The Vista Jan. 27, 2011

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Campus Quotes

Chambers Library

Power Balance

Men’s Basketball

What is your favorite part of UCO?

UCO’s library launches new search tool.

The popular line of bracelets makes tall promises with short results.

The No. 10 ranked Bronchos are on an eight-game winning streak.

P H OTO BY K AT H L EEN WEL L S

student voice since 1903.

The UCOSA House of Representatives passed a measure to increase the University’s Student Activity Fund Wednesday.

The measure, if passed Monday by the Senate and eventually by a student body vote, would increase the S.A.F. from $8.25 per credit hour to $19.

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THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S

UCOSA HOUSE PASS INCREASE FOR ACTIVITY FEE

JAN. 27, 2011

STUDENTS MISS CRITICAL MARK

By Chantal Robatteux Staff Writer

Continued on page 4 CHANGE COMING TO UCONNECT PASSWORDS

By Cody Bromley Staff Writer

What are at least eight characters long, contain only letters and numbers, and has at least one letter and number?

The answer is a UConnect password.

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

By Brittany Dalton / Staff Writer This spring, Bronchos will see their student facilities fees at work in the various construction projects taking place across campus.

UCO students pay $7.30 per credit hour in student facilities fees, which provides the bulk of funding for campus construction projects, including the restoration of Old North.

“The renovation of Old North is 50 percent complete,” David Stapleton, university architect and director of facilities management said. “Phase one will be complete in July.”

The remodeled structure is now in accordance with fire code; it contains fire stairs and an elevator, and also meets accessibility guidelines as outlined by the American Disabilities Association.

The “new” Old North will include a plaza facing Plunkett Park to the southeast. There will be specific places within the building for a faculty lounge,

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DID YOU KNOW? Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

age that is secure,” Stapleton said. “This way, they will not sustain damage, or be at as much risk to breakage or explosion. In the event that one of those should happen, they would be away from the classrooms.”

Howell Hall will also see classroom renovations.

Rooms 111 and 203 were demolished over Christmas break. The rooms are part of a small, tiered classroom, which Stapleton note will be converted into two separate student laboratories.

Lastly, a fire sprinkler system will be installed.

Stapleton explains that Howell Hall is one of the few buildings on campus still lacking a sprinkler system. According to Stapleton, the Howell Hall renovations are scheduled for completion in summer.

“We will start in May after classes end; we hope to have the work completed by the time classes resume in August,” Stapleton said.

Continued on page 5 History

HOLOCAUST VICTIMS REMEMBERED

By Brittany Dalton / Staff Writer

WEATHER

and the College of Education offices will also be located within.

“The College of Education offices were initially located in Old North,” Stapleton said. “With the completion of Old North, we hope to move those offices back in.”

According to Stapleton, the building is “very modular.” He notes that the rooms are adaptable to either classroom or faculty office space.

“If there is a greater demand for more classrooms than offices, then we can convert some offices easily into classrooms,” Stapleton explains.

UCO’s science building, Howell Hall, will also undergo renovations, particularly the addition of a wet specimen lab on the west side of the building.

The structure currently is home to 1,300 containers of specimens preserved in ethanol, a highly flammable substance.

“We are going to move the specimens into a stor-

On Thursday, Jan. 27, the world will pause to remember the more than six million lives lost in the Holocaust. Jan. 27 is International Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust, designated as such by the United Nations in 2005.

The commemoration will be observed at the United Nations headquarters in New York and at its offices worldwide. The General Assembly notes the Holocaust, which wiped out one-third of the Jewish population at that time, “will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.”

At UCO, Dr. Jeff Plaks keeps the memory of the event alive by teaching graduate seminars dedicated to the subject. He invited survivors of the Holocaust to attend and speak to students about the event. His seminars are generally held around the 27th, or of Kristallnacht.

“Kristallnacht is the Night of Broken Glass,” Plaks said. On Nov. 9, 1938, the Nazis destroyed Jewish homes and businesses, rounding up thousands of Jews to be taken to concentration camps. The attacks, in which 91 Jews were killed, were sanctioned by the German government.

“No one would ever have seen the Holocaust coming, especially from Germany,” Plaks said. “Germany was

P H OTO BY K AT H L EEN WEL L S

The Huffington Post wrote an article about the Collegiate Learning Assessment Test.

The article stated there was a new study which provided answers to questions about how much students actually learn in college. The article said it “inflamed a debate about the value of an American higher education.”

It also stated this study showed that 45% of students didn’t show a lot of improvement in their critical thinking skills and complex reasoning at the end of their sophomore years and not much improvement at the end of their fouryear period in college.

Dr. Jeff Plaks, professor of history, discusses the importance of remembering the more than six million lives lost during the Holocaust.

arguably one of the most advanced countries, but under Hitler’s leadership, a genocide occurred.”

Plaks said that the Holocaust cannot fully be understood in isolation.

Rather, he explained, students must understand the events that preceded it. In his classes, Plaks explains the causes that led to the advent of Hitler and the Third Reich.

Plaks points out that anti-Semitism, an irrational hatred of the Jews, was not a creation of Hitler, but rather had existed for centuries.

“It goes back to the period of early Christianity,” he said.

A significant factor in not just Hitler’s rise to power, but also World War

II and the Holocaust, was the aftermath of World War I, which ended with the Treaty of Versailles in 1918.

The treaty, which allowed for a League of Nations to keep the peace, also placed severe restrictions on Germany. Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, commonly known as the “war guilt” clause, placed the responsibility for the war on Germany, and forced them to pay reparations to the Allied countries, particularly France.

When the Great Depression struck in 1929, the German economy, like the rest of Europe, was crippled by hyperinflation, making the mark almost useless. Plaks noted that the economic devastation in Germany

was just one of many factors which led to Hitler’s rise to power, taking the title of chancellor in 1933.

Plaks explained that Hitler’s plans for Germany and for the Jews had already been outlined in his book, Mein Kampf, published in 1925.

“A core component in the Holocaust and in Hitler’s rule was Nazi ideology,” Plaks said. “At the center of it all was racial conflict. There were superior and inferior races, and even dangerous races. You could call Hitler a racial Darwinist; he believed eventually the strongest race would win.”

Plaks explains that Hitler also targeted other groups seen as inferior, such as the Gypsies, the Slavs, and the handicapped, among others.

“German Aryans were superior in Hitler’s eyes,” Plaks said. “The pie is only so big, and he believed the enemy races had to be destroyed.”

Plaks points out that Hitler had outlined his plans for each of the inferior races.

“He had grave plans for the Gypsies, but the other groups he believed could be enslaved,” Plaks said.

“The Slavs, Poles, and Russians were groups he imagined he could come to terms with. He even believed the same of the British. He held out hopes that he would come to an understanding with Winston Churchill.”

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OPINION

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JAN. 27, 2011

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CAMPUS QUOTES

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Editorial

HERE COMES HENRY?

By Ryan Costello / Managing Editor Last week’s announcement that this semester would be UCO President Roger Webb’s last came as a surprise to many in the university community.

To others, not so much.

Rumors that then Governor Brad Henry wanted to be the man in charge at UCO were born when he bought a home in Edmond. This, of course, was when Webb was still in office.

The rumors eventually died off. Then came the announcement.

Word that Webb was to end his tenure at UCO breathed new life into the theory that Henry was pushing to be the next president of 17,000 in bronze and blue. As expected, the now former governor was asked about his interest in the position.

“It’s something [wife] Kim and I are going to seriously consider,” Henry said.

It was enough to send suspicious readers into a full-blown I-told-you-so fervor, and perhaps with good reason.

Henry’s potential application would be considered by the Regional University System of Oklahoma’s Board of Regents, all eight of whom were appointed by Henry himself.

The former governor admitted that considering the application of the very man who appointed the regents to their position would put them in a “tough spot,” and expressed surprise at Webb’s announcement.

But was he really surprised? Could the conspiracy theory ilk have been right all along? Was this all by design?

Probably not.

The regents appointed by Henry don’t exactly owe him all that much. To be precise, they owe him about $10 per day apiece. That’s right, a regent in Oklahoma’s board earns $10 per day, with a maximum of 60 days being paid in a calendar year.

So while the fact that Henry put the regents in their roles as meagerly compensated public officials still has a bit of that traditional Oklahoma ‘good ole’ boys’ feel, it’s not quite as groundbreaking a misdeed as had been advertised.

There is, however, the question that remains: Would Henry be a good fit?

Impossible as it may be to forecast, UCO needs do provide some dots that could be connected with Henry’s experience.

The need for further infrastructure created by UCO’s population boom mirrors similar issues Henry wrangled on a daily basis in state government. Also, his familiarity with state funding policy may give the university that sits among Oklahoma’s most underfunded institutions a leg up in closing the school’s state funding gap.

So there’s reason to believe it might work. That is, of course, if he even applies for the job.

“It’s laid back and everyone “Call me crazy, but I like to here seems to get along.” learn.”

“The overall environment of campus.”

By Pakriti Adhikari / Cartoonist

NEWS

JAN. 27, 2011

3

NEWS WITH A FLASH

A wounded riot policeman is led away by colleagues as Egyptian riot police clash with anti-government activists in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Egyptian anti-government activists clashed with police for a second day Wednesday in defiance of an official ban on any protests but beefed up police forces on the streets quickly moved in and used tear gas and beatings to disperse demonstrations. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A riot policeman in a van fires rubber bullets as Egyptian riot police clash with anti-government activists in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A student protester is detained by riot police at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday Jan. 25, 2011. Students are demanding university officials eliminate a new $800 yearly fee that went into effect at the beginning of the year. (AP Photo/ Ricardo Arduengo)

President Barack Obama smiles on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, while delivering his State of the Union address. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

A statue of a Kansa Indian is silhouetted against the rising moon as it stands atop the Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka, Kan. Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. Kansas will celebrate its sesquicentennial (150 years) with a series of events starting on Kansas Day Jan. 29. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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HOLOCAUST

PASSWORDS

Plaks noted that the Second World War had many intricate causes, including the Allied policy of appeasement in the years preceding the war. When Hitler made demands on the nearby Sudetenland, world leaders allowed him to annex it.

“He told the Allied leaders he would take no more,” Plaks said. “But Hitler had every intention of taking more. Hitler could not be appeased.”

The Holocaust was preceded by harsh policies against the Jews, including their relegation to ghettoes and restrictions on their freedoms and rights. The Nazis began rounding up the Jews in late 1941, and then sending them to concentration camps, which were nearly all located in German-occupied Poland.

The most famous of the concentration camps was Auschwitz, which became an extermination camp in spring of 1942. Nearby Birkenau added gas chambers, and the gassing of Jews became procedure, rather than merely experimental.

Deeming their plans the “Final Solution,” the Nazis managed to cover up in official documentation much of what occurred.

“Germans knew what was going on, though,” Plaks said. “Maybe they didn’t know the specifics, but they knew more perhaps than historians give them credit for.”

Plaks explains that when Dwight Eisenhower, commander of the Allied forces, liberated concentration camps, he ordered photographers to document the event.

“Eisenhower said to them, ‘Someday there will be fools who deny this ever happened.’”

Eisenhower’s prediction held true. Plaks explains that in historical scholarship, there are revisionists who believe the Holocaust did not occur.

“The last topic in our seminars is Holocaust denial,” Plaks said. “It’s a shame. It’s like arguing the Earth is flat.”

He added that even today there are individuals who believe that the accounts of the Holocaust are untrue.

“Genocide was born of the 20th century, but has now become a fact of life in the modern world,” he said. “Most world leaders won’t use the term ‘genocide,’ because once it is declared, the UN has to act.”

Starting this March, upon login UConnect users will be prompted to change their passwords once every 90 days. The new passwords will be much stronger than previous passwords, forcing users to incorporate both letters and numbers.

Darry Bergstresser, software development manager in the office of information technology, said this change is actually overdue.

“We needed to improve the security of our passwords,” Bergstresser said. “FERPA also requires us to replace the default birth date anytime we use it as a password, and so we’re going to achieve that through this project.”

Some of Oklahoma other area schools, including Oklahoma State University, utilize periodic password changes to maintain a strong campus. The OKState password system resets every 120 days, and users are further limited to not being able to use dictionary words or reusing any of their last four passwords. Other schools, like the Louisiana State University require students to change passwords to a minimum of ten characters once every 60 days, or a minimum of 15 characters every 180 days.

Bergstresser said that the new system at UCO is on an interval of 90 days, in line with the password change interval for faculty and staff. He also confirmed that, like OSU’s system, new passwords cannot be ones that were previously used.

Last October, UConnect users were prompted to set a security question in the event that a user did not remember their password. Users who have yet to set one will be alerted upon login to UConnect.

Mark Pothier, the Boston Globe’s senior assistant business editor, wrote an article for the Globe last April highlighting a study of password changes and office productivity.

Cormac Herley, a researcher at Microsoft, analyzed the costs of security enhancements, such as stricter passwords.

“Most security advice simply offers a poor cost-benefit trade-off to users,” Herley wrote of his study.

On the subject of costs and passwords, back in 2007 the rogue economists behind the best selling book and New York Times

An Ultra Orthodox Jewish man looks at an exhibit at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, ahead of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Wednesday, Jan. 26. (AP Photo/ Sebastian Scheiner)

Plaks often asks his students this question: would things have turned out differently if Hitler never lived? Would there have been a Holocaust?

Plaks himself believes something similar would have emerged, though perhaps not on the same scale.

“It is not a stretch to say a similar leader would have emerged,” he said. “Germany was looking for a savior, someone to solve the problems of their time. But would there have been a Holocaust? There would likely have been a war regardless, but I’m not so sure there would have been a mass extermination.”

“The generation today needs to think about what happened in the Holocaust,” he said. “If such brutality was possible when no one suspected, that means there’s always a chance it would happen again.”

Plaks does not see history as inevitable, and noted that there are many things that lead to such situations.

“We tend to think of great heroes, who ‘make’ history,” he said.

“But it’s a mix of human initiative and historical causes. We need to learn from what happened in the past.

blog “Freakonomics” interviewed internet security expect Bruce Schneier. They asked Schneier a series of questions, but among them was how Schneier remembers all his passwords.

Starting in March, passwords for UConnect users will start resetting once every 90 days. Users will have to start using longer and stronger passwords.

“I can’t. No one can; there are simply too many. But I have a few strategies,” Schneier told “Freakonomics” blogger and co-author Stephen Dubner.

These strategies include using the same password for low-security applications, and different passwords for higher security websites. Schneier also said he writes down his passwords, something he says goes against conventional wisdom.

“We already know how to secure small bits of paper. Write your passwords down on a small bit of paper, and put it with all of your other valuable small bits of paper: in your wallet,” Schneier said in the article.

Users have over a month to brainstorm new passwords, and the office of information technology has some recommendations. Bergstresser said IT, while they cannot specifically stop students from using them, prefers for users to avoid words found in a dictionary, or easy to look up information.

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NEWS

JAN. 27, 2011

ACM

Tech

Wanda Jackson has had her music played by Elvis Presely, Johnny Cash and more, but now she is bringing her signature sound to UCO’s Academy of Contemporary Music.

Upon graduating high school, she began touring with her father as her manager, while her UCO Academy of Contemporary Music will mother made her stage clothes. Often, she feature Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson in a toured alongside Elvis Presley, whom she guest performance on Friday, Jan. 28. dated for a short time. He encouraged her to Jackson, 73, is promoting her newly re- continue to sing rockabilly. leased album, “The Party Ain’t Over,” a comJackson contributes much of her success to pilation of songs ranging from Bob Dylan to her parents.

Amy Winehouse.

“I can’t think of anyone who could be any White Stripes co-founder, Jack White, pro- luckier or any happier than me. I had wonduced the album and is also the lead guitar- derful parents who gave up so much so that ist on the record. ToI could have my gether with White, dreams come true.

Jackson pieced songs “...Young girls think I’m this You couldn’t ask for together that reflect to make your hard gal that gets her way more, White’s past in rockaliving doing what billy and early coun- and storms in. It’s just becu- you love to do, to try. The result is a and travel and ase of the material I’ve sung sing classic rock ‘n’ roll entertain people sound with Jackson’s and the way I’ve sung it. And all your life. I can’t growling voice. think of any life that that’s okay. That’s cute.”

“On the one hand, could be better than I’m good, on the other that,” she said on I’m bad,” Jackson said on her website biog- her website. raphy. Jackson said that her persona accordJackson will be backed by the Green Corn ing to today’s younger generation is that of a Revival, an alternative country band from tough girl, but in all actuality that is just one Weatherford that was one of the acts in the part of her.

Norman Musical Festival in 2010.

“I have a good reputation, always have had, The doors will open at 8 p.m. at the Perand respect from everyone as a lady, and that formance Lab in Bricktown, 323 E. Sheridan. pleases me very much. But the young girls think I’m this hard gal that gets her way and storms in. It’s just because of the material I’ve sung and the way I’ve sung it. And that’s okay.

For upcoming events at the ACM, That’s cute,” she said on her bio. use your smartphone to scan this Jackson was born in Maud, Okla., on Oct. tag: 20, 1937. She was an only child. During the 1940s, she moved with her family to California. While there, her father bought her a guitar and encouraged her musically by taking her to performances of Spade Cooley and Bob Wills. In 1948, her family relocated back to Oklahoma. She won a talent contest in 1956 that earned her a radio program, which led to her discovery by Hank Thompson.

She was invited to sing a duet with Billy Gray, and the song, “You Can’t Have My Love,” rose to No. 8 on the country music charts. She pushed to sign a record with Capitol Records, but was turned down because girls “didn’t sell records.”

Jackson then signed with Decca Records.

By Kaylea Brooks / Contributing Writer

PHOTO BY KENZIE HEIDELBERG

ROCKABILLY QUEEN SEARCHING CENTRAL UCO Library launches Central Search, a new and TO PERFORM AT ACM effective way to search for books, article and more.

Freshman education major, Angela Price is using the lastest search tool offered by the UCO Chamber Library. Central Search is a new, effective way to research.

By Christie Southern / Staff Writer

tags and reviews, and even share records on Facebook.”

The UCO Chambers Library launched CenThe library will continue to offer the othtral Search: a new, effective way to search for er search tools to use individually; however, articles, books and other media simultane- Roberts said she encourages students to give ously.

Central Search a try and believes users will Cari Roberts, systems librarian and Central find it tremendously useful.

Search implementation UCO sophomore team leader said the Kerri Langer agrees.

To try Central Search, new search tool works “I started messing use your smartphone to scan this by bringing all of the around with it last tag: different tools already night and I thought provided by Chambers it was really helpLibrary together in one ful,” she said. “I interface. just typed in ‘Hun“It’s much more user ger Games’ and I friendly, a Google-like got all these things search experience,” listed out that fit my Roberts said. search. It told me if Central Search works the book was availby refining results into able and where it categories like availabilwas located.” ity, resource type, col“I think using this lection and more, making the search for just for school related material will be even better,” that perfect piece of information faster, easier Langer added. and less complicated. Roberts said the previCentral Search was purchased when it beous search tool gave students more limited came available through the same vendor that results, thus the addition of Central Search. provided the library’s catalog. Chambers Li“With Central Search, users can login and brary also offers users the opportunity to live view their library account, place holds on chat in case questions or problems arise. items that someone else has checked out, For more information or to use Central make personalized lists of resources on their Search, visit http://library.uco.edu or contact topic, save searches to run again later, add Roberts at (405) 974-2946.

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CRITICAL THINKING A numbers-savvy test taker might note that the opponent’s claim that expanding the police force would increase crime was specious, because it was based on the argument that counties with more cops have higher crime rates (the higher rates might lead to the hiring of more cops, rather than the other way around).”

Mark Silcox has been an Assistant Professor of Philosophy for five years.

He said part of the difficulty with this test is, critical thinking can mean two different things.

“One thing it can mean is the capacity to be distant or detached from your upbringing or culture. When you’re a critical thinker, it means to be able to step back from your upbringing or your religion or your culture, and say ‘these things I approve of or these things I don’t approve of and here is why.’ So that’s one thing critical thinking can mean, the other way is the ability to evaluate arguments,” Silcox said.

He added these meanings get mixed up a lot. “You can be really good at logic and evaluating arguments but be completely uncritical of your society or religion or background.

And you can be completely opposite and angry at your parents and critical of your background […] but be terrible at making arguments. They really are different skills.”

Silcox said it could be this test tried to test both.

“That might be part of the problem. It sounds like it’s treating them as the same thing; you got to make arguments but you also have to try to be detached and objective about social issues and they’re really not the same skills. They’re related, but you can have one and completely lack another one. So I think part of the problem may be the test,” he said.

He said this doesn’t explain why the students aren’t improving from one year to another though. “You expect students to improve. My experience teaching at UCO has made me think that people probably do learn these skills; they just forget them. I think the problem isn’t that people aren’t learning, they [just] don’t treat their education as cumulative. You learn something for one course and you do it pretty well and you get an A or a B, and the next course comes along and folks tend to just kind of throw everything they know over the side and start from scratch. I think that is more of a problem in colleges

now than it probably ever has been before,” Silcox said.

According to a new book “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses” one reason for this is that research papers aren’t as long as they used to be. It stated half of students didn’t take a single course which required more than 20 pages of writing during their previous semester, and onethird of the test-takers didn’t take a single course requiring even 40 pages of reading per week.

For more about the results, use your smartphone to scan this tag:

Silcox agrees with this statement. “The papers aren’t as long as they used to be, but there are certain requirements going into it, you’re not expected to spend time in the library and have a bibliography of 10 or 15 you really read, so there is a lot less than it used to be.”

Silcox said the whole point of an education is to be more critical in a broad sense of the word.

He added this claim is so general and that it could mean so many things, so it’s hard to know how to understand it.

“I teach philosophy; I think everybody should have to learn logic. We have a core course in logic that a lot of people take, and they actually learn it pretty well, [but] because it’s not treated essential to their education they immediately forget it. So I think that’s what I like to see more emphasis on, not critical thinking in a sense that you criticize the church or the government or a TV commercial, which is useful, but more

centrality to put on people’s reasoning skills, logic and scientific method. It’s not that they’re not taught this now, but it’s not treated as important enough.”

He does think it is taught very well at UCO; however, students have problems retaining it.

“I think we do a surprisingly good job, but I think it’s harder for students here to retain it because UCO students’ lives tend to be so busy,” he said.

Silcox added these sorts of low-level liberal arts courses are treated by students, as well as by the administrations, as being very marginal and insignificant and something to get through to get to the important things.

“So I think the problem with UCO is psychological mainly.

And it’s not just the students’ problem at all; I think the advisors all the way to Central’s administration have attitudes towards these kinds of skills that do some real damage,” he said.

Silcox said one easy way to improve critical thinking skills is to take a logic course.

“But at a deeper level, it’s kind of a mental habit as a student that UCO students tend not to have. You have to think of your education as cumulative; as something where you are building on a base rather than just a new thing every turn. I think if students had that attitude a lot more at UCO, I think the problem would probably take care of itself,” he said.

He added he thinks professors could enhance critical thinking by implementing it into their courses.

“I think there is room in every course to talk a little bit more about argument, about basic skills in argument and what does and doesn’t count as a good argument.”

Silcox said critical thinking, the way he understands it, is important in a person’s life because this will make it harder for people to manipulate others.

Silcox said, “People without critical thinking skills, even if they are very knowledgeable, are very easy to manipulate.”

He urges students to take the logic course. “Do it as an elective, it will help you everywhere.”

Silcox added one of his favorite quotations about this is by Voltaire, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

NEWS

JAN. 27, 2011 Fitness

5

Opinion

EMPTY POWER PROMISES

By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger.

These are not just the words from a 2007 Kanye West song, but the sales pitch of how a Power Balance bracelet affects a person’s athletic fortitude.

Two brothers from California, Josh and Troy Rodarmel, founded the now million-dollar company back in 2006 that markets the bracelets. Since the product’s launch, they have sold several millions of dollar’s worth of merchandise, and they have said they expect to do more.

The manufacturers claim that the “power” inside the bracelets comes from a specially designed hologram. On the “How It Works” part of their website, they do not say how the product works, but instead why it was created and what consumers say about the product.

But a snapshot of the Power Balance site from 2008 does make claims as to how the product works.

“Our innovative technology is designed to resonate with the body’s bio-field, your inner energy, or Chi, to amplify and increases the efficiency of the body’s electronic, chemical, and organic systems,” reads an archived copy of the site.

Among the more debatable things about the product is how it is advertised. The bracelets, commonly sold in sporting good stores and mall kiosks, are demonstrated to a customer with a before and after test. Videos that used to be on the Power Balance site from 2008 depict these tests that are still used to market the product.

One of the demonstrative tests is a test of balance. The participant stands on one leg with both arms extended, making a “T” shape with their body. The test administrator pushes down on one arm to test the balance of the individual. The test is performed first without, then with the bracelet.

These tests convince some more than others. Shaquille O’Neal, pro basketball player and paid spokesperson for Power Balance products, is quoted on the Power Balance website regarding his experience after a Power Balance product test.

“I came across Power Balance when someone did the test on me. That night, while playing for the Phoenix Suns, there were about three of my teammates with the product on and we won that game by 57 points! I kept feeling something when I wore the bracelet, so I kept wearing it. When I took it off, I went back to normal. I’ve been wearing the bracelet ever since,” O’Neal said in the website testimonial.

With the large amount of hype surrounding Power Balance products, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” investigated some of the claims made by the manufacturer.

They took a camera crew to the University of WisconsinLacrosse where exercise physiologists were studying the claims of Power Balance bracelets for consumer watchdog group The American Council on Exercise.

What they found in the study of 10 men and nine women was that when participants engaged in physical tests with an unknown bracelet concealed by a sweat band, regardless of whether they were wearing a Power Balance brand bracelet or a generic silicon bracelet, the participants always did better the second time.

Dr. John Porcari, executive director of the La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, told “Outside the Lines” that this performance enhancement is not related to the bracelets being worn, but is instead a phenomenon known as the order effect.

“When you look at the scientific validity of ‘Does the Pow-

er Balance bracelet work?’ No, it doesn’t. The placebo effect works. But does the power balance? Based on our pilot study of 21 subjects, we concluded no,” Porcari told ESPN. Last December, CNBC picked Power Balance bracelets as their Sports Product of the Year. In the related article written by sports business reporter Darren Rovell, he wrote that CNBC only evaluates the business side of the company, and from that view Power Balance deserves the honor. Rovell leaves the rest for the skeptics.

Among those skeptics are Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission. They claimed that Power Balance used deceptive advertising and lacked the scientific evidence to support their claims.

“It’s a crock frankly. And we’re very disappointed that so many people have paid hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of dollars to buy these Power Bands,” Graeme Samuel, ACCC chairman, said to Australian press in December.

Power Balance bracelets are still allowed to be sold in Australia, but the company had to print corrective statements, including one on their Australian website, and provide refunds for six months to all consumers who felt that they were misled.

“We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claim,” the corrective advertisement on the Australian Power Balance website said.

No such retraction or consumer protective measure has been taken in the United States, but Power Balance has been fined for its lack of scientific proof for their claims in Italy and Spain.

While Power Balance bracelets have earned a bad name in Australia and other places, one website is finding a creative way to poke fun and raise money for charity. The site is called SkepticBros.com and they are selling Placebo Bands.

The tongue-in-cheek product description says that the bands use two powerful scientifically proven effects, that of the placebo effect and confirmation bias. The site says they will donate their profits to Rotary International’s World Polio Eradication Program.

But despite the bad publicity Power Balance has in other places of the world, the bracelets are seeing rising popularity among Americans including Oklahoma City Thunder Forward Kevin Durant.

“Everybody on our team has them I think here,” Durant said to a reporter with ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.”

“They probably wear it for the same reason I wear it for. A fashion statement,” Durant said.

The interviewer asked Durant if he felt any differently after wearing it, to which Durant smiled and said that he felt the same.

At UCO, students are also wearing Power Balance bracelets.

Vivian Briones, a junior forensics and funeral services double major who works at UCO’s Wellness Center, said that she sees students with them on their wrists.

“I do see people wearing them, and I’ve asked them before, ‘Do you think they work?’ I’ve probably had one or two people tell me that it’s amazing, and the rest of them are like, ‘I don’t know.’”

Despite what people tell her, Briones has not been persuaded over to the side of the Power Balance bracelets.

“I don’t think they do anything for you. I’ve worn one before and I don’t feel any different.”

Continued from page 1

CONSTRUCTION In the Art and Design building, Stapleton explains that the Facilities Management team is at work with the Melton Art Gallery, adding a classroom and display area. The Art building renovations will also be complete in summer.

Even the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO will be renovated this summer. The second floor of the building, located in Bricktown, will be remodeled. Earlier in the year, the fourth floor had been converted into classrooms, rehearsal space and recording studios.

Evans Hall will be another building affected by renovations.

“There will be exterior renovations to Evans Hall,” Stapleton said. The structure, built in 1916, has begun to disintegrate. Stapleton added that the mortar between the bricks of the building has weathered and deteriorated; the mortar will be repaired to keep the bricks together and to keep moisture out of the building.

Wantland Stadium will be re-turfed beginning in March. Stapleton said there are currently three vendors bringing product samples. They are giving presentations, and based on a review of

w

their proposals, as well as the quality of their samples, a decision will be made.

Stapleton said the re-turfing will be complete by the end of June.

Students in the Music department can look forward to the installation of new cubbies in the practice rooms, as well as something extra.

“The Music building is on line to get a new elevator,” Stapleton said.

There will even be changes in parking in the works. Stapleton explains that parking lots 4 and 6, located directly north and east of the Liberal Arts building, are a congested parking area on campus. With limited entry and exit, it can be a tricky area to maneuver

To follow UCO’s construction projects, use your smartphone to scan this tag:

throughout the day.

“We are adding another entry and exit,” Stapleton said. “It will become a four-way intersection at Chowning and Ayers. We are reconfiguring and even adding turn lanes. It should help traffic at that spot tremendously.”

The maintenance staff will also carry out their additional duties throughout the semester. Students leaving the Wellness Center over the past week, and in other areas around campus, encountered maintenance staff sweeping salt off the sidewalks from the most recent winter storm.

Stapleton adds that every student can see the progress of campus construction online, through a link on the campus homepage.

“Our site is updated every two weeks, with news on all campus projects,” he said. “It’s called the Triad Report.”

Stapleton said while construction can be noisy and at times distracting on campus, it is important that students see where their money is being spent.

“Students should see that the money is going toward an improved campus, for themselves

ASK ANDREW BY

A.J. BLACK Amy Duncan-Beaulieu: Who invented liquid soap and why?

An American, because that’s what Americans do. They invent things.

Kory Oswald: Did you steal my press pass last night?

No. The rule of reciprocity applies: don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing. So, I don’t steal from other people, only insurance companies, bankers, multi-national corporations, institutions, the government and reptilian shape-shifters of the fourth kind.

Brooke Ailene: Proposed Student Activity Fee Increase @ UCO? UCO is at a crucial point in time. As we speak, programs are being cut, and funding, or the lack of funding, has all but forced the school to reconsider its current path.

The upcoming budget deficits leave the school with little choice, but what cuts would be considered to be trimming the fat from a decadent past, and not considered to be taking a step backward when it comes to the opportunities for students and a higher learning experience.

A small group of Bronchos led by David Jenkins and Matt Blubaugh have proposed a plan that will affect everyone that attends UCO. Currently the Student Activity Fee is at $8.25 per credit hour. It is a mandatory fee for enrollment at the university, which is intended to benefit students directly by funding programs that further academic and student life through a wide range of events, programs and scholarships.

The proposed idea is to more than double the amount students pay in fees beginning next semester. Doing so would increase the SAF budget from a little over $3 million, as it stands now, to nearly $8 million dollars for the school year of 2011-12.

It is true that the SAF is the only budget that the students have some control over, and that by increasing the fee it would limit how much tuition could be raised in the future.

But it is also true that students had no say in the past and as of right now, will have no say in the future on how the money is allocated or spent, only whether or not the fee is increased.

The proposed legislation that is being presented in the student body government is an ‘as is’ proposal. That means that the students must either agree or disagree completely, because amendments or consideration of an alternative distribution will not be allowed or even considered.

There are four departments that receive funds from the SAF: athletics, student organizations, vice president’s committee, and student affairs, with several subsidiary programs affiliated with each.

Athletics presently receives 58 percent or 1.73 million dollars, while other programs associated with athletics, like pom pon, cheer, and homecoming also receive funding, but not from the athletic budget. They receive it from the much smaller budgets of the three remaining groups that also provide funding for The Vista, drama, debate, academic scholarships, band, LA Symposium, and many more.

So if the bill passes through the student body government, then every budget will be increased, but they will remain virtually the same in proportion. That means athletics will continue to receive a modest estimate of 58 percent, while the remaining 42 percent is divided amongst the rest.

I graduate at the end of the semester, and I will not be affected either way, but I wouldn’t be doing my duty if I didn’t make an attempt to put the information out there for you decide. I am not necessarily against an increase, but I am against continuing to comply with a completely disproportionate distribution of our funds and always concluding that the only way to remedy a situation is to throw more money at it.

In my opinion, this issue will not be positively resolved without a more honest and direct approach that develops a solution through allowing a debate to grow organically, through the input of the ones that should matter: the students – You. www.facebook.com/askandrew 405.293.3ASK ED 90.1 HD 2

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You probably know (or are) a couch potato, but may not know that the term is the legal property of Robert Armstrong, who trademarked it in 1976.

The notorious Roman emperor Nero was also a wannabe musician. He employed 5,000 knights and soldiers to In home daycare needs sub/ accompany him on his conassistant afternoon help Mon- cert tours just to applaud his day-Friday. Please call Valerie brilliant lyre-playing skills.

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1. To play a trick on 6. Copy 11. Ceiling 14. Ancient assembly area 15. Graceful bird 16. 30-day mo.

17. Feeding on plants 19. “___ Cried” (1962 hit) 20. Indic language spoken in Katmandu 21. Part of process of gamete formation 23. Hogan dweller 26. Amount of hair 27. Store convenience, for short 30. Bottom 31. Back 32. Gutteral sound from hostile dog 34. “Don’t go!”

36. Plug 39. Resort area along Mediterranean coast 41. Clear up 43. Not “fer” 44. Combustible heap 46. Ashes, e.g.

47. ___ cheese 49. “What’s gotten ___ you?”

51. Cal. col.

52. Swiss city 54. Edible mushrooms 56. Unoriginal work 58. Insight 62. Bank offering, for short 63. To bring about prematurely 66. Balloon filler 67. Large mammal of Africa 68. Indications 69. ___ gestae 70. “Paradise Lost” character 71. Tablelands

1. Chemistry Nobelist Otto 2. Arch type 3. An association of individuals (abbrev.)

4. Concentrated, in a way 5. Having qualities to move over water 6. Density symbol 7. Always, in verse 8. Spot broadcast, often 9. Cad 10. At the scene 11. Glass baking dishes with lids 12. Vegetable crop pest 13. Iron 18. Cheer starter 22. Henry Clay, for one 24. Test, as ore 25. Boeing 747, e.g.

27. City on the Yamuna River 28. H.S. class 29. Cinema celebrities 31. “The Catcher in the 33. Plant that coils around something 35. “Gladiator” setting 37. Eye layer 38. Makeup, e.g.

40. Engine speed, for short 42. Indifference to pleasure or pain 45. Fix, in a way 48. Hebrew letters 50. Mouth, in slang 52. Pipe material 53. Cliffside dwelling 54. Crack 55. Adorable one 57. “Mi chiamano Mimi,” e.g.

59. Periodicals (slang) 60. “Empedocles on ___” (Matthew Arnold poem) 61. 1987 Costner role 64. Bean counter, for short 65. Carbonium, e.g.

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SPORTS

JAN. 27, 2011

7

UCO Basketball

LSC HONORS BECKLEY AND MAYES PHOTO SERVICES

By Michael Collins / Sports Writer As if the Bronchos women’s basketball team has not already been on a tear in the last few weeks, their good fortunes got another boost as Ashley Beckley and Kylie Mayes both received Lone Star Conference Honors.

Beckley received the Co-Offensive Award for the LSC North Division this past week.

Beckley averaged 21.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.5 steals while shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the free throw line in wins over Texas A&MCommerce and Southeastern Oklahoma.

The numbers on Beckley for this past week are just slightly better than her season average which is right at 20 points. She has had her way with lesser opponents, and has continued to carry her team throughout this entire season. A telling stat that no one is really talking about is that she is second on the team in assists with 53, only three behind team leader Tarrington Oakes. Beckley is also one of only three players that have started all 16 games for the Bronchos this season.

Not to be outdone though, Mayes also received an honor by winning the Co-Defensive Award for the LSC North Conference.

The 6-foot-2 freshman out of Carl Albert averaged 12 points, three steals, and 2.5 blocks over the last few games. Mayes has started 9 of 16 ballgames this season and has been coming on strong lately. Point and case, she had 10 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks in the rout of Texas A&M-Commerce.

For a freshman pup, Mayes has been holding her own against the competition. It is not uncommon for freshmen to come in and have some sort of impact, but Mayes is trying to do more than just make an impact, she is starting to dominate. As she continues to progress, the Bronchos chances of making a post-season run continue to increase.

UCO’s version of the twin towers will be in action again this Saturday against East Central University here at the Hamilton Field House. ECU sports a line-up that is guard based, their top three scorers are all less than 5-foot-7. The Tigers are not known for their post presence, so the Bronchos should have a decided advantage if they choose to take advantage of it. Beckley and Mayes could very well be on their way to big games. With Beckley scoring the points and Mayes blocking the shots, the Bronchos should come out on top of this match-up.

(Left) Senior Ashley Beckley goes up for a basket against Cameron earlier this year.

Beckley recieved the Co-Offensive Award for the LSC North this week.

PHOTO SERVICES

From Bronchosports.com

CENTRAL 9TH IN LSC Central Oklahoma has been tabbed for a ninth-place finish in the Lone Star Conference baseball race this spring, according to the pre-season poll released by the league office Tuesday.

The Bronchos of first-year head coach Dax Leone earned 143 points in balloting of league head coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives.

Two-time defending champion Abilene Christian is the overwhelming favorite to repeat, earning 29 of 31 first-place votes cast in finishing with 401 points. The Wildcats will visit Edmond for a three-game series on April 1-2.

Southeastern Oklahoma came in second with 320 points, followed by Angelo State (305), Cameron (293) and league newcomer

Incarnate Word (264). Tarleton State was fifth with 256 points, with Texas A&M-Kingsville (243), West Texas A&M (193), UCO, Eastern New Mexico (141), Northeastern State (113), Southwestern Oklahoma (108) and East Central (41) rounding out the poll.

ACU’s Aaron Oliver was named LSC Preseason Player of the Year and SOSU’s Heath Wyatt was selected LSC Pre-season Pitcher of the Year.

UCO has 12 lettermen back from last year’s 13-29 team and opens the 2011 season Feb. 4-5 when it hosts Eastern New Mexico for a three-game series to begin a 36-game conference schedule. The two teams meet for a single game at 2 p.m. Feb. 4 and return for a 1 p.m. doubleheader Feb. 5.

LSC CONFERENCE STANDINGS 1). Abilene Christian 2). Southeastern 3). Angelo State 4). Cameron 5). Incarnate Word 6). Tarleton State 7). Texas A&M Kingsville

8). West Texas A&M 9). Central Oklahoma 10). Eastern New Mexico 11). Northeastern State 12). Southwestern 13). East Central Freshman Kylie Mayes looks for a shot attempt against Cameron University earlier this month. Mayes was honored as the Co-Defensive player in the LSC this week.

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SPORTS

JAN. 27, 2011

UCO Softball

DUAL THREAT PHOTO SERVICES

PHOTO SERVICES

Genny Stidham’s Lady Bronchos Softball team prepared for stretch of 21 straight road games to open the 2011 season.

Sophomore Kacie Edwards frames a pitch during a game last Spring.

By Trey Hunter / Contributing Writer The UCO softball program returns eight players from a team that finished 32-21 with a runner-up finish in the Lone Star Conference. Head coach Genny Stidham is in her fourteenth year at the helm for the Lady Bronchos and this season might be her most challenging yet.

Central starts the season on a tough 21game stretch where they will compete in four tournaments before playing their first home game on March 15 in a doubleheader against Missouri Southern State University.

“We’ve never had to open up a season with so many road games, “ Stidham said. “I think it’s going to be good for our team and when conference games start we should be ready to go.”

One of the key players for Stidham’s team

will be sophomore Kacie Edwards. Edwards had an outstanding freshman campaign where she was named to the first team AllLone Star Conference North Division and was named LSC Co-Freshman of the Year. She finished second on the team in batting average (.356) and started in all 53 games for Central either at catcher or designated hitter. She led the team in doubles (19) and runs batted in (39) and finished second with six homeruns.

She will be the main force in the lineup for Central and also behind the dish.

“Kacie is definitely one of our best hitters,” Stidham said. “She’s the kind of girl that you find a way to get into the lineup no matter what you have to do. She may get some rest from catching, but she’ll be in there somehow.”

The other part of the Lady Bronchos’ battery will be junior pitcher Rachael Stever-

Rachael Steverson prepares to deliver a pitch during a home game last spring.

son. Steverson earned a spot on the All-LSC North Division First Team as well as Edwards and is marked as one of the premier pitchers in the conference. Her earned run average (2.45) was sixth best in the league and she led the team in innings pitched with over 168.

She had 14 complete games and her walk to strikeout ratio was superb as she fanned 144 and only issued 65 free passes. Steverson’s experience and skills give her a chance to be an All-Conference selection in 2011.

“Rachael’s role might have to change a little this season, but she’s still one of our top players,” Stidham said. “She is an upper classman this season and that means she’s going to have to be more of a leader and I think she’ll be able to do that.”

Edwards and Steverson are both from Yukon and each led their high school teams to state tournaments during their senior seasons.

Edwards was an All-Region selection her senior year as a Miller after hitting .430 with 30 RBI. She was also named Yukon’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2009. Steverson was an AllConference, All-Big City and All-State pick in her 2008 senior campaign before becoming a standout at Central.

“Kacie wasn’t Rachael’s catcher in high school, but the played on the same team so there is a little bit of chemistry there in the first place,” Stidham said.

With the battery being charged for Central’s 2011 season, Stidham and her team will be looking for improvement on a runner-up finish from 2010. The season begins on Feb. 12 as the team travels to Broken Arrow to compete in the 2011 RiverHawks Classic against the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Northwest Missouri State University.

#10 BRONCHOS RIDING 8-GAME WIN STREAK PHOTO SERVICES

By Chris Wescott / Sports Editor The newest NABC/Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll was released Tuesday and the UCO Bronchos moved up three spots to No. 10 in the nation. UCO received 128 points in the voting.

West Liberty remained No. 1 in the polls, Bellarmine follows at No. 2 and Augusta State is ranked third. Cal State-Dominguez Hills and Findlay round out the top five.

Central Oklahoma is the highest ranked Lone Star Conference team in the poll. Incarnate Word is ranked 13 and West Texas A&M is ranked No. 20.

The Bronchos, 18-2 overall and 4-0 in conference, are riding an eight-game win-streak stretching back to Dec. 20, when UCO rolled to a 103-85 win over Eastern New Mexico.

Since then the Bronchos have won three games by at least 20 points.

UCO has made their mark this season in the first half of games. The Bronchos stampede out early, outscoring opponents 806 to 586 in the first half and have led each game by an average of 11 points at halftime.

The Bronchos, as a team, have scored 46 percent of their field goal tries, while limiting opponents to about 40 percent. Altogether, UCO has scored an average of 82.1 points per game, while holding opponents to under 67.

The Bronchos’ driving force has been senior Dauntae Williams who has scored 412 points this season, an average of 21.7 per game. He also leads the team in rebounds with 124, assists with 72, and steals with 45.

The Bronchos host East Central University for a LSC North Division showdown at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Hamilton Field House in Edmond.

NABC COACH’S POLL

Junior guard Jerrod McDaniel drives past a defender during a game earlier this season. The Bronchos moved up to #10 in the Division II Coach’s Poll this week.

NABC/Division II Coaches’ Poll 1. West Liberty (W.Va.) 2. Bellarmine (Ky.) 3. Augusta State (Ga.) 4. Cal State-Dominguez Hills 5. Findlay (Ohio) 6. Alabama-Huntsville 7. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 8. Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)

9. Southern Indiana

10. Central Oklahoma 11. Missouri Southern 12. Minnesota State 13. Incarnate Word (Texas) 14. Central Washington 15. Grand Valley State (Mich.)

16. Tampa (Fla.) 17. Hillsdale (Mich.)

18. Georgia Southwestern