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DAYS UNTIL NOV. 2
The Student Voice Since 1903
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2004
Police investigate second harrassment ■ UCO Department of Public Safety is investigating the second harrassment of a female on campus in two weeks. by Joseph Wertz Staff Writer A female was harrassed by two unknown white males at 10 p.m. Sept. 26 near the Wellness Center and University Suites. The subjects followed her into the University Suites and into an elevator with her. The victim was not physically assaulted. "In four years, these are the first incidents I have heard of, and are in no way typical," said News Bureau Director
Charlie Johnson. "DPS is very active in this investigation." Jeff Harp, director of Public Safety at UCO, said students need to remain alert and trust their instincts when on campus. "Be alert," he said. "Many students are wrapped up with other things and may not being paying attention." UCO's "Safe Walk" program will escort students to places on campus if they feel
uncomfortable. Students may call Safe Walk at 974-WALK (974-9255) from a cell phone or any phone on campus. Several buildings have Safe Walk intercoms specifically used to call for an escort. "Safe walk is an under-utilized program," Harp said. "We will escort students to anywhere on campus, from anywhere on campus." The University Commons have panic alarms in the units, and plans are being made to
Photo by Robert Crauthers
"Safe Walk" boxes are located all over campus.
add alarms to the exterior of the building, Harp said.
Physical Description of Subjects from 09-26-04 Subject 1: Caucasian male, blank white T-shirt (untucked), dark colored baggy pants with pockets, stocky build, 5'7" tall, wearing dark blue or black plain baseball style hat, clean shaven, short dark hair. Subject 2: Caucasian male, Grayish-white shirt (untucked), dark pants, 180 pounds (thin build), 6'0" to 6'2", dark brown hair sticking out in back from plain black or dark blue hat. Kept hands in pocket continually, clean shaven. These two suspects were seen driving a late 90's model, compact car; white, four door, Texas license plate. For a list of safety tips, see page 3.
Physicist to lecture on da Vinci by Lauren Pulsinelli Senior Staff Writer Dr. Bulent Atalay, author of "Math and the Mona Lisa, The Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci," will present two free public addresses Oct. 7 at UCO. Atalay is also a professor of physics at the University of Mary Washington, adjunct professor at the University of Virginia and a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. "The Enigma of Isaac Newton" will be his first address at 3:15 p.m. in the Crittenden Family Auditorium in Howell Hall. This address will blend elements of history, mathematics, the natural sciences and modern forensic medicine to explain what caused the breakdown in one of the finest minds in history. Then at 7:30 p.m. in Pegasus Theater in the Liberal Arts Building, Atalay will speak on "Math and the Mona Lisa: Bridging the Cultural Divide." This lecture will examine the science and mathematics that underlie Leonardo da Vinci's work using da Vinci as the model, while revealing the unity of the two cultures. "He has a prominent view of how arts and science disciplines are mixed together, instead of being two separate entities," said Dr. Mary Brodnax, Humanities and Philosophy associate professor. "They are the most creative disciplines when you cross them." The Oklahoma City da Vinci Institute, an organization that promotes interaction among the arts and sciences, brought Atalay to Oklahoma two years ago. "He came and spoke to Oklahoma City teachers," said Brodnax, who is also on the institute's board. "I knew they were about to sponsor another Atalay visit and said, we'd love to have him at UCO." Edmond's Best of Books will offer copies of "Math and the Mona Lisa" for sale after Atalay's address, and he will be available for signings. "It's (the book) not highly specialized. He explains things on a personal level," she said. Atalay has been a frequent keynote speaker to gifted students at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth; he has addressed engineers at NASA and physicists at the University of Oxford, Caltech, Stanford and the University of Vienna. He's also a frequent lec-
see ATALAY, page 3
Program reflects nationwide MBA trend ■ For homeland security reasons, fewer international students are being granted visas. by Joseph Wertz Staff Writer Applications for UCO's master's of business administration program have declined, following a trend occurring in many MBA programs. "Applications for our program are down," said Dawna Terrel, UCO's MBA program director. "When the economy is down, we see less applicants. In addition, there are difficulties with international concerns." UCO Director of International Student Services Dr. Ronald Paddack said the international situation is keeping many students from American schools. "The world conditions are not favorable for students to study in the U.S.," Paddack said. "The media's portrayal of the U.S. in the international media is making many students question if they want to study here." With growing border and homeland security concerns, student visas are difficult for many international students to get. Paddack said the rejection rate for student visas is high. Both The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Hass School at the University of California, Berkeley have 20 percent fewer applications for their MBA programs this year. U.S. News and World Report ranked both schools in the top ten graduate business programs.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Photo by Robert Crauthers
■ The deadline to register to vote for the presidential election is Oct. 8. Forms are available at The Vista, Rm. 107 of the Communications Building, or register online at www.thevistaonline.com .
Firefighters extinguish a truck fire Sept. 30 in the Liberal Arts Building parking lot.
Accidental fire consumes student's vehicle by Kelley Chambers and Lauren Pulsinelli Staff Writers An afternoon vehicle fire on Sept. 30 in the parking lot directly east of the Liberal Arts building left two vehicles damaged. Around 1:50 p.m. smoke was seen coming from a silver 1990 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up parked in the lot. "I saw smoke and somebody yelled, `That truck's on fire," said Jarrad Hobbs, a freshman business major who was standing outside the Liberal Arts Building. UCO campus police received the call at 1:59 p.m., said Sgt. Jon Peoples. The owner of the truck, Chad Fortelney, a biology sophomore, said the truck had been parked since 9:50 that morning. "It was smoking but I didn't see any flames at the time," Fortelney said. However after climbing into the truck he said, "I smelled something electrical (burning)." Fortelney said he attempted to clear the smoke by rolling down the windows and driving, though when he felt that the seat was heating up he pulled back into a parking spot. He said that after parking he unplugged a spotlight, which was under
the seat and charging in the truck's AC adapter and may have been switched on. "If it was on it's been on since last night," Fortelney said. Fortelney said he carried liability insurance on the truck. Johnnie Gibbon, battalion chief at Edmond Fire Station No. 1, which responded to the call, said he did not know the exact cause of the fire, but attributed it to the spotlight that had been
left on under the seat. "Our understanding was that the driver came out of class and when he got inside the truck he noticed smoke inside the cab," Gibbon said. "It continued to get hotter so he pulled the car into park." At that point the interior of the truck caught fire and began to burn, according to Fortelney.
see TRUCK FIRE, page 3
■ Homecoming 2004 T-shirts are now on sale in the Campus Life Office. Short sleeve shirts are $7, and Long sleeve shirts are $10. ■ The Student Health Center will give flu vaccinations Oct. 25 for $15. For more information, call the Student Health Center at 974-2317. ■ The deadline for the Fulbright competition is Oct. 11. For more information, contact Dr. Siegfried Heit at 974-5633 or Dr. Amy Carrell at 974-5609. ■ "The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream" will be shown at Pegasus Theater at 5 p.m. Oct. 11.
INDEX 2 Opinion News 3 Campus Events 3 Sports 6 Classifieds 8
American Ninth: racy 'rojcct
Photo by Robert Crauthers
The charred remains of Chad Fortelney's truck sits in the Liberal Arts parking lot Sept. 30.
For more information about the ADP at UCO, visit www.thevistaonline.com