, hosted a Supreme Court and constitutional expert Sept. 21 in the Communications Building auditorium. Dr. Danny Adkison, a political science professor at Oklahoma State University for the past 30 years, is an expert on constitutional law, the Federalist Papers, the presidency and has written extensively on all of those topics, said Dr. Kenny L. Brown, chair of the Department of History and Geography. Adkison also teaches a course
on constitutional law to high school students in Washington, D.C. "It's a national endowment for the Humanities Institute on the U.S. Constitution and the Junior Statesman program at Georgetown University," said Evan Chada, history and English senior and president of UCO Phi Alpha Theta. Every two weeks for the last two years, his articles have been published in the Oklahoma Observer, a liberal, opinion-oriented publication, Brown said. "He knows his stuff on the Supreme Court," Brown said. Brown said, last summer Adkison wrote an article on a controversy over the Ten Commandments, predicting how the Supreme Court would vote and who would vote which way. In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled June 27 that copies of the Ten Commandments
Please see EXPERT, page 3