The Student Voice (Since 1903 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2006
MLK III postpones speech after mother's death
Students rally for reform
Event to be rescheduled in its entirety by Matt Cauthron
tion for the event has been halted until a new date for the event has been set. Tickets will be free to students. He said all tickets that have been distributed will be honored at the rescheduled event.
Editor in Chief
'Students for saving social security' stage national rally at college campuses
by Courtney Bryce Managing Editor
The UCO College Republicans rallied at 11 a.m. Jan. 30 on the south side of the Communications Building. Joshua Hollman, vice chair of College Republicans, said this was a nationwide event coordinated by Students for Saving Social Security, which does not have a UCO chapter. Hollman said the point of the event was to give the message that college students haven't forgotten the issue. "They are getting ready to go out and work and pay these taxes and they want to see some results," Hollman said. Hollman said the date of the event coordinated with the State of the Union address. "I think it was picked in association with the State of the Union address in anticipation that the president would pick the issue back up as a good national leader would," Hollman said. Hollman said personal retirement accounts allow money to be invested that will increase benefits. "We're putting money in trust funds into investments that don't keep up with inflation, much less earn more," Hollman said. "That means we can't keep up with the costs of Social Security." "The outgrowth is many people have constituent and don't want it to change because they benefit now," Hollman said. "Some people won't benefit later, even if they think they will. It's a pay as you go system and trust funds will not kick-in." Hollman said Social Security is costing Americans a bigger share of the economy every year. "We're feeling the effects right- now," Hollman. "It's not something in the future." Andy Mahbubani, UCO Young Democrat president, said there are more important issues for college students to concentrate on. "Social security is a dead issue," Manbubani said. "Students don't really care about Social Security. They're still trying to get out of college." Manbubani said more attention should be paid to the national budget, which cut student loans by 15 percent. Manbubani said people could lose their money because privatization would invest it in the stock market. Mahbubani said he gives the College Republicans credit for choosing to rally right before Bush gave his State of the Union Speech.
see RALLY, page 6
SOCIAL
*:SECURI by Vista photographer Midori Sasaki
Ben Lepak, University of Oklahoma student, speaks about social security reform Jan. 30 at Broncho Lake.
Former neo-nazi to speak against hatred
Russian author delivers lecture
Longing for springtime
Mix of new recruits and returning players holds promise for new season.
See Sports pg. 12
ISC votes to boost budget New parliamentarian appointed at meeting by Nathan Winfrey Staff Writer
The International Student Council appointed a new parliamentarian and voted to increase the budget Jan. 30. Alaa Eddin Obeid, biology senior from Syria, was given the office without contest after a short speech, and took his seat at the podium after his appointment. For many years, ISC has been operating on a budget formula that allocated $1 per international student. This semester, there are 1289 international students, so the ISC budget allocation is $1289, said Josephine Mangoli, ISC president.
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Broncho Baseball Preview
For full story on Coretta Scott King, see pg. 5
by Heather Warlick
by Christina Purdom
UCO will host the Second Annual Oklahoma Conference on College Student Character Feb. 4 at the Nigh University Center, Nineteenth Hole. MeShawn Conley, Assistant Director of Character Development at UCO said the theme this year is "about face" and focuses on the six essential elements of good character: diversity, health, leadership, service, spirituality, and ethics. The conference is free to UCO students, staff and faculty. A complementary breakfast and lunch will be provided. "The conference was created last year after the higher education community expressed a concern for character in today's society," Conley said. The conference will include 19 workshops that focus on the different aspects of character and guest speakers. Conley said one of the guest speakers will be Tom Martinez, a former member of a neo-nazi group called "The Order" and author of "Brotherhood of Murder."
Martin Luther King III was scheduled to speak at UCO Feb. 2 in honor of black history month, but postponed his appearance after the death of his mother, Coretta Scott King, Jan. 31 at age 78. "To the best of our knowledge, it will be rescheduled for sometime later this month," said Charlie Johnson, UCO News Bureau Director. King was scheduled to give a speech titled, "My Father's Dream, My Mission" in the Nigh University Center Ballroom, and the UCO Ebony Gospel Choir was scheduled to perform. Following the speech, a studentled march around the campus in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was scheduled. Johnson said all the planned activities will take place at the rescheduled event. Brooke Wilson, director of Campus Life, said professors will be encouraged to use UCONNECT to inform students of the specifics of the rescheduling when the arrangements are made. Johnson said ticket distribu-
Matt Cauthron can be reached at mcauthron@thevistaonline.com.
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activities. "There is a lack of ethics and honesty in today's society," Conley said. "There needs to be a renewed focus on ethics and honesty." Oklahoma City University, Northwestern State University,
Dr. Aleksandr Timofeev, distinguished Russian author and historian, spoke to a group of about 100 students and faculty Jan. 31 in the Pegasus Theater at UCO. His lecture was titled, "Problems of Contemporary Russia- Literary and Sociopolitical Perspectives," and focused on the challenges faced by Russia in today's post modern, post Communist society, and he often referred to the book, "Godfather in the Kremlin," by Paul Klebnikov. Timofeev identified a "lack of national identity" as one of the biggest problems in today's Russian society. He said changes made by the new Russian government have left citizens in all social classes struggling to connect to modern society without losing their cultural identity. For example, the Russian national anthem has changed and holidays such as Easter and Christmas, that were formerly unobserved, have been reinstated. Even the traditional flag of Russia has changed, he said.
"The International Student Council hosts many international events on campus which cost more than the ISC can afford. This always put the account in red," Mangoli said. The office of Dr. Kathryn Gage, vice president of Student Affairs allocates $25,000 to international student organizations annually, and Proposal B, which increases ISC's share of that money to $2.50 per student, passed by a majority vote. Proposition A would have increased funds based on a percentage.
see CHARACTER, page 3
see AUTHOR, page 6
see ISC, page 6
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by Vista photographer Midori Sasaki
Two UCO geese mill about campus, presumably anticipating the coming of the elusive groundhog to signal the coming of spring.
Conley said Martinez worked with the FBI to bring down "The Order" and now speaks about the dangers of hatred. Other workshops will include activities such as yoga, lectures on subjects such as forgiveness and health education, as well as leadership
Oscar nominations. arrive The Vista's Nathan Winfrey breaks down the Oscar race, which began Feb. 1 when the 2005 nominations were announced.
See Entertainment pg. 9
Alaa Eddin Obeid
'Comic Potential' to debut Feb. 9 UCO production examines how art may imitate life.
See News pg. 3
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new ISC parliamentarian