The Vista Nov. 13, 2012

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INSIDE • Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 2 • Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 3 • Globally Elegant . . . . . . . . PAGE 4 • Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 6 • Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGES 7 & 8

THEVISTA University of Central Oklahoma

BRONCHO BASKETBALL FINISHES PRESEASON

TUESDAY• November 13, 2012

The Student Voice Since 1903

WWW.UCENTRALMEDIA.COM

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HEALTH SUR VEY REVEAL S UCO HAS HIGHER RATES OF TOBACCO AND DRUG USE,SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, AND RISK FOR DISEASE THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE Each year the American College Health Association conducts a survey concerning health, sex, and substance use. 99,066 students from 141 different institutions participated.

• JOSH WALLACE, Staff Writer • than the national average. When it came to violence, students reported over double the national data regarding being in a physical fight within the last 12 months, with 21.9 percent of male and 8.2 percent of female students being in a fight compared to 10.2 percent and 3.5 percent nationally. While physical fights showed a larger gap, the remainder of the section on violence,

Percentage of Students

Earlier this year, students at UCO took part in a survey, the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA), and some of the results are rather striking. During the spring semester, students enrolled in the Healthy Life Skills course participated in the survey, with a total of 772 providing information regarding topics related to their health, sex life, drug and alcohol use and other aspects of their life. Starting off, the survey asked about the overall general health of the students surveyed, and for the most part UCO came almost dead even with ACHA-NCHA average national data, which came from a total of 99,066 students from 141 different institutions. Our summary showed slightly higher percentages of students citing back pain (16.5 percent), allergies (26 percent), sinus infection (23 percent), and sore throat (15.7 percent) when compared to the national average. Students’ responses to questions on disease and injury prevention showed a greater deviation from the national data though, with every category lower than the national average, many of the categories showing double digit differences. For instance, 57.9 percent of the UCO students surveyed reported being vaccinated against Hepatitis B, compared to the national average of 70.7 percent, and similar figures for vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella at 53 percent compared to 73.4 percent nationally. When it came to health issues affecting academic performance, UCO students had fewer problems having an impact on their studies

figures, with 82 percent of male and 86.2 percent of female students feeling safe. As for the same question at night, the numbers dropped to 61.1 percent for male and only 24.4 percent of female students feeling safe on campus. On alcohol, tobacco and drug use, UCO had far fewer students who reported alcohol use within the last 30 days, with 48.6 per-

100 90 80 70 60 50

57.9

50

40 30 20 10 0

Alcohol Use

23.1

25.5

Tobacco Use

Overweight

21.9

Engaged in Fight

Behaviors and Health abusive relationships and personal safety was fairly consistent with national numbers, with most of the categories coming in just slightly higher percentage wise. The numbers of perceived safety on campus, and surrounding communities where near the national average, but show a common issue of college student around the country. UCO students surveyed about feeling “very safe” on campus in the daytime, showed high

Hepatitis B Vaccination

cent of male and 50 percent of female students compared to national averages of 67.1 percent of male and 65.5 percent of female students. As for tobacco and drug use, UCO scored higher than the national data in the remaining categories, except in regard to marijuana usage. Cigarette use was around 10 percent higher than nationally, tobacco from a water pipe around 4 percent higher, and use of all other drugs combined coming

in at around 5 percent higher. Figures on sexual behavior proved to be fairly close to the national average, with 31.9 percent of those asked about the number of sexual partners within the last 12 months reporting none, compared to 29.1 nationally. Those having one partner came in lower at 38.2 percent compared to the national figure of 44.9 percent, and those having four or more partners in a year was slightly higher at 11.9 percent compared to 9.6 percent. When it came to physical fitness, UCO students ranked slightly higher when it came to being overweight or obese. 25.5 percent of UCO students were considered overweight based off the BMI scale, compared to 22 percent nationally. In all three classes of obesity, UCO students were higher than average at 9.5 percent for class 1, 3 percent for class 2, and 3.3 percent class 3, compared to 7.5 percent, 2.9 percent, and 1.9 percent nationally. For the last section of the survey, mental health, UCO students for the most part were around the national average, with a few exceptions. In terms of feeling overwhelming anger in the last 12 months, UCO students reported 10 percent higher than average. UCO also showed slightly higher figures when it came to thoughts of suicide or attempted suicide within the last 12 months, with 10 percent of male and 7.5 percent of female students having suicidal thoughts compared to 6.7 and 7.2 percent, and 3.5 percent of male and 2.9 of female students reporting attempted suicide compared to 1.1 and 1.2 percent.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TO OFFER STUDENTS MIX OF PERFORMANCES, FOOD, AND ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD • MERVYN CHUA, Staff Writer • UCO President Don Betz speaks at last year’s International Festival, Nov. 10, 2011. Vista Archives

The 37th annual International Festival will be celebrated in Ballrooms A, B, and C of the Nigh University Center Thursday, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Every fall semester, the International Student Council (ISC) hosts and organizes this festival. Admission is free. Brandon Lehman, coordinator of international activities and Centre for Global Competency at the Office of International Services and an ISC advisor explains this event. “The international festival is an event that unites all students from around the world to celebrate their culture. It is quite the feat, with last year’s event bringing in more than 600 students in the Ballrooms of the Nigh University Center. There will be cultural performances, traditional art and clothing on display and international cuisine from over 12 country organizations”. Some of these organizations represent their country and some their continent. Overall, they

make up the 110 nationalities represented here at UCO. Tracy Tindle, immigration and activities advisor of the Office of International Services and advisor to ISC thinks that this festival is beneficial to all. “Many people may not have the opportunity to travel out of the country based on circumstances. The International Festival is good for people to experience other cultures without leaving the country.” Victor Silva, the Chairman of the International Festival, likes that this event brings people together to enjoy their similarities, discuss differences, and understand and respect each other. “I see the international festival as a celebration of the innate human ability to connect. By using performances, food, cultural displays, etc., we created a platform that stimulates both the American public and the international community to interact with each other, and that also enables

the internationals to interface and work together with one another. What I like the most about the International Festival is that it is an event that brings people together enjoying their similarities, discussing their differences but most of all, understanding and respecting each other. UCO is an international campus, and a university that is in step with the current times. Nowadays to be relevant it’s necessary to be globally competent and UCO is an excellent advocate of that philosophy. By sponsoring events like this one, UCO establishes itself as one of the few universities that are actively enabling their students to be globally competent.” Ashley Sue Lyn, emcee for the event, had this to say. “We have worked very hard to make the International Festival the best that it can be. It’s tailored for all ages and it will be very fun and enlightening. I know that the event will speak for itself”.


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