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a Kang's Asian Bistro and Lottinville's food review See page 6
a Lady Bronchos enter season with No. 19 Nov. 13, 2008 ranking See page 9
Smoking n up In the air By Laura Hoffert Senior Reporter
hen there's a problem on campus, UCOSA is the go-to group to get it solved. Recently, the association surveyed students to find out if they thought allowing tobacco use on campus was a problem. At the meeting last month, UCOSA members were in favor of a tobacco-free campus, 878 to 413. Former UCOSA President Jason Hines and Representative Matt Blubaugh began the movement to become tobacco free while attending the Oklahoma Student Government Association congress earlier this spring. Though the measure passed, it did not represent the views of the entire campus. Current UCOSA President John Bobb-Semple has carried on Hines' work and has been making strides of his own in making the campus tobacco free. Working with the Wellness Center and the Community Health Club, Bobb-Semple is hoping to have UCO tobacco free by July 2009. The campus will be surveyed Nov. 18-20 to see where students stand on the issue. He is hoping to gain support throughout the campus by speaking with student groups. "We are partnering with different student organizations that reach a wider variety of students than the immediate students UCOSA is able to reach out to," Bobb-Semple said. "We are also extending our advertising to include night-time students." However, Babb-Semple is not looking to rid UCO of tobacco entirely. "I hope that the proposal as it relates to the Healthy Campus Initiative in its entirety gains traction," he said. "As it relates to a smoking ban, I want to become a smoke free campus with the exception of smokeless tobacco.
see SMOKING, page 3
Photo by Vista photographer Chanel Henry
Pick your healthy poison Rice students begin development of "Bio-Beer" By Laura Hoffert Senior Reporter
After work and school, tests and term papers, students enjoy relaxing with their friends, getting together and having a drink. Their beverage of choice is usually beer; a beverage that, for many years, has been said to cause liver and kidney disease as well as weight gain. However, students at Rice University have begun the development of what they are calling "Bio-Beer," which they say may potentially have the same
heart-healthy affects as red wine. In 2005, resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, was found to increase HDL cholesterol and prevent blood clotting. Earlier this year, the students began working on creating a strain of yeast that would ferment beer while and generate resveratrol simultaneously. Their thinking was if there were a healthy beer on the market, college students would buy it. "Most people drink for taste, not for health. Ever heard of the term beer belly?" Laura Lyles, public relations
senior, said. The team consists of eight graduate and undergraduate students who gathered for the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Jamboree, Nov. 8-9. The students said the idea of genetically engineering beer with resveratrol came to them after last year's iGEM competition, but was only seriously considered this past spring when they found enough research to guide them along.
see HEALTHY, page 3
Refunds on the fly College students find use for new Broncho debit card By Stephani Tobin
Staff Writer
Photo illustration by Chris4lbers
UCO students can handle their tuition and financial aid more conveniently, and also manage their money, with the new Broncho Spirit Card, which will be implemented this month. Higher One, a bank based in New Haven, Conn., that helps universities and colleges assist students with financial disbursements, will work with UCO on this card. "It's a win-win for students and the university," Adrienne Nobles, director of communications and marketing at UCO, said. Students will receive their cards in the mail by the end of November after they verify their current address through UCONNECT. When their address is verified or updated, they are entered in daily prize drawings for Starbucks and iTunes gift cards. When students receive their card, they can choose how they receive their tuition and financial aid refunds, Nobles said, whether it be through a transfer to a third party ba\ak, a
mailed paper check or a direct transfer to their OneAccount through their Broncho Spirit Card. Nobles said it is important for students to update their address and their refund preference because the Higher One will handle refunds at the beginning of the spring semester. "With the current economic situation," Nobles said, "students will no doubt appreciate the opportunity to receive their refund the same day it's processed." Students can use the Broncho Spirit Card anywhere a Debit MasterCard is accepted, and money can be deposited into their OneAccount through the Web site, BronchoSpiritCard.com . Nobles said the university chose Higher One because it exclusively provides this type of service for higher education, and the cost of a local bank would have been placed on the students' back. She also said it streamlines the process of depositing refunds, which saves money and helps the campus go green on paper printing. University employees can also work more directly with students through this process.
see REFUNDS, page 3