UCOSA Elections The Vista sits down with UCOSA Senate President Pro-Tempore Lacie Larschan to talk about her bid for UCOSA President. Page 5
Baseball UCO will host St. Gregory’s University today at 2:30 p.m. at Wendell Simmons Field Page 8
APRIL 3, 2012 uco360.com twitter.com/uco360
THE VISTA
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.
American Indian Culture
LIBERAL ARTS EVACUATED ON MONDAY
SPRING POWWOW CELEBRATES 40TH YEAR
By Bryan Trude / Sports Editor & Chris Brannick / Contributing Writer
Students were treated to an impromptu trip outdoors following an evacuation of the Liberal Arts Building at about 1:15 p.m. yesterday, April 2. Dean of Liberal Arts Pamela Washington said fire alarms were activated when unknown persons discharged a fire extinguisher in the Pegasus Theater. “[Fire officials] need to cordon off and aerate the building because of the chemical used,” Washington said. “The chemical is dangerous to breathe.” Students were evacuated to the intramural field east of Buddy’s before being let back in the building about twenty minutes later. Pegasus Theater and the lobby outside of it remained closed when the students re-entered. “We were in Criminal Justice class when these alarms went off, and we had to exit the building,” Pamela Beaty, junior psychology major, said. “There was no warning, no nothing, just the sirens. Once we were outside, they kept pushing us out to this field.” Multiple chemicals are used in modern dry powder fire extinguishers, such as the kind used inside Pegasus Theater, according to Adrienne Nobles, the university relations director of communications and marketing. Information on the chemical used in the extinguisher was not available, however many chemicals in dry extinguishers can cause skin irritation. “The fire alarm went off and we just grabbed our stuff and walked out,” Derek Mussey, freshman undeclared major, said. “I was thinking, why are we doing a fire drill in college?” Nobles also said no injuries were reported.
Photos on page 4
WEATHER TODAY
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Native American participants dance during the Grand Entry during UCO’s 40th Annual Spring Powwow at Hamilton Field House, Sunday, April 1, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista
By Ben Luschen / Staff Writer The bleachers inside Hamilton Field House gently shook from the noise. It was not a sporting event that rocked the rocked the court, but the heavy beating of an American Indian drum. UCO held its 40th annual Spring Powwow inside the athletic facility Sunday, April 1. The celebration began at 2 p.m. with gourd dancing, a type of dance believed to have originated among the Kiowa tribes. It is set to a steady drumbeat and singing and is often used to open powwows. At 5:00, the assembly took a break for a free supper consisting of a few traditional Native American foods including fried chicken, fry bread, hominy and corn soup. The event began again two hours later when the event’s dancers made a grand entry. A series of dance competitions were held afterward. The dance competitions included categories in Men’s Straight, Grass and Fancy as well as Women’s Cloth, Buckskin, Jingle and Fancy Shawl dances. Cash prizes were awarded to those who placed in the top three of each event, with first place taking home $150.
“This is basically the biggest event of the year for us,” Sache Primeaux-Shaw, a graduate student at UCO and a Native American Student Association member, said. Primeaux-Shaw and several other NASA members spent almost the whole day at the event setting up, running a concession stand and serving the dinner. Sammy Tone-Kei White acted as the events master of ceremonies. White travels to different powwows across the state and the nation, but his trip to Central’s Spring Powwow is more of a homecoming. White attended the school back when it was known as Central State, though he notes the campus has undergone quite a transformation since those days. “It’s changed,” White said. “Everything is new.” Its surroundings may have changed, but White says the powwow held by UCO has changed very little in its 40 years. “The powwow part is the same – same songs, same dances,” he said. “But it’s just a good time for an Indian celebration.” Although many of the powwows attendees were family members of the dancers or other parts of the Native American community, several more people
came just to experience the powwow atmosphere firsthand. Lindsay Echols, the coordinator of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, says this is one of the main reasons to continue to hold the annual event. “I think it’s very important,” Echols said. “People are able to show part of themselves to a larger culture, so they’re able to pass down what they’ve been raised around since they were kids.” Echols also says the fact UCO has been holding a spring powwow for as many years as it has shows the school’s deep investment in both the Native American culture and cultural diversity as a whole. For White, the importance of the powwow is its ability to connect generations and make an impact of the community’s youth. “It’s very, very important, especially with the young people,” White said. “It reminds them of who they are, the Indian ones. They get to learn and then maybe they can teach their children about the songs.” Though the event may be key to preserving a culture, White says he is not worried that Native American youth will ever cast away their cultural heritage. “As long as we’ve got the drum, they’ll always be here,” he said.
Crime
POLICE STILL SEARCHING FOR HIT AND RUN SUSPECT By Bryan Trude / Sports Editor
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DID YOU KNOW? Scrooge McDuck is the richest fictional character beating out Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne
UCO police received a call of a hit and run on campus at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29. Bystanders had witnessed two 18-year-old students get struck by a van as they crossed Ayers Drive, north of Max Chambers Library. “We’ve talked to dozens and dozens of people who may or may not have been close enough to see what happened,” Jeff Harp, UCO Chief of Police, said. “We’re getting conflicting information on the color of the vehicle. We do know it is a minivan, we do not know how new it is. Some reports have said it is white, some have said it is darker in color, so we are pursuing both of those investigative angles.” Harp declined to provide further information on the victims’ names or current medical condition, citing department policy. “I’ve been here about 12 years, and this is the first time anything like this has happened at UCO,” Harp said. “Anything that can happen anywhere else can happen here, and I think the lesson to be learned here is always be careful and aware of your surroundings. Know what you are doing and pay attention to what’s going on around you.” Students with information are urged to contact UCO police at 947-2345. Students who wish to remain anonymous can call the Broncho Five-O tip
A student crosses E Ayers St. near the Max Chambers Library where a hit and run incident occured on Thursday March 29, 2012. Photo by Cody Bromley, The Vista
line at 947-3483, or by e-mail at five-o@uco.edu “I don’t know if this was preventable, this was two people crossing the street in a heavy-foot traffic area,” Harp said. “We don’t have a motive or what
caused this, but most hit and runs usually comes back to inattention. Somebody’s doing something, they’re intoxicated or some other issue. Just be aware and alert.”