The Vista Feb. 2, 2012

FEB. 2, 2012

Football

Open Mic Night

The Vista sits down with UCO head football Coach Nick Bobeck to talk shop.

Page 8

UCO’s Creative Studies Writers’ Institute held their open mic night at Beans and Leaves on Monday night.

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THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.

By Ben Luschen / Staff Writer As part of Black History Month, the first ever “Blacklisted “ event will fuel plenty of discussion and, in some cases, controversy.

Both UCO’s Black Student Association (BSA) and the Gay Alliance for Tolerance and Equality (GATE) are teaming up to host the event, which hopes to open up a discourse on the increasing number of African Americans coming out into the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) community and the difficulties they often face in doing so.

Blacklisted will be held today at 2 p.m. in the Pegasus Theater, located in the Liberal Arts Building. The event is open to all and free lunch will be provided. Mark Knight, an openly gay Black male

who is an advocate for social justice, will speak at the event.

“Basically, what we’re going to talk about is what it means to be Black and gay and how that dynamic works being in the Black community with all the different influences in it from the church to what-have-you,” Knight said.

Lindsay Echols, the coordinator of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion who also plays a large role in organizing all of Central’s Black History Month events, acknowledges that Blacklisted may be considered a sensitive topic for some.

“Truthfully, in the African American community this is a very taboo topic, but people are talking about it again,” Echols said.

In March 2011, Rev. Keith Ratliff Sr., an NAACP National Board Member and president of the Iowa-

Nebraska chapter of the NAACP, made headlines after demanding the gay community to “stop hijacking the civil rights movement.” He also added, “deviant behavior is not the same as being denied your right to vote.”

Knight, however, disagrees with Ratliff’s assertion.

“There’s been this argument about whether or not the LGBT community is trying to hijack the civil rights movement,” Knight said. “But the reality of it is that civil rights means everybody.”

According to Echols, it shouldn’t be forgotten that civil rights has always been multi-dimensional.

“The civil rights movement played an active role in the history of African Americans but what a lot of people think is that it was just African Americans who were

fighting for civil rights and that’s so not true,” Echols said. “Crossing all ethnic barriers, civil rights deals with LGBT issues, it deals with women’s rights, it deals with all those different issues.”

Though many will hear about the likes of George Washington Carver, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson as Black History Month runs its course, gay Black history will likely remain hidden, according to Knight.

“It’s surprising how many young Black gay kids don’t even know who Bayard Rustin is, and he was one of the key players in the civil rights movement,” Knight said.

Bayard Rustin, who was both Black and openly gay, was a key organizer in the civil rights movement in the 50’s and 60’s and continued as an advocate for gay and

lesbian causes into the 1970’s.

Though Knight is scheduled to speak at Blacklisted, anyone who attends is encouraged to share their own testimonials and experiences, according to Echols.

While speaking, Knight hopes to reach not only gay or Black people, but all those who attend the event.

“A lot of people still have these preconceived notions about what it means to be gay,” Knight said.

“It’s not so much that I’m going to try and explain all of that but hopefully this will give them some sort of insight into that. Other than how I identify as who I am attracted to or who I would like to be in a relationship with, there’s not a whole lot of difference.”

Graphic by The Vista

BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS Thursday, February 2, 2012 Blacklisted discussion (with Free Lunch) 2:00 p.m. in the Pegasus Theater

Thursday, February 16, 2012 Zeta Phi Beta Informational 7:20 p.m. in Nigh University Center Room 300

Saturday, February 4, 2012 Miss Black UCO in the Nigh University Center Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Pageant starts at 7:00 p.m.

Cost: $3.00 with UCO ID, $5.00 w/out UCO ID

Monday, February 20, 2012 Hip Hop Forum 7:00 p.m. in Constitution Hall Women’s Appreciation 7:30 p.m. in Nigh University Center Room 213

Monday, February 6, 2012 Ebony Gospel Choir Rehearsal 7:00 p.m. in Nigh University Center Room 201

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 R.E.A.L Talk: Living in a post racial society?

12:00 p.m. in Nigh University Center, Room 201

Black Girls Rock Note: Cocktail Attire is recommended for this event.

7:30pm in the Nigh University Center Ballroom

Neo Soul Night 7:30 p.m. in Nigh University Center Room 421

Wednesday, February 8, 2010 NPHC Faculty & Staff Appreciation Breakfast Nigh University Center, Room 202

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 Gospel Night 7:00 p.m. in Nigh University Center Room 421

Black Student Association Meeting 2:00 p.m. in Nigh University Center, Room 421

Thursday, February 23, 2012 Freedom Writers Writing Competition 7:00 p.m. in Nigh University Center Room 326 Note: For more information contact Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc

Thursday, February 9, 2012 Brother Outsider: The Life of Beyard Rustin Movie Screening (with Free Lunch) 2:00 p.m. in the Pegasus Theater

Black History Month Jeopardy 7:00 p.m. in Nigh University Center, Room 326 Wednesday, February 15, 2012 Black History Month Keynote Address 2:00 p.m. in Nigh University Center Room 326

February 23-26, 2012 Big XII Conference on Black Student Government

WEATHER

Friday, February 10, 2012 Campus Prayer 12:00 p.m. in the Nigh University Center

TODAY H 67° L 52°

TOMORROW H 63° L 38°

DID YOU KNOW? Taco Bell is named for its founder, Glen Bell.

More weather at www.uco360.com

OPINION

2

FEB. 2, 2012

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EDITORIALS Opinion columns, editorial cartoons, reviews and commentaries represent the views of the writer or artist and not necessarily the views of The Vista Editorial Board, the Department of Mass Communication, UCO or the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. The Vista is not an official medium of expression for the Regents or UCO. LETTERS The Vista encourages letters to the editor. Letters should address issues and ideas, not personalities. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, with a maximum of 150 words, and must include the author’s printed name, title, major, classification and phone number. Letters are subject to editing for libel, clarity and space, or to eliminate statements of questionable taste. The Vista reserves the right not to publish submitted letters.

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“I’ve done one. Sometimes internships are overused.

There’s positives and negative sto it.”

“Definitely. It’s important to be in an environment that’s inspiring and motivating.”

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Nutrition-Sophomore

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Editorial

BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS RACIST The case has been made several times before, but it deserves saying again this year. Black History Month is racist.

The month dedicated to the history and culture of America’s largest racial minority is not racist because of what it promotes, but more so in how it promotes.

Black history in America is American history. Black culture in America is American culture. The effort to promote education and literacy among these sections of our culture is noble and needed but the segregation is not.

Plus, is a month even an adequate amount of time to cover all of African-American history and culture? As Academy Award-winning actor and famously dark-skinned man Morgan Freeman told CBS in a 2005 60 Minutes interview, “You’re going to relegate my history to a month?”

Of course it doesn’t help that every month is _______ Awareness and/or Prevention Month. In case you’ve forgotten, February is also Electrical Safety Awareness Month, National Pet Dental Health Awareness Month and Heart Disease Awareness Month. That last one is a sad coincidence since African-American adults are more likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease and die from heart disease than other race.

Kids are not born racist. People become racist because they are taught how to be by others. If Black History Month is truly an educational holiday, it will drop its moniker in favor of one less dividing. Perhaps African American studies month?

Words have power, and labels can hurt so let’s keep them from damaging and dividing American history and culture any further than they already do.

However, Black History Month is no way the only offender.

We still have Women’s History Month, LGBT History Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, Jewish-American Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month and more.

In our modern age we’ve learned to make our ethnic holidays more inclusive. Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day and there are enough tacos for everyone on Cinco de Mayo.

In a time where discrimination lawsuits pose more damage threat than a car accident how split do we let ourselves become?

The more we divide our national identity the less we feel like a unified body. We are the United States of America, a melting-pot of culture and ideas. Splitting our history up into pieces is selfish, racist and un-American.

“I did one when I was a college student. Gives you experience and mix with people who had been in that field for a while.”

“Of course. Because it’s a good opportunity to experience a job.”

“No. This is my first semester here.”

By Evan Oldham / Cartoonist

NEWS

FEB. 2, 2012 Creative Studies

3

Opinion

OPEN MIC NIGHT GIVES AUTHORS AN AUDIENCE FOR THEIR WORKS

Out of Context By Brittany Dalton Easy Way Out

Julie Campbell, a UCO student, reads her story during Open Mic Monday, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista

By Josh Hutton / Staff Writer A short jaunt on I-44 West, a slight right onto exit 125A, a left turn on Pennsylvania Ave., and you have arrived. Tucked cozily amidst a short strip of shops lies Beans and Leaves, a coffee shop of imaginative décor and character.

Any patron strolling into the shop on Mondays around 8 p.m. will be thrown into a world crafted by UCO’s Creative Studies Writers’ Institute (CSWI). On Monday, Jan. 30, the CSWI met for the first time at Beans and Leaves. The group had been hosting its Open Mic Night on UCO’s campus from the fall of 2010 until this week.

“We thought this would be a more conducive environment. The classroom seems like too much of a business environment,” Allen Jenkins, CSWI president and UCO graduate student, said.

The bright orange walls of Beans and Leaves were dotted with pop art created by a local artist. The paintings depicted super heroes, 50s icons, and noir scenes.

In the back of the shop, UCO students and community members sat in a circle awaiting the first reading. With a shuffle of chairs and a chorus of clearing throats, the event began.

“I wrote this in history class. I don’t know what got into me,” 13-year-old Joanna said, by way of introduction, before she started into her first poem.

Fellow writers listened intently. Joanna writes at least one poem a week. She was three years old when she attended her first slam poetry event.

“I write because it gives me a chance to hit people where it hurts. When I write it, it hits me where it hurts. So, if I scream it at them, maybe they’ll get it,” Joanna said.

Experience ranged from a passionate young poet, to a published novelist with a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing from UCO. Each person present had a different view on why Open Mic Night is important for writers.

“Writing is very solitary,” James Dolph, UCO creative studies professor, said.

“This allows us to reach out to the community. Poetry in particular is meant to be heard aloud.”

Dolph is the faculty advisor to the group. He acts as MC at the open mics.

“I come just to see everyone and hear their stuff,” Julie Campbell, a creative writing graduate student, said. Campbell read a passage from an in-progress short story. Campbell utilized an experimental second-person prose style.

Paula Schonauer. a graduate of the creative writing M.F.A. program and published author, finds the open mics create a sense of camaraderie amongst writers.

“I feel like I’m part of the community, and it’s also a great way for me to test new material,” Schonauer said.

Schonauer published her first novel, “Shadowboxer” with Etopia Press following her graduation. The novel is currently being sold digitally on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and will be in print later this year. Schonauer read three pieces of flash fiction at the event.

Aside from fiction, Schonauer writes a column for The Gayly. Schonauer attributes her fascination with flash fiction to the constraint of a 500-word limit in her column.

Why is Beans and Leaves such a hub for expression?

“I like color. I like flair. I like individualism. I like creativity. I like characters,” Gary Devanney said. Devanney owns Beans and Leaves and is an active audience member during the open mics.

Devanney, a native of Austrailia, previously worked as a project manager and spent much of his time working in countries all over the world. Devanney opened Beans and Leaves nearly four months ago.

“The whole idea behind it is to support the arts – to give a venue to the arts.

We have a nice big lounge room. We have all kinds of groups here. We have a knitting group, writers, musicians, and once a month we change the artwork,” Devanney said. “Besides all that, it’s bloody good coffee.” The shop uses primarily African beans and features an espresso bar.

CSWI’s Open Mic Night at Beans and Leaves stands as an incredibly unique experience. Once you make a short trip down the road and arrive in the cozy shop, you will be rewarded with a feast for the senses. Local artwork for the eyes, the aroma of coffee for the nose, various deserts for the taste buds and storytelling for the ears will reward any visitors.

Diversity & Inclusion

SCREENING SPARKS DISCUSSION OF DR. KING, ETHNIC IDENTITY

By Danniel Parker / Contributing Writer “Will you ignorant niggers please shut the hell up?”

A fictional Dr. Martin Luther King addressed his young black congregation, his voice like a bellowing flame rising above the boom-bap of a hip-hop beat.

When the crowd hears him utter that word, they stop fighting and drinking, they stand at attention, shocked into listening.

“I had a dream once, it was a dream that little black boys and little black girls would drink from the river of prosperity, freed from the thirst of oppression,” King said. “But lo and behold some four decades later, what have I found but a bunch of trifling, shiftless, good-for-nothing niggers.”

Those quotes are from the “Return of the King” episode of satirical cartoon “The Boondocks.” In the episode, instead of dying from an assassin’s bullet, King falls into a coma. After 9/11, King awakens to preach peace and equality. But King quickly becomes frus-

trated by apathy and negative self-image of modern black culture, to the point where he breaks down and admonishes them with what many consider to be the worst word in the English language.

It was screened in the Nigh University Center on Jan. 19, as Food For Thought, part of King Week at Central for the second year in a row.

When the controversial episode originally aired in 2006, it sparked both critical acclaim and controversy, winning a

Peabody award and inciting Al Sharpton to demand an apology from Cartoon Network for what he called the desecration of the historic civil rights leader.

This UCO campus activity was the brainchild of MeShawn Conley, the director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

After the cartoon, Conley and the 13 students in the audience held a discussion about what they’d been shown. No other faculty was present. Conley said she was fine with a creating a little bit of controversy, if it made people think.

“The show makes a powerful statement that should get people talking,” Conley said. “Some people were made uncomfortable by it; even I was somewhat uncomfortable by it.”

But Conley believed the activity, however uncomfortable, was useful in creating a dialogue among students.

“Discussion is the root of all change, it gives us the opportunity to challenge and validate our ideas,” she said.

Continued on page 5

God, what a rush.

I walked out the sliding doors into the harsh glare of August sunlight, hands jammed in my pockets. In my right hand I could feel the source of this pure adrenaline shooting through from the crown of my head to my toes: an electric blue pack of Bubblicious. Home free, home free – more gum for me, sang my little heart.

I was around five, and thought the world came as easily and trouble-free as the candy I clutched. That is, until my mom stopped me at the car and demanded to see. Let’s just say that stolen candy gets you nothing, except a tearful, embarrassing apology to the checkout clerk as you hand the loot back over.

Fast forward to the present, where I find myself at an impasse. For a few years I’ve grown accustomed to simplifying my life. But really, it’s just an excuse to take the easy way out of most things.

Don’t like certain coworkers? I’d schedule myself on days those people weren’t around. Didn’t study the chapter for today’s quiz? Use prior knowledge from other classes and make up an answer I think will pull me a B. Encounter any sort of interpersonal problem?

Look high and low for whatever the “easy way out” would be.

That’s not how I was raised, and the past four years have been a testament to college-kid stupidity. Until recently, I’ve been more than content to squeak past by the skin of my teeth in almost every facet of life.

But this last semester of college has snuck up on me, tugging at the hem of my skirt and demanding my constant worry and attention.

During various times in a person’s life, things will all coalesce into what seems a prolonged, unnecessary uphill battle.

At the lowest point this week, I found myself flicking listlessly through my Twitter feed when I stumbled across what seemed to be the light through the clouds, the revelation that choirs of angels were singing aloud.

“The best way out is always through,” the tweet read, a quote attributed to American poet Robert Frost.

I’ve done some questionable things, I’ve certainly ruffled my share of feathers in this last, supposed-to-be pivotal year of my life. But for all the sensibilities offended and the questionable actions, I haven’t got that same adrenaline rush as before. Probably because I’ve been dancing around a resolution, hoping I could circumvent the consequences of my actions.

Guess what? It doesn’t work.

When I stole that pack of gum, my mom marched me right back into the store and made me face the person I’d apparently wronged. I’ve come within a hair’s length of failing a class because I couldn’t be inconvenienced to go. In the course of a semester, I’ve been confronted with situations that would have made my five-year-old self run for the hills as fast as my fat little legs would carry me.

But I’m not a good runner, and that’s no way to live.

So if I don’t buy a textbook for class, I deserve every failed quiz grade I get. If I speak before thinking, I deserve the lambasting I may get in return. If I raise hell, I fully deserve to get hell right back. Because it’s something I’ll get through – something I’ll look back on one day and laugh at. I’ve just got to make it through first, and I won’t do that by tucking my tail and fleeing at any sign of trouble.

Never back down.

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NEWS

FEB. 2, 2012

Diversity & Inclusion

BLACK HISTORY MONTH KICKS OFF Wednesday February 1 marked the start to a month’s worth of activites for Black History Month. Students showcased their talents through expressions of song, dance and hip-hop violin. Photos by Cyn Sheng Ling

Am’re Ford, senior in Music Education, plays a piano piece called “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista

Felton Knighton, Junior in Zoology Pre-Med, performs with his Hip-Hop Violin, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista Dr. Kathryn Gage speaks to students and staff at the Black History Month kick-off on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista

Sarah Smith, graduate of Mass Comm and the reigning Miss Black UCO, plays a piano piece called “Bach-Prelude in C”, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista`

Check out more photos and galleries on

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NEWS

FEB. 2, 2012 Occupy Movement

TULSA PROTESTERS REJECT PLEA DEAL

5

Higher Education

CHANGES AHEAD FOR FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

Occupy Tulsa protestors march peacefully through downtown Tulsa, Okla. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/ Sue Ogrocki)

By Justin Juozapavicius / Associated Press

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Dozens of Occupy Tulsa protesters, including several who were pepper-sprayed last November for violating a city park curfew, rejected plea deals in city court Tuesday morning.

Instead, 30 of the protesters vowed through their attorney, Oliver Arbogast, to fight the complaints in city court, maintaining that the First Amendment trumps city ordinances such as ones that regulate curfew violations.

More Occupy protesters, including a dozen from the Oklahoma City Occupy movement, attended the hearing to present a united front, clogging the halls of the city court building.

After Municipal Court Judge Mitchell McCune read the names of the accused off the docket, Arbogast told the court that the group would be entering not guilty pleas and asked for more time to prepare motions that could prove that the activists were within their rights to protest.

Arbogast, who is representing the protesters pro bono, also asked for more time. He wants to put out a call for videos that were taken during the two-night event that show protesters being pepper sprayed. No one knows if such videos exist.

In November, some protesters said Tulsa police officers used excessive force to clear the park, a notion that was flatly dismissed by Chief of Police Chuck Jordan, who said officers used pepper spray because the protesters were violating city ordinances.

McCune ordered the motions to be submitted by March 2 and gave prosecutors until March 23 to file responses. A hearing was set for April 5.

After Tuesday’s hearing, a few dozen protesters gathered outside the courthouse for a march to the park where the November arrests took place.

The group chanted several times and then yelled, “We are unstoppable and another world is possible!” as they marched from the courthouse to the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green, located near the city’s financial district.

Unemployed protester Dustin McGarrah, 23, of Collinsville, was among the two dozen or so cited, but not arrested, for violating the park curfew — 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. citywide. He was in the courtroom Tuesday and also joined the march, and wanted to draw attention to corporate greed.

“These are my friends and my family and I have to be there for them,” he said.

Kyera Coghill, a 19-year-old unemployed Tulsa resident, was among those arrested for curfew violation and said she plans to fight her charges.

“I feel if we did pay our fines and let it go, it would be like giving up,” she said.

Continued from page 3

SCREENING When asked about her choice in using a satiric and fictional speech instead of screening footage of King delivering “I Have a Dream” or reading “Letters From Birmingham Jail,” Conley said those were from a different time, and most students who attended were already familiar.

Conley said that although the language used in the cartoon might offend people, the message that African-Americans need to change their self-image, and rekindle the communal energy that powered the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, is a positive one.

Student and Chief Justice of the UCO Supreme Court Mackenzie Hall said that while he thought it was funny, he didn’t find the message delivered to be appropriate.

“When King said ‘nigger’ the tastefulness left the room,” Hall said.

Hall said he thought it unwise to show the episode in a predominately-white university setting. He said was glad UCO President Don Betz didn’t see it.

“The message was that we as black people are not achieving or holding up to the legacy that King and past generations have bestowed upon us,” he said. “I just thought a motivational speaker, who holds a lot of standing within the black community, would get across the same message, but in better taste.”

The idea conveyed in “The Boondocks” has been written and spoken about by black activists and writers without using Richard Pryor-style language.

In Cornel West’s 1993 book “Race Matters,” he wrote that there was a deep underlying nihilism that had seeped into black culture that needs to be risen above, and that more focus should be placed on bettering the black communities.

“The Boondocks” is the creation of the African-American satirist Aaron McGruder. In an interview on “Nightline” McGruder said that causing offense as a satirist comes with the territory, and the points made justify the use of the profanity.

“If you are going to honor King you have to honor the foundation of his beliefs,” Hall said. “And that is that you must seek peace through equality, not controversy.”

Changes to the foreign exchange program could affect future international students at UCO. The new regulations will tighten the rules about what jobs exchange students can hold. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

By Holbrook Mohr / Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. State Department is proposing what it calls “significant and controversial” changes to a foreign exchange program that has been exploited by unscrupulous labor brokers and organized criminals in the sex industry, said an internal memo obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The Jan. 18 memo comes more than a year after an AP investigation uncovered widespread abuses in the J-1 Summer Work Travel program, which annually allows more than 100,000 foreign college students to work in the U.S. for up to four months. It came from Adam Ereli, assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and was addressed to Assistant Secretary of State Ann Stock.

“The reforms we are undertaking will significantly reduce the opportunities for wrongdoing and catch it much more quickly when it does occur,” the memo said.

Some of the most significant changes would be to ban jobs in factories, warehouses and other places like seafood packing plants. The agency also plans on “re-emphasizing the adult entertainment industry prohibition by specifically prohibiting jobs with escort services, adult book/video stores, massage parlors, and strip clubs.”

It would require sponsors to “use particular prudence and caution when dealing with jobs that offer legitimate employment but also have been known to be associated with human trafficking, such as janitorial service, housekeeping and modeling agencies.”

There’s also a provision aimed at protecting American workers, “such as a more precise definition of temporary seasonal employment and a bar against SWT job placements during layoffs or lockouts.”

The memo said the rules would be made public around March. The State Department declined to comment on Tuesday.

The companies the State Department designated as official sponsors — which charge up to several thousand dollars to arrange visas and jobs for the participants — objected to less

significant changes made last year and to the anticipated new restrictions.

“They have told us they are taking these complaints to Congress, though we have yet to see any indication of congressional support for their position,” the memo said. “Notwithstanding these potential criticisms, we think a solid case can be made that these changes are needed and that some are needed urgently.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last year ordered a thorough review of the program, and her department had already made several changes since the AP investigation uncovered living and working conditions that some participants compared to indentured servitude. In November it had temporarily stopped accepting any new sponsors and will limit the number of future participants to this year’s level, or about 109,000 students. The State Department also revised its rules to require more oversight by its 53 designated sponsors.

But not all of last year’s changes have been fully implemented, according to the memo because some students will be “grandfathered” in.

“While this will mean that some participants are treated differently than others for a brief at time, to do otherwise, however, would create major problems for our embassies and consulates as placements are cancelled — and possibly visas revoked — for students who paid their fees and made their summer plans in good faith...,” the memo said.

In one of the worst cases of abuse, a woman told the AP she was beaten, raped and forced to work as a stripper in Detroit after being promised a job as a waitress in Virginia.

In August 2011, dozens of workers protested conditions at a candy factory that contracts to pack Hershey chocolates in Hershey, Pa., complaining of hard physical labor and pay deductions for rent that often left them with little money. Then in December, a federal indictment accused the mafia of using the cultural exchange program to bring Eastern European women to work in New York strip clubs.

The program was created in 1963 to allow college students from other countries to spend their summer

breaks living, working and traveling in the U.S. all in the name of fostering cultural understanding and showcasing what is great about America.

Most of the abuses over the years have been blamed on unregulated, third-party labor brokers who work with the students. Critics say the students have gotten little help from sponsor companies.

Danielle Grijalalva, executive director of the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students, says she was outraged that the State Department has known about serious problems, but has done little to address the problem.

“This is a memo about problems we’ve been telling them for years,”Grijalalva said. “They should never have been working in warehouse and factories. They told us they were going to make changes. But they didn’t. This is just wrong.”

And she was appalled that some groups may be grandfathered in.

“The State Department keeps promoting the program. What they should do is fix it so no more children will be hurt,” she said.

Under the J-1 program, foreign students often land jobs at hotels, resorts and restaurants. But they have also worked in places like fish factories and strip clubs. Many of the students end up in resort towns, and in places in the Florida Panhandle the abuse has been so bad that it helped inspire state legislation being considered this year.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, said he has pushed for stronger state laws after hearing horror stories about the exploitation of J-1 students.

“It’s an abject failure on the part of the federal government to the point of recklessness,” Gaetz said.

Participation has boomed from about 20,000 students in 1996 to a peak of more than 150,000 in 2008, and roughly 1 million foreign students have taken part in the past decade.

The students come from around the world, with some of the top participating countries being Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand, Ireland, Bulgaria, Peru, Moldova and Poland.

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23. Conditions 28. Benjamin Disraeli, e.g.

JAN. 31 CROSSWORD ANSWERS Across

27. “The Matrix” hero

63. Bit of color

30. Utah lilies

64. Commanded

32. ___ lily

66. “-zoic” things

34. Electrical gizmo

67. Barely beats 68. Auspices

36. Excellent, in modern slang

69. Harmony

37. Hawaiian tuber

16. Catcall

38. Automatic mechanical device causing new records to be played without manual intervention

70. Change, as a clock

39. Antipasto morsel

17. Abstruse

42. Kind of lineup

71. Mar, in a way

18. At full speed

43. Aces, sometimes

40. Fodder harvested while green and kept succulent

19. “The Snowy Day” author ___ Jack Keats

45. Zoroastrian

1. Dog-eared 5. Open, as a bottle 10. Adult male swans 14. On the safe side, at sea 15. Anklebones

48. “___ bad!”

50. Be in session

2. Ornamental shrub

23. Fireplace

51. Bauxite, e.g.

3. Carry out again

24. High-hatter

52. Butcher’s offering

4. High land

56. Full of veins

4

25. Used to indicate the maiden or family name of a married woman

5. Its motto is “Industry”

9

26. Kind of approval

62. Arias, usually

20. Threatening with divine punishment

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6

3

5

8

7 5

6 8

2

1 6

7

2

4 1

7 6

58. Easily influenced

7 6 8

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31. “Cogito ___ sum” 33. Wood sorrels 35. Appear

41. Controlled 44. Chester White’s home 45. Carries in equilibrium 46. Collection of resources 47. Redesign 49. Egg cells 53. Banana oil, e.g.

2

5 7

5

3

6

4

Down 1. Large amount of money

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.55)

29. “What are the ___?”

RIDDLE OF THE WEEK

RANDOM QUOTE

54. “All kidding ___...”

What does man love more than life?

Reputation is what

55. American hakes

Fear more than death or mortal strife?

other people know

What do the poor have, what the rich require,

about you. Honor is

And what contented men desire?

what you know about

What does the miser spend, the spendthrift

yourself.

save,and all men carry to their graves?

- Lois McMaster Bujold

Answer in next weeks issue.

57. Fell off 59. Kind of computer architecture 60. Arch type 61. Home, informally 65. “C’___ la vie!”

SPORTS

FEB. 2, 2012

7

Sports Opinion

VISTA SPORTS PREDICTIONS: NBA WEEK 7 There is some shuffling in the middle as the Vista’s Garett Fisbeck moves ahead of Bryan Trude, while The Huddle’s Courtney Landsberger slides back into third on a 6-6 showing. Again, only The Coin will pick against the Thunder.

NBA Week 7

Bryan Trude Vista Sports Editor

Christie Southern Vista Managing Editor

Garett Fisbeck Vista Photo Editor

Chris Brannick Vista Sports Writer

Terry Fox UCentral’s “The Huddle”

Courtney Landsberger UCentral’s “The Huddle”

“The Coin” 1987 Quarter Dollar

Grizzlies @ Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Thunder

Grizzlies

Wizards @ Raptors

Raptors

Raptors

Raptors

Raptors

Raptors

Raptors

Raptors

Heat @ 76ers

Heat

Heat

Heat

76ers

Heat

Heat

Heat

Timberwolves @ Nets

Timberwolves

Timberwolves

Timberwolves

Timberwolves

Timberwolves

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Timberwolves

Knicks @ Celtics

Celtics

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Celtics

Celtics

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Knicks

Magic @ Pacers

Pacers

Magic

Magic

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Magic

Pacers

Hornets @ Pistons

Pistons

Hornets

Hornets

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Hornets

Mavericks @ Cavaliers

Mavericks

Mavericks

Cavaliers

Mavericks

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Mavericks

Cavaliers

Lakers @ Jazz

Jazz

Lakers

Jazz

Lakers

Lakers

Lakers

Jazz

Warriors @ Kings

Warriors

Warriors

Warriors

Warriors

Warriors

Warriors

Warriors

Nuggets @ Trailblazers

Nuggets

Nuggets

Nuggets

Nuggets

Nuggets

Nuggets

Nuggets

Suns

Suns

Suns

Suns

Suns

Suns

Bobcats

7-5

8-4

9-3

6-6

8-4

6-6

3-9

23-13

28-8

24-12

24-12

27-9

25-11

14-22

Bobcats @ Suns Last Week’s Picks (W-L) Season Picks (W-L)

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Continued from Page 8

BOBECK

yet?

A: Once things slow down and signing day is finished up, I hope to explore Oklahoma City a little bit, and that includes seeing the Thunder play.

Q: What’s one thing few people know about you?

A: I’d probably have gone to culinary school had I not played football.

Q: You have a chance to coach an NFL team, and it all depends on what you cook that evening. What’s on the menu?

A: Ha ha. Probably a Ribeye, some grilled asparagus and a sweet potato.

Q: You grew up in Oklahoma; did you root for the Cowboys or Sooners growing up?

A: Most people where I’m from are Oklahoma State fans because of the agricultural setting. Though, my Dad was a Sooner fan. I liked them both. Even the University of Tulsa. I think we’re very fortunate in the state of Oklahoma to have three very proud football programs at the Division 1 level.

Q: Okay Coach, the women of UCO want to know, is there love in your life?

A: I’m married. My wife and I have been married for 2 ½ years. We’re expecting our first child in April. We’re really excited.

Q: How did you meet your wife?

A: When I first left UCO, I had taken a quarterbacks-receivers job in spring of 2006 at Navarro College. She had taken a job there two days earlier, and we met through work.

Q: Is she adjusting to Oklahoma life?

A: She is. She’s from Dripping Springs in Austin. She’s stuck with me. She’s been able to put up with me for this long so it’s been good.

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy.

Q: Who had the greatest influence on you during your childhood?

A: My parents. My dad’s work ethic was something that always caught me. Always up early in the morning and doing chores, working with our cattle. He’d work all day and that was a big influence.

Q: Did you have a favorite sports hero as

well?

A: I did. It still is Vince Lombardi.

Q: If you had an opportunity to sit down and have dinner with Vince Lombardi, what would you ask him?

A: Probably a lot of questions about motivation. I’d ask him about discipline and those types of things.

Q: What are you most proud of?

A: I’m very proud of my two degrees.

Q: What would be one word you would use to describe yourself?

A: Driven.

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Q: Did you call UCO or did you get the call from UCO? A: I had several people encourage me to apply and I wanted to come back. This is a great opportunity and UCO is a sleeping giant. I think we can get this program turned around in a pretty quick fashion. No question is it special to coach my alma mater. There’s a sense of pride. Especially as many years as I spent working on my education and playing here, there is a certain amount of pride to be able to come back.

Q: You’ve been here just a few weeks, what do you like most about your job so far?

A: The kids, man. You see people change.

You get an opportunity to influence kids. A lot of times you get a blank slate and get a chance to form them and almost a surrogate father to some of them. That’s probably the most rewarding part of all of them.

Q: Do you ever go by “Coach Bo”?

A: Not really. A lot of kids end up calling me Coach B. Q: Did it take you a while to figure out your coaching style?

A: No, not really. I taught a sports studies class while at Navarro. It has a lot to do with philosophies and your ideas. You just have to be yourself, you can’t be somebody else. You can’t just flip a switch and be someone new.

You are who you are, you can’t fake it or your players will see right through it.

Q: What is your motto?

A: It’s All In. Jump on UCO football. You’re either in or you’re out. Get on board. Let’s go.

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8

SPORTS

FEB. 2, 2012

Opinion

Football

AT THE BUZZER

ALL IN: GETTING TO KNOW HEAD COACH NICK BOBECK

By Bryan Trude

Vista Sports Editor

THE DUNK HEARD AROUND THE WORLD RATTLED AT HOME You would think that one fingertipped bucket brought about the downfall of western civilization.

The dominant scuttlebutt of the local sports scene for the past week has been the dunk Blake Griffin, Oklahoma City’s hometown hero, laid across Kendrick Perkins, the persistently scowling center of the Oklahoma City Thunder enroute to a thrashing at the hands of Griffin and his Los Angeles Lakers.

The only way anyone who follows sports in this town could not have heard about it is if they spent the past week living either under a rock or on the moon. A Youtube search returns multiple videos of the slam, three of which have over one million views.

Now, I admit the first time I saw the dunk, I was less than impressed, something I expressed that night on my twitter. The video I saw was a close up of the dunk in slow motion, and it looked like Griffin just reached over Perkins to roll the ball in off his fingertips.

However, the video is a lot like a Broken Lizard movie: the more I watch it, the more I like it, and the more impressed I get.

What makes the dunk impressive really comes out when watching the broadcast version at full speed, in which Griffin levitates over the physically sizeable Perkins and slams the ball down like the fist of an angry god.

Afterwards, Thunder players were generally dismissive of the dunk when questioned by the press. All in all, an average reaction after being on the receiving end of an amazing play.

However, as I often listen to The Sports Animal on my way in to school every morning, I was surprised to hear some people criticizing the Thunder for not admitting that the slam was what it was.

Without naming names, what do you want from the Thunder? They just got pasted all over Los Angeles and people expect Kevin Durant to come out gushing like a schoolboy because the latest media darling made the highlight reel at his teammate’s expense?

It shouldn’t matter whether or not Thunder players have some contract clause that prevents them from talking negatively about the team. Griffin just schooled Perkins like a first grader in front of a national audience, and the Thunder did what any team should: they drew together and supported their own.

Let’s face it, I can’t imagine someone as serious and determined as Perkins being content with getting stuffed by essentially a two-year greenhorn – Griffin missed his first year due to injury – just because it looked pretty.

Sometimes, it’s not about the purity of the game or the acknowledgement of achievement. All the promotions say the Thunder is a family, and by dismissing Griffin, they show that they believe it.

Nick Bobeck, a UCO graduate and former UCO football player, is announced head coach of the football team in a press conference at Wantland Stadium, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

By Stuart Dickison / Contributing Writer UCO has a new head football coach on campus, and turns out he’s a heck of a guy. This week, The Vista had an opportunity to sit down with Coach Bobeck.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I’m from Beaver, Oklahoma.

Q: Were you popular growing up?

A: Yeah, I think so. It was a small school. I was an athlete, I guess I was popular. I’m sure I was unpopular to some. I always kept to myself, I’ve never been real outgoing. I wasn’t involved much in high school outside of athletics.

Q: How old were you when you started playing football?

A: I was in sixth grade.

Q: Did you play any other sports while growing up or in high school?

A: I did. I played football in the fall and would transition into basketball.

In the spring, I played baseball and ran track. I stayed busy.

Q: What positions did you play?

A: I played forward in basketball and I played centerfield and pitched in base-

ball.

ogy Education and my Master’s degree in Physical Education.

Q: Were you recruited for any of those sports?

A: I had some people talking to me about playing baseball and a few about basketball.

Q: What made you choose UCO? A: Just the opportunity to come to Edmond and go to school here at UCO. They had a great program. They were coming off one of the better seasons they had. The program was really headed into the right direction and I was recruited as an athlete and was able to come here and play as a true freshman.

Q: Were you involved in any other student organizations while at UCO? A: No, I really wasn’t. I was involved in FCA a little bit.

Q: What was your best memory here as a student?

A: I had great teachers. They really stood out to me. They were able to relate to me and made an effort to teach in different fashions and really interacted with me.

Q: What was your degree in at UCO? A: I got my bachelors degree in Biol-

Q: You then went immediately into coaching?

A: Once I finished my playing career, I had an opportunity to coach the running backs here. It’s been a whirlwind after that. I never really planned on coaching, really. I always thought I’d end up being a biology teacher. But it’s worked out really well.

Q: You said you played baseball and basketball as well. Do you have a favorite MLB and NBA team?

A: I do have a bit of a history in Oklahoma so I try to follow the Thunder. In the summers I’m so busy so I don’t get to follow much baseball. I love college baseball and the College World Series though. I love playoff time in all sports.

Q: How about any team in the NFL? A: I’m a Chicago Bears fan. It was the first football game I ever watched. We had gotten home from church and they were playing the Cleveland Browns. They lost that game. I was 5 or 6 years old.

Q: You said you’re trying to follow the Thunder a bit, have you been to a game

Continued on page 7

Wrestling

WRESTLING READY TO FLOOR MULES

UCO’s Tanner Keck wrestles OCU’s Andrew Pontikes during a wrestling match between UCO and Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Photo by Kat Wells, The Vista

By Whitt Carter/ Contributing Writer The UCO men’s wrestling squad returns home this week, after losing in one of the toughest ways possible last Wednesday at Oklahoma City University.

The Bronchos will grapple with Central Missouri in Hamilton Field House on Thursday, before heading back out onto the road for two away matches next week.

UCO (6-5 in duals thus far in 2011-2012) lost on a “takedown tie-breaker” last Wednesday, after battling to tie the NAIA’s fifth-ranked Stars at 18-18 after all ten matches.

“It was a tough loss for us,” head coach David James said.

“They have the best squad in the history of their program, and are really good.”

Central Missouri rides into Edmond on somewhat of a sour note, as they stand 2-10 this season. They face UCO the night after a dual away at Newman University, not to mention that

the Bronchos boast a career record of 33-0 against Central Missouri.

“We have never lost to them in a dual, but that doesn’t mean we will take them lightly, “ James said. “They are in our regional, so it’s important for possible head-to-head seeding.”

The Mules only two victories have come against Calumet College of St. Joseph’s, way back in November, and on Jan. 24 when they defeated Hannibal LaGrange 24-15 on senior night in hometown Warrensburg.

The Bronchos, however, enter Thursday’s matchup with high hopes, boasting three nationally-ranked wrestlers and a NCAA Division II No. 6 ranking.

Tanner Keck (184) is pegged as the second-best wrestler in his weight class in the country, while Cory Dauphin (157) and Trison Graham (133) are fourth and seventh, respectively.

Keck holds a record of 21-6 on the year, and leads the team in takedowns with 61, but is injured at the moment. Dauphin is 17-7 on the year, with seven of those victories coming by way of fall. However, Dauphin didn’t participate in Wednesday’s dual at OCU, and neither did Graham, who stands at 9-2 in 2011-2012.

“Its frustrating; wrestling without those three All-Americans,” James said. “They each have different situations with their injuries and we are hoping to get them all back for the end-of-the-year push.”

James also mentioned that going forward, and hosting a regional at UCO, is the team’s main focus heading into the team’s last three duals.

“This time of year, you are usually trying to get your ten individuals healthy and ready for post-season,” he said. “We only have three duals left, and one tournament, so the main goal for us is to improve each week, heading towards regionals.”

This is the first of two home duals in the next 10 days before the Bronchos host the NCAA Division II Super Regional Two Tournament on Feb. 25-26. Thursday’s match starts at 7 p.m.