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Tuesday November 21st February 27, 2007
NY Times reporter to speak on campus by Kelly Petrusawich Student Writer
Photo Provided
UCO alumna Marissa Belase poses with Ty Pennington while volunteering at "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" on Feb. 17.
Alumna volunteers for makeover show by Aaron Wright Staff Writer On Feb. 17, a UCO alumna hit her alarm at 4:30 a.m. and debated whether it was worth getting up that early in order to volunteer. Her love of celebrities won against her tiredness. She and her mom arrived in Lawton, Okla., by 6 a.m. to appear on an episode of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition. “ Marisa Belase graduated from UCO in May 2006 with a degree in sociologyhuman services. She is currently working on her master’s degree in social work at OU. “I like to volunteer. I typically look for places to volunteer when I have the chance. This one kind of came out of the blue,” said Belase. Her mother is an employee of the Caddo County Commissioner’s office. One of their suppliers was going to provide the demoli-
tion equipment for the show. Belase’s mother asked if she and her daughter could ride with them to the location of the shooting, which he agreed. When they arrived in Lawton, they had to deal with issues that accompanied signing up to volunteer at the last minute. At first, they were told the volunteer T-shirts, which were required to enter the construction and filming area, had all been given away. Belase and her mother waited to see if any more turned up. When it looked as if their travels would amount to nothing, a crew member found a couple of T-shirts to give them. They never were able to locate hard hats to wear in the construction zone, however. “We were practically the only people not in hard hats,” said Belase. The crew still allowed them to participate. Belase said one of the first things they did was shoot the
see Makeover, page 5
Alpha Xi Delta raises money for Red Cross by Lyndsay Gillum Staff Writer The girls of Alpha Xi Delta sorority at UCO raised $2,000 to be donated to the American Red Cross at a benefit concert held Feb. 2. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” was held Feb. 2 at
Hamilton F i e l d House. Featured at the concert were local Oklahoma bands The Effects, Red Light Knights and Falling High. Along with the Red Cross, sorority sisters also dedicated this concert to the memory of their late sister, Caroline Still, who passed away in December 2006 from a pulmonary embolism. It was Still who had been planning “Rock You Like a Hurricane” as a way to assist with fundraising for Hurricane Katrina and its relief effort before she died.
By making this concert happen, the girls of Alpha Xi Delta honored Still’s memory by turning her wishes into a reality. In a press release dated Feb. 19, Winter Hollingsworth, president of Alpha Xi Delta, said, “We’re so pleased with the results of our concert that we’ve decided to make it an annual tradition to both honor our sister and h e l p w i t h Red Cross fundraising.” Natalie Scott, community relation’s coordinator for the Red Cross organization, was impressed by the students’ initiative to raise money and help the Red Cross. “The concert was a great way for people to have fun while supporting a great cause,” Scott said. The fact that they’re honoring their sorority sister’s wishes is a pretty special tribute, as well.” Lyndsay Gillum can be reached at lgillum@thevistaonline.com.
New York Times reporter Tom Zeller, Jr., keynote speaker for UCO’s fourth annual American Democracy Day entitled “Creating My Space for Democracy,” will present “Is This Really MySpace if the World is Watching?” in the Nigh University Center Ballroom March 2, at 12:30 p.m. “The conference will be very interesting,” said Dr. Joanne Necco, Professional Teacher Education professor, “not only due to the high quality of speakers but also because of the many different opinions that will be represented. There is just so much more than only one system of government.” Zeller has written numerous articles for the New York Times, covering topics from technology to entertainment and politics. His most recent contribution to the Times, “New Condom With Familiar Name: NYC,” can be seen in the Feb. 15 edition or found online. In the past, American
by Vista photographer Alex Gambill
Megan Kirk, photojournalism senior, browses on myspace.com Feb. 26. Democracy Project organizers have found it difficult to attract students to the event, a problem they are attempting to solve. “We just really wanted this year’s focus to be applicable to students and we believe that students involved in this year’s
Democracy Day will derive great benefit,” said Patricia Loughlin, UCO history professor. By offering a more youthoriented topic, breakout sessions and the opportunity to speak with a New York Times reporter, the ADP is hoping stu-
dent participation will increase significantly from last year. They also offer goody bags provided by the New York Times to further lure students. Other Democracy Day activities will include poster viewing, presentations by both President Webb and Provost Dr. William J. Radke, the keynote address and an awards luncheon. “Students will also have the opportunity to design and enter posters displaying whatever democracy means to them,” Loughlin said. “These posters will then be judged and winners will receive cash prizes.” Students, faculty and staff are invited and can attend the entire conference or individual events. Registration is free and should be completed online at www.ucok.edu/ AmericanDemocracyProject. Following the conclusion of American Democracy Day, Friends of the Library and The American Democracy Project will be partnering to present Oklahoma historian and author Bob Burke at 6 p.m. in the Chambers Library.
A day in the life of a firefighter by Ivo Lupov
Managing Editor
On a blustery gray February morning, Brian Pever, a rookie at Edmond Fire Station I, drives his old red Rover to work. The British made five-door truck is in excellent condition with original paint, mirroring the appearance of the driver with a spotless look. It’s 6 30 a.m., the highways are already packed with close and fast moving headlights, resembling the blood of artery animation on the Discovery Channel. With a little grin on his face and obvious rush to go to work, Pever is quickly passing cars, chasing the clock, even though he is always on time. Every shift at the station goes through similar routines each morning. With military sharpness the night team gets off at 7 a.m., and without any interruption the new shift steps in their shoes for the next 24 hours. Divided in to three teams, the entire station has on staff 12 firefighters plus the battalion chief, the lieutenant and the station captain. Every team is marked on the schedule in front of the garage gate with a different color. Pever and his crew are coded with blue. At 7 a.m., Pever and the rest of blue team started a quick and very precise gear check. Every crew testes equipment from heat detectors to computers. Through air bottles, medical supplies and everything that might have been used during the previous shift, their protective vests and helmets are placed on their seats. In front of every door, the firefighter’s protective gear is rolled over their boots. When the lights go off every man jumps in his boots and pulls up his pants. In less than a minute, the crew is in place and the fire-truck is on the way, waiting for instructions over the radio. Early in the morning after each truck’s expection, all the firefighters gather in the kitchen. Very well organized
Photo by Ivo Lupov
Firefighters Brian Pever and Jeff Fountain secure a car after a traffic accident on I-35 southbound in Edmond Feb. 13. with a gas stove on the left, pots and pans on the right, this room plays the role of a living room and conference hall. Hot cereal and milk, coffee and cookies in front of a big plasma screen TV bring a feeling like a family before dinner. Most of the men in the blue team are still half asleep. In this ordinary morning, the steam coming out of their coffee mugs is the only moving part of the crew. Waiting on calls after breakfast, the entire station is under a detail cleaning. Divided among the members of the team with seniority, bathroom, showers and hallway are mopped. The humidifier and soap containers also undergo maintenance checking, and filling them brings additional home comfort to the firehouse. “We are killing time after checking the equipment before the meeting at 8 [a.m.],” said Pever referring to the captain’s orders for the day. “We
are going to cook some serious food today,” he said after pulling two frozen bags with chicken from the freezer. Under the influence of caffeine, the boys start to joke and chase each other around the station like junior-high school kids. It appears nobody expects the alarm to go off.
Suddenly, a sharp monotone noise fills the air, seconds later the entire station is empty like a classroom after school. All ready, without questions, fully dressed in their yellow suits, Pever and his partner Jeff Fountain head east on 2nd street.
see Firefighter, page 3
by Vista photographer Alex Gambill
Edmond firefighter Brian Nipper hoses off the driveway at the Edmond Fire House Feb. 19 at 2nd St.
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"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." - Allan K. Chalmers
TUE. 65/34
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