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THEVISTA University of Central Oklahoma
Ft. Hayes Page 7
TUESDAY • December 4, 2012
The Student Voice Since 1903
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Bronchos gain two victories at
VSLC LOOKING FOR BIG EVENT TEAM LEADERS • BROOKS NICKELL, Staff Writer •
The University of Central Oklahoma’s Volunteer and Service Learning Center (VSLC) is looking to pull in more volunteers and raise the awareness for the upcoming spring day of volunteer service, Big Event. They will be handing out free hot chocolate today and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11a.m. under the blue tent in front of Broncho Lake. According to Rachel Winter, Assistant Director of VSLC, the ambition behind this new idea to hold a pre-event stems from the hope that they can attract more students to sign up as Big Event Team Leaders. “We are looking for team leaders. Volunteers will be split into smaller groups. The team leaders are the ‘go-to’ people for their group and that sight.” Hosting a pre-event isn’t the only change to Big Event this year. Previous years have seen volunteer help on the
day of Big Event focused mainly in the Oklahoma City area. This year the VSLC has shifted its focus to the immediate Edmond community. We’re going to the neighborhoods of Edmond and giving back this year,“ Joel Richardson, Big Event Chair Elect said. “It’s a way of saying thank you to the people of Edmond who have to sit in traffic waiting for us college students or wait in line at Starbucks. Were saying thank you for putting up with us.” The VSLC will be reaching out to community home owners organizations, Knocking on doors and posting work forms on their website, which will allow citizens to list their address, see what types of volunteer work will be offered and record what tasks they need performed. “We will go out and check the location, make sure it is
safe for students. If everything checks out then that house is a location for Big Event,” Tyler Mette, Big Event Site Chair said. Winters stated that it’s important to strengthen the relationships between students and the community, saying this year will offer a positive opportunity for students to give back. “Big Event is the largest day of service on UCO’s campus. It’s meant to say thank you to the UCO community and those that support the students here and the university, especially those in the Edmond and metropolitan area.” Anyone interested in volunteering or looking for more information can contact the VSLC at uco.edu/volunteer or call 405-974-2621.
UCO CELEBRATES HOLIDAY SEASON WITH
WINTERGLOW FESTIVAL
Two children pose for a caricature at UCO’s 15th Annual Winterglow Festival, Nov. 30, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista
• JOSH WALLACE, Staff Writer • On Friday, Nov. 30, UCO kicked off the start of the holiday season with its annual Winterglow celebration, with this year’s festivities marking 15 years of the tradition on campus. Starting off the night, dubbed “Miracle on 2nd Street,” was the lighting of Old North. By 5:30 p.m., a crowd had gathered on the west side of Old North, where the Winterglow Student Choir was setting up for the event. The weather was remarkably pleasant for the late November ceremony, with the temperature hovering at around 70 degrees. At 6:00 p.m., with night taking hold of the sky, UCO President Don Betz was introduced and spoke about the tradition of Winterglow and the spirit of the holiday season. Betz remarked at how nice the weather was, and how different it was from the first Winterglow, adding, “The first time we did this, it was about 12 degrees, ice covered everything and we were drinking more hot cider than we could possibly stand, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm. We stand in this courtyard and look up and
EMPTY CALORIES
see this 114-foot tower that people built almost 125 years ago to make sure that there would be education here. The theme is Miracle on 2nd Street, and the miracle, aside from the weather, is the fact that for 125 years this wonderful city and this great university have been partners to create opportunity for so many.” Betz introduced Edmond Mayor Charles Lamb, who spoke about his time at UCO, and how he remembered taking classes inside UCO’s iconic building. Lamb described Winterglow as the official start to Edmond’s holiday festivities, and how honored he was to be a part of the tradition. Shortly after, the Winterglow Student Choir, led by Assistant Director of Campus Activities, Courtney James, started in on a medley of Christmas songs. The choir launched into “White Christmas,” and finished out with “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” As the choir finished up, Betz took to the podium again to kick on the lights adorning Old North, leading the
crowd in a countdown to the event. After the cheers and applause, Betz welcomed everyone to the Nigh University Center (NUC) for the rest of the night’s activities. Outside the NUC, a train had been set up for the kids to take a nighttime ride around campus. Inside the NUC, visitors were greeted with hot chocolate and cookies, as well as a variety of activities geared for the children. Winterglow volunteers were set up at tables around NUC, from the dining area to the third floor, offering help in creating everything from Christmas ornaments to letters to soldiers serving overseas. The ballrooms were opened up for more hands on, physical entertainment, where a dodge ball game was going on and children were singing karaoke. Across from the ballrooms, a black-light party was set up, where Winterglow volunteers could be seen dancing in the violet glow. Further down from the ballroom, a long line of children and their parents stretched down the hall, where the kids eagerly awaited telling “Santa” their Christmas wishes.
MORE WINTERGLOW PHOTOS ON PAGE 3
Latest CDC report reveals America’s
love affair with alcoholic beverages.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released its findings of calorie consumption from alcohol by the average U.S. adult November 2012. According to the CDC website (www.cdc.gov), the study found that the U.S. adult population consumes an average of almost 100 calories per day from alcoholic beverages. Other key findings from the data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 20072010 were that men consumed more calories from alcoholic beverages than women, younger adults consume more calories from alcoholic beverages than older adults, men consume more beer than other types of alcohol, and the average calories consumed from alcoholic beverages do not differ by race or ethnicity. According to CDC on any given day almost 20 percent of men and 6 percent of women consume more than 300 calories from alcoholic beverages. For reference, one beer is 150 calories, one glass of wine is 120 calories, and 1.5 ounces of liquor is 100 calories, while a can of Coca-Cola is 140 calories. “Basically soda and beer are all empty calories, all it gives you is calories no vitamins or minerals,” said Dietetic Internship Director Tiffany Shurts.
Shurts said that the most dangerous ingredient in soda is sugar with the long-term effects of obesity and other healthrelated problems, while the most dangerous ingredient in beer is the alcohol itself, which can result in liver damage. “A healthy intake of total calories depend on gender, weight, height, and activity level”, said Shurts. The CDC website states that caloric balance is like a scale, and to remain in balance the calories consumed by an individual must be balanced by the calories used in daily activities. “As a dietitian, I feel that empty calories are a problem when they replace nutrient rich foods and beverages. Some people do not have adequate intake of some nutrients because they only consume empty calorie beverages like soda or alcohol,” said Shurts. “However, with balance and moderation, there is no reason to cut out either beverage choice.” The CDC website stated that the NHANES is conducted by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics to assess the health and nutritional status of the civilian non-institutionalized U.S. population, also the data for this report was conducted via an in-person 24-hour dietary recall interview at the Mobile Examination Center.
Stock photo
• LINDSEY RICKARDS, Staff Writer •