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University of Central Oklahoma
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“HOOPS MADNESS” THURSDAY • Page 7
TUESDAY• October 16, 2012
MADDY’S
MISSION The UCO chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta will host Melanoma Awareness Week Oct. 15-18 in support of Madison Watts (pictured right), an Alpha Gamma Delta member and freshman, who is battling skin cancer.
ADAM HOLT, Staff Writer In support of a stricken sister, the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority will host Melanoma Awareness Week Oct. 15-18. Madison Watts, a freshman and member of Alpha Gamma Delta, was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma within her first few weeks at UCO. She is currently undergoing treatment at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. According to Melanoma.com, over 50,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with the skin cancer. Melanoma is usually the result of too much UV radiation from the sun or tanning beds. It has also been connected to heredity. Watts’ case is unique due to her being an avid sunscreen wearer and never tanned. This is her second bout with the cancer. She defeated it when she was in the eighth grade. Allex Tarr, senior public relations major and PR Coordinator for Alpha Gamma Delta, spoke in an email interview of how the sorority came together when they heard the news. “When we found out about Madison’s
situation, we immediately came together to brainstorm ideas on how to help her and her family both spiritually and financially,” she said. The product of this brainstorming was Melanoma Awareness Week, with all donations going towards “Maddy’s Mission.” “It is a mission that anyone can participate in,” Tarr said. “Praying to rid the cancer or donating to the financial burden her family has been placed un-
Delta members will be selling “Maddy’s Mission” bracelets and shirts. All sales will go towards the mission. Students will also be able to donate to a MidFirst bank account created for “Maddy’s Mission.” This event will also happen on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at the same time and place. One of the main events of the week will be the “Auction for Awareness” on Tuesday. “Girls and boys are auctioning off
“It has made me stop and think that it could have been any of the 130 girls in our sorority or anybody else at UCO or in the world. This can happen to anyone.” der. “ Watts’ family has had to rent an apartment in Houston during Watts’ treatment. Melanoma Awareness week starts off Monday, Oct. 15 by Broncho Lake. Between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Alpha Gamma
dates, cooking, cleaning, tutoring, either individually or by groups, for people to make bids,” Tarr said. The auction will be hosted by the ACACIA fraternity and will be held in Constitution Hall at 8 p.m.
Thursday the sorority will be hosting “Oodles of Noodles.” “It is a spaghetti dinner and live music festival,” Tarr said. “The cost is $5.00 but any amount of donations will be taken.” “Oodles of Noodles” will be held at the Alpha Gamma Delta House from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Alpha Gamma Delta has set their hopes high for “Maddy’s Mission.” “Our goal is $20,000 by the end of the semester,” Tarr said. Tarr feels the experiences of this semester have changed her. “This event has changed me immensely,” she said. “It has made me stop and think that it could have been any of the 130 girls in our sorority or anybody else at UCO or in the world. This can happen to anyone. So, it made me really appreciate my healthy life and my healthy family and learn to never take single breath for granted.” For more information on Melanoma Awareness Week call (405) 760-9993.
MEDIA ETHICS CONFERENCE TO ‘LOOK AT THE CHALLENGES MEDIA FACES’ • JOSEPH B. NICKELL, Staff Writer • The University of Central Oklahoma’s Media Ethics Conference, planned by Yvette Walker, Chair of Journalism Ethics at UCO, and her Media Ethics Conference class, will be held Oct. 17 and 18 in the Nigh University Center at UCO. This year’s primary focus will be on media ethics in sports as well as politics, featuring workshops, panel discussions, guest speakers and a luncheon. The conference kicks off Wednesday at 9 a.m. with registration, followed by a 10 a.m. group session focused on politics. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. with keynote speaker Farai Chideya, a distinguished writer and resident of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Chideya, also a spring 2012 fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, will deliver a speech entitled “The Wonder Boy/Wonder Girl Syndrome,” addressing the issues many young journalists face with ethical reporting.
“We are taking a look at the challenges the media faces when reporting stories and whether or not those challenges fall into an ethical quagmire. We want to talk about why these young ‘rock-star’ journalists are making mistakes, plagiarizing and making stuff up.” The afternoon group session starts at 1p.m. and will feature a panel discussion entitled “The Ethics of Sports Coverage”, which will include; Kelly McBride of the Poynter Journalism Institute, former Oklahoma University and National Football League player JD Runnels, Oklahoma City Thunder Vice President of Corporate Communications Dan Mahoney and Kenny Mossman, OU Senior Associate Athletic Director. There will be 8 different workshops open to attend Wednesday, 4 starting at 2 p.m. and the remaining starting at 3 p.m. The workshops will be led by a combination of guest speakers includ-
ing John Sutter, reporter at CNN.com, and News 9’s Kelly Ogle, as well as UCO faculty members. “Many UCO faculty have graciously agreed to participate on panels.” Walker said. “We are all exposed to media today and what you see and hear can be confusing. These wonderful speakers that we have will be able to deconstruct that and talk about what’s happening and why it’s happening.” Joshua Lim, International Programming Assistant at UCO’s Center for Global Competency, and a contributor in the setup of last year’s conference, also expressed the significance of attending for students. “This conference is absolutely important to students in the Mass Communications program because the conference tackles issues they will be facing in their field of study and if they are going to pursue a career in communications,
the conference will certainly be of help to preparing them for the ‘real world,’ but not just Mass Communication students.” Lim said. “I honestly think that students will be able to identify with the things discussed at the conference. No matter what field of the work force, there will be something these students will encounter at the conference that will be of help to them in the future.” The event starts back up Thursday at 9:30 a.m., offering workshops on ethics in Photoshop, marketing and public relations. The conference is free to students and the cost for non-students is $25, which includes access to the conference and luncheon. Registration can be completed and a full list of workshops, guests and faculty speakers can be found at the conference website, www.uco.edu/ethics.