The Vista Dec. 9, 2010

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Campus Quotes

Dance Department

Recycling

Sports Feature

What are you doing to prepare for finals?

Snapshots of the UCO Dance

UCO captures two awards in the Game Day Challenge.

Take a trip into Tirey’s Training, where the UCO hockey team hones their athleticism and strength.

Department.

DEC. 9, 2010 uco360.com twitter.com/uco360

THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.

International

HACKERS AVENGE WIKILEAKS

By Ryan Costello / Senior Staff Writer

An anti-censorship group crashed several web addresses, including MasterCard’s site, in retaliation for halting services to diplomatic cable-leaking hub WikiLeaks.

Anonymous, the group that claimed responsibility for the cyber attacks, confirmed the shutdown of MasterCard’s site, an initiative given the moniker “Operation Payback,” via a Twitter post Wednesday.

“WE ARE GLAD TO TELL YOU THAT http:// www.mastercard.com/ is DOWN AND IT’S CONFIRMED!,” the post said.

A spokesman for

MasterCard was unable to provide further information or comment on the attacks Wednesday.

The site was still inaccessible as of print time.

The website for the hacker group Anonymous said that the group is not directly affiliated with WikiLeaks, but that the two organizations shared similar ideals.

“We will find and will attack those who stand against WikiLeaks and we will support WikiLeaks in everything they need,” the website said, also adding that Operation Payback would provide a mirror for the WikiLeaks site, create “counter-propaganda” and “organizing attacks on various targets related to censorship.”

PayPal also suffered a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack over the weekend following its severing of ties to WikiLeaks, and Switzerland’s PostFinance bank, who froze more than $41,000 (31,000 euros) of WikiLeaks editor-inchief Julian Assange’s assets experienced similar troubles. Panda Security attributed the attacks that led to at least 11 hours of inactivity for PostFinance bank to the Anonymous group.

Meanwhile, 39 year-old Assange was refused bail after his arrest in London Wednesday morning after his arrest on Swedish sexual charges on Tuesday. Assange dismissed the charges that first surfaced in August as “baseless,” adding that their issue on the eve of the cables’ release was “deeply disturbing.”

WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said the website would still continue the cables’ scheduled release despite Assange’s arrest.

“Today WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange was refused bail by a UK court… However, this will not stifle WikiLeaks,” Hrafnsson said.

“The release of the U.S. Embassy Cables – the biggest leak in history – will still continue. This evening, the latest batch of cables were released, and our media partners released their next batch of stories.”

Assange’s arrest and several companies’ hating of service to WikiLeaks is the most recent of a series of hurdles for the site to overcome. Last

Continued on page 6

PHOTO BY JOSEPH MOORE

PHOTO BY PHOTO SERVICES

PARANOID AND PARTYING A moronic journey to America’s hedonistic id.

By Josh Hutton / Staff Writer

Pictured is (left to right) OSRHE Chancellor Glen Johnson, UCO Provost Bill Radke, UCO professors Dr. Jan Hardt and Dr. Patti Loughlin, UCO students Amanda Gamble, Erin Lamey and Timothy Deffebaugh, and OSRHE chair Joseph L. Parker.

At Monday’s State Regents for Higher Education forum, UCO was awarded a trophy for its performance in Oklahoma Campus Compact’s statewide voter registration competition. Three schools were honored in separate categories based on size, and UCO won in its category, beating out the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. They registered 526 students, equivalent to 4.3 per-

cent of the student population, to vote. UCO’s American Democracy Project sponsored UCO’s efforts in the voter registration competition on campus during Constitution Week in September. The other schools honored were Eastern Oklahoma State College, who registered 11.6 percent of its population, and Rose State College, who registered 6.3 percent of their student population.

After pulling off Lincoln Boulevard and into the State Capitol’s parking lot, I rested my head on the steering column briefly, took a deep breath, and knew that I was about to engage in the most rock n’ roll day the world of data entry had ever seen. I stepped out of Lolita, my fiery red, heavily abused Cavalier, and much to my surprise walking felt no different than driving.

I slid my notepad and the empty Vector Party Enhancer packaging into my pocket. Glided stupidly, blissfully (“Vector Pill is Extreme Bliss…Designed to amp up your party…”) to the front door of the capitol building. I avoided eye contact with the security guards as all of my metal possessions underwent inspection. I reached the door to the Office of Finance, another heavy inhale, rubbed my face, only to notice my hand felt like cashmere against my forehead and eyelids.

I floated to my co-worker, Rayven, and informed her, “Just to let you know, I’m on two party pills, doing a bit of a story for the Vista on the effects.” She looked at me with wideeyes, and a swaying tightrope smile, “Two? Are you being serious?”

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WEATHER TODAY

H 60° L 35°

By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer

TOMORROW H 57° L 38°

More weather at www.uco360.com

DID YOU KNOW? Just twenty seconds worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11’s lunar module landed on the moon.

The history of decorative holiday wrapping paper is far more extensive despite being such a simple invention.

Gift-wrapping has existed since 105 A.D. in China. At the time, papermaking was a closely- guarded secret and remained so for about 700 years.

Gift giving goes back before the Catholic Church first decreed that the holiday of Christmas should be celebrated. Ancient Romans had

paper first grew to popularity in the late 1910s.

People used colored tissue paper to wrap gifts, and the tissue would often tear before the gift was given.

The company that produced the most tissue paper at the time was a startup by the Halls Brothers.

Modern wrapping paper is somewhat of an accidental inven-

D u r i n g World War II, many consumer items were rationed, including paper and ink.

One exception to that was wrapping paper. Giftwrap was not rationed in order to keep morale up among the American people.

This year, 8,000 tons of wrapping paper will be used worldwide. That amount of paper is

or using recyclable aluminum foil.

After the holidays are over, local residents can recycle their used wrapping paper at the Edmond Recycling Center, or in curbside pickup contains. Other items, such as bows, gift bags, and tissue paper, cannot be recycled through the city’s recycling program.

An estimated 1.9 billion Christmas cards are sent in the United States each year. It is the largest occasion for which people send cards

exchanged gifts between themselves at seasonal festivals and the Roman New Year.

Wrapping paper flourished in Victorian era. The paper used was very sturdy and hard to bend, but had seasonal elements drawn on them. However, since the design and construction of the wrapping paper was so elaborate, the paper was too expensive for lower classes of the time.

In the United States, wrapping

tion. In 1917, after their store had ran out of tissue wrap, Hallmark store owner Rollie Hall sold sheets of decorative envelope liners as gift wrap. Before long, the brother’s wrapping paper sales were competing with their sales of greeting cards.

“Scotch” tape was first invented in 1930. Before its invention, giftgivers would use ribbons, string, or hot wax to hold wrapping paper together.

also equivalent to approximately 50,000 trees. This, among other reasons, makes Christmas one of the most environmentally unfriendly holidays.

The holiday season can be a little greener, however. Online and local stores sell wrapping paper made out of recycled paper.

There are a myriad of alternatives to using wrapping paper, including the use of a reusable fabric gift bag, using recyclable newsprint,

each year. The only holiday that even gets close is Valentine’s Day with only 192 million.

The Hallmark Corporation has conducted research about giftwrapping and among their finding they have found that most people prefer to wrap presents in a particular place. Another finding by Hallmark was that many consumers see gift-wrapping not as a function in gift giving, but as a creative outlet to display holiday cheer.

OPINION

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DEC. 9, 2010 Opinion

HAVE YOU DONE MORE THAN THE BARE MINIMUM LATELY?

100 North University Drive Edmond, OK 73034 (405)974-5549 editorial@uco360.com

By Kory Oswald / Editor-In-Chief The Vista is published as a newspaper and public forum by UCO students, semi-weekly during the academic year except exam and holiday periods, and only on Wednesdays during the summer, at the University of Central Oklahoma. The issue price is free for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy obtained.

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.

Address letters to: Editor, The Vista, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond, OK 730345209, or deliver in person to the editor in the Communications Building, Room 131. Letters can be e-mailed to vistauco@gmail.com.

STAFF

Management

Editorial

Kory Oswald, Editor-In-Chief Samantha Maloy, Copy Editor Chris Wescott, Sports Editor Jenefar De Leon, Managing Editor Garett Fisbeck, Photo Editor

Ryan Costello, Senior Staff Writer Cody Bromley, Staff Writer A.J. Black, Staff Writer Chantal Robbateux, Staff Writer Michael Collins, Staff Writer Brittany Dalton, Staff Writer Christie Rawlins, Staff Writer

Graphic Design Steven Hyde

Photography

Advertising Brittany Koster DeOren Robinson

Kathleen Wells Joseph Moore

Editorial Comic Circulation

Prakriti Adhikari

Jack Chancey

Administrative Assistant

Adviser Mr. Teddy Burch

There are countless examples of the media failing the American public.

The most detrimental example of our time is the build up to the war in Iraq.

If we would have had a properly functioning media at that point, it is likely that we would have never invaded that country. However, hindsight is 20/20, and there are more recent examples of the media sticking its foot in its mouth and up the butt of America.

Last month, Fox Nation posted an article about a frustrated President Obama sending a 75,000 word e-mail to the American people. It was a dramatic piece designed to illustrate Obama’s failing mental state. It was also originally written by The Onion, a satirical news site and it had zero factual information.

There was also a news story written about a man with the last name of Cummings who ejaculated on a TSA agent during a security pat down at the San Francisco International Airport. The story was picked up by media outlets in Germany and Dallas and disseminated across the Web via blogs and social networking sites. This story was originally written by Dead Serious, another satirical news site.

Blantant examples like these, by some of the largest media conglomerates around, make me angry and embarrassed when I tell people I am a journalist. Yet, it is also these examples that reaffirm my belief that it is up to me, and my peers, to grab the industry by the hair, and drag it kicking and screaming back to respectability.

This belief is something I have tried to instill in the The Vista and its staff for two years. As college students, it is easy for us to shrug off the seriousness of our roles within this publication and institution. Most of us are young, carefree and we don’t want to take too many things

too serious. Nor should we. However, this paper and most importantly, our chosen career, is something that we should always hold above such sophomoric notions. Look what happens when we don’t.

We should take our time here seriously because we are only as good as our education, and our education is only as good as what we put into it. If we don’t at least take that serious, then we are wasting valuable time, money and energy.

To those who refuse to help us better ourselves, even though you are employed by an institution of higher learning, one that heartily thumps the bible of transformation and self-improvement, quit wasting our time.

This paper rarely gets the respect it deserves. I’ve sat through many classes where The Vista is ridiculed and critiqued with disdain and contempt by students, faculty and staff alike. Sometimes rightfully so, other times not. Regardless, my response has always been the same: what have you done to help?

If you are a teacher, help educate the staff. Even if your field is completely unrelated to Mass Communication, help us learn. If a student criticizes The Vista, my response is sincere but always the same, “Thank you for your comments, we would love to have your help building this paper up to meet your standards. We cannot do it alone.”

To everyone at UCO, what are you doing to make things better? Whether as a student, a future worker in your

Tresa Berlemann

‘‘

CAMPUS QUOTES How are you preparing for finals?

chosen field of study, a Vista employee, or an educator at UCO, have you done anything other than the bare minimum lately? Have you done anything other than criticize? If not, you’re wasting time.

There have been many professors across the university that have helped, and many administrators that could not be more generous. There have also been times when, even with that help, The Vista has faltered. In the end we have come away better because of it, and that is the essence of education. For that, I thank you all.

However, to those who refuse to help us better ourselves, even though you are employed by an institution of higherlearning, one that heartily thumps the bible of transformation and self-improvement, quit wasting our time. This is extended to those at the lowest level of administration and staff, all the way to those at the top. Give us an interview, treat us like adults, at least pretend you are happy to see us, realize we are different from the students before us and do your part to help us earn an education that is worth its weight in the money we pay. Regardless of your position on campus, you have a responsibility as a part of this institution to help students grow and learn.

This is my last issue as Editor-In-Chief of The Vista. With it, I leave behind many emotions, many thankless hours, muttered complaints and yelled insults.

I also leave behind more compliments and appreciation from people that I could not respect and admire more, and also leave behind the most enjoyable job I’ve ever had, and in my place remains the strongest staff the paper has seen since I’ve been here.

I also hope to leave behind a sense that we can all do more than what we are doing at any given second.

‘‘

THE VISTA

RACHEL PIRRAGLIA

PHOEBE BUTTS

TYLER GUZMAN

DANIELLE METUOGUE

Junior - Family Life Education

Freshmen - Undecided

Senior - Fashion Marketing

Freshman - Forensics

“Studying every spare min- “Get good sleep, drink lots “Just staying in the library ute I have.” of caffeine, and make sure I most of the time.” set time to study.”

“Increase my study time and research.”

NEWS

DEC. 9, 2010

3

Civic Health

STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF EXAMINE CIVIC HEALTH OF OKLAHOMA, RELEASE STUDY

By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer & Kory Oswald / Editor-In-Chief Oklahoma is now more than 103 years old, and even though it is one of the youngest states in the union, it is time for a civic check-up.

Last Thursday, the first ever report on the State of Oklahoma’s Civic Health Index was released.

The report details Oklahoma’s civic engagement in communities, the state’s political environment and Oklahomans’ willingness to serve in volunteer roles.

At the forum where the report was unveiled, Dr. William Radke, UCO provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, explained the reasoning for such a report.

“We wanted to know where Oklahoma fell with other states in areas of civic engagement,” Radke said.

The findings in the report were the results of a partnership between UCO, Oklahoma Campus Connect, the National Conference on Citizenship and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The

The Oklahoma Civic Health Index was released last week.

research team included five UCO students who presented a summary to the regents prior to a forum about the report.

Oklahoma scores high in community areas, but tends to score lower in the others depending on the specific category.

When it comes to eating dinner

with other household members, at least a few times a week Oklahomans score 3.2 percent higher than the national average to be a total of 92.3 percent that share a meal with household members a few times a week. Oklahoma ranks fifth nationally for meal sharing. It is highest statistic of the report.

“A way we could channel this information that we found is to encourage … political discussions to happen when we are sitting down and sharing meals,” Danielle Hernandez, biology major and Civic Scholar, said.

Looking at community actions, Oklahoma ranks in the top half of states at the national rank of 20 for neighbors who exchange favors a few times a week.

But Oklahoma is also below average in areas too. One example is that the state is nearly five percent below the national average on voter turnout. Oklahoma is ranked 45th nationally for turnout. Oklahomans also fall four percent short of the

national average for talking with neighbors several times a week, and ranks 40th for working with neighbors to fix community problems.

“We have slipped into the period of complacency when it comes to engagements with our communities.”

“We have slipped into the period of complacency when it comes to engagements with our communities,” Radke said.

The report also measured the political climate of the state, which still has a majority of registered Democrats despite electing a majority of republican candidates to office. At the beginning of 2010, 49 percent of Oklahoma voters were registered as Democrats and 39.8 percent of voters were registered Republican.

The report also found that since

1960, more Oklahomans have registered as Democrats annually than Republicans.

Oklahoma’s scores on civic engagement leave room for both celebration and progress, but that is an idea of how the state is performing so Oklahomans can start working on some of 2010’s faults.

One of the key points of the report also found that 53.4 percent of Oklahomans who have graduated college, age 25 and older, were likely to have performed any nonelectoral acts, but only 18.9 percent of those with a high school degree did so.

“There’s really one part of this for universities, and that part is for graduates to become part of and engaged in their community. So we believe, at least at the University of Central Oklahoma, that it has to be an integral part of our curriculum,” Radke said.

Dance Department

PLIÉ AND TENDU OF IT ALL: SNAPSHOTS OF UCO’S DANCE DEPARTMENT

By Samantha Maloy / Copy Editor Donning an odd assortment of sweats and legwarmers. Standing at a barre in the center of a dance studio while working through steps with French names. Jumping up and down. Stretching in the splits.

While this all may sound strange, this is the very normal routine of a dancer and the makings of an ordinary day for a University of Central Oklahoma dance major.

A college or university’s dance program usually have specific focuses. They may focus more on the school’s dance team or have a stronger ballet or modern program.

Here at UCO, students have the option to pursue a dance education degree or a dance

performance degree. Students can also audition for the school’s company within the dance department, Kaleidoscope.

Many of the courses in the dance education program are similar to those required in dance performance, like modern, ballet, jazz and rhythm analysis. Courses specific to dance education include technology for teachers and classroom management and instruction, according to the UCO dance department website.

Andrea Hyman, a junior dance education major, said that following graduation, “I would love to work for a high school dance department…or teach at a dance studio.”

That is just what her dance ed major is pre-

paring her to do.

Some of the courses specific to the dance performance degree (officially a bachelor’s in fine arts in dance) include music and dance choreography and a senior project in dance.

Sophomore Dougg Foss, dance performance major, plans to “continue on to grad school to get my masters in dance therapy and hopefully teach dance to help others.”

The dance industry is tricky, competitive and ever-changing. It presents many challenges to dancers graduating from high school: how to continue dance after senior year.

For many dancers though, a dance degree is an excellent choice. Students are daily challenged in their technique and skill and growth

can be more accelerated.

To graduating high school seniors, “I would encourage them to press on toward their goals, but to know the field is full of talented, well-trained people, and to succeed in this field will take a lot of discipline,” Anne Blasdel, UCO adjunct dance professor said.

Robyn Pasternack added, “You better really love dancing to do this.” Pasternack is an assistant dance professor and teaches ballet, pointe, variations, history and pedagogy.

Here is a chance to learn a little bit about the dancers and faculty that make up the Broncho dance department: their future plans, favorite famous dancers and must-have dance accessories.

Dougg Foss

Andrea Hyman

Rebecca Craig

Anne Blasdel, instructor

Favorite Style: Contemporary Favorite Dancer: Mia Michaels Most memorable moment in the dance program: “Learning with my friends and the moment I was told I was an apprentice in the company Kaleidoscope.”

Essential Dancewear Item: “Correct pair of shoes and positive ATTITUDE.”

Favorite Style: Jazz Favorite Dancer: Travis Wall Most memorable moment in the dance program: My favorite moment was my first performance as a UCO dance major in the fall Kaleidoscope Concert.

Favorite style: A tie between ballet/ contemporary and tap Favorite famous dancer: Fred Astaire and Vera Ellen Essential dancewear item: “For warm up before ballet class, I always wear my mukluks and sweats in order to get my muscles and feet warm. For jazz and modern, I need sweats to get warm.”

Why teach on the college level?

How long have you been at UCO? “I have been at UCO for 21 years.

I teach here not because I decided that college level was what I wanted to teach, but because God opened a door here for me and has never shut it...“I’ve always been thankful that it’s part-time, day-time hours instead of evenings which would have taken me away from my family.”

NEWS

4

DEC. 9, 2010

A DAY OF OPTING OUT

By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer “If you touch my junk, I’ll have you arrested,� John Tyner said.

This quip was recorded on Tyner’s phone as a Transport Safety Administration officer was patting him down. Tyner had opted out of passing through the new full body-imaging scanner, and when faced with the option of having a TSA official touch his “junk,� he pulled out his phone to record the exchange.

The clip found its way to YouTube and went viral.

So last week when travelers found their way home for Thanksgiving, news organizations were talking about the new airport security measures brought to media attention by Tyner’s YouTube hit.

New airport security measures have been in the works for over a year, but the Transport Safety Administration had not begun cracking down on them until early last month. These new measures include the new advanced imaging technology machines, as well as an enhanced pat down search for those who refuse scans for medical reasons or otherwise.

Ever since the failed Christmas Day bombing of 2009, the TSA has been heralded as being one of the weakest links in the chain of security protecting airline travelers. The Christmas Day bombing plot was an awakening to new methods, but its not the first time.

Starting with the failed shoe bombing by ad-

mitted al-Qaida member Richard Reid, American travelers have been taking their shoes off on the way to the plane.

The machines now being used to do the scans are different from what passengers might be used to at airport security checkpoints. The “backscatter� or AIT machines screen passengers for metallic and nonmetallic objects by using electromagnetic waves to build a three-dimensional image of a human body without clothes. A page about the machines on TSA website says that the scans blur out facial features, and that the images are never shared or stored.

Of all the airports that are now fitted with the new imaging technology, the only Oklahoma airport that has the capabilities is Tulsa International Airport. Tulsa received its first machines in February of 2009.

Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City still has not received any of the new machines, but is expected to receive them soon. Currently there are about 400 machines in use nationwide with about 50 to be installed before January.

Discontent with the new security led some people to organize their outrage into what they called “National Opt-Out Day.� The day in question was Nov. 24, the day before Thanksgiving and one of the most air-traveled days of the year. The goal was to have large numbers of people refuse the new standing

PHOTO BY EDUARDO CONTRERAS

Travel

In this photo taken Sept. 1, 2010,TSA employee Anthony Brock, left, demonstrates a new full-body scanner at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field. Eduardo Contreras)

X-ray machines, causing delays and fueling citizen rage for the new scans and enhanced pat downs.

But the TSA declared the day a victory for their side. On their blog, they posted updates during “Opt-Out Day,� and reported a small number of individuals opting out of scans and lower than predicted wait days. Additionally, the TSA blog linked to more than 35 news sites declaring the opt-out campaign as not living up to hype. The headline that tech magazine “Wired� ran with the story ran on their website read “Airline Travelers Opting Out of

Opting Out.�

But the proponents of “National Opt-Out Day� claim success too. A website set up for the publicizing of the event had a headline proclaiming, “Thank you for making National Opt- Out Day a success!�

Their definition of success lies in the amount of media attention they were able to herald. They also claim they were successful in getting the TSA to change their policy, freeing children 12 and under as well as flight

Continued on page 5

Recycling

UCO RECYCLES, SCORES ‘GREEN’ TOUCHDOWNS

By Chantal Robatteux / Staff Writer The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a “Game Day Challenge� to all colleges and universities to see how much recycling they could do in one football game during the month of October, and UCO received first place in two categories on Nov. 30.

UCO was one out of 77 universities and colleges to participate.

Tim Tillman, the alternative transportation coordinator at UCO, said this was the first year UCO participated, and the second year the EPA had this challenge.

Tillman explained they got a group of volunteers together and student organizations and they put out recycling containers at the Oct. 30 football game inside the stadium and concourse area and set up a big recycling program out in the parking lot. “The idea of the competition is to see how much recycling each school can generate and that is measured on a per capita basis. There were a total of five categories. We participated in four of the five, and out of the four we par-

ticipated in, we won two,� Tillman said.

The two categories UCO won are the “Green House Gas Reduction� and “Recycling.�

Tillman said he found out about this event through the Executive’s Vice President Kreidler’s Office. “Bob Ault found it somewhere and alerted me to it, he told me about it, and we got the blessing of Executive Vice President Kreidler and assembled a team and went out and did it,� Tillman said.

They applied through the EPA’s WasteWise website and had to give some basic data about the school, and select a date during October when they wanted to participate. “[It] had to be a game day in October, and after the event was over we reported the result, and they do all the calculations and tell you the [end] results,� he said.

Tillman added they had a paper shredding truck. “We collected any types of paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, basically any recyclables except organics.�

The reason they chose to participate was because UCO is a nationally recognized lead-

er in green initiatives. “We were one of the first universities to go 100 percent wind energy; we have very strong recycling programs, and energy saving programs; this seemed like a neat way to get involved and to see how we stack up against these other institutions,� Tillman said.

He said the biggest volunteer group was “Students In Free Enterprise,� and their faculty advisor, NaRita Anderson. “The students from SIFE were just amazing, they came out the day of the event and worked like crazy; Ms. Anderson did a wonderful job of keeping them organized. The other props I want to give to is Adam Rogers at the Physical Plant, he runs our recycling program, and he did a great job. And then of course, Waste Management was very, very helpful, as was the City of Edmond,� Tillman said.

He added he hopes that with each year, as UCO participates in more and more events of this nature, that all of the faculty, staff and students will see the opportunity and see how easy it is to recycle. “[I hope they see] how easy it is to live a

greener lifestyle, and hope they will just try to incorporate it into their own daily lives,� he said.

Tillman said if EPA has this challenge again next year, they will definitely plan to participate.

He said this year they had about 30 days to put it all together. “Next year we hope we’ll know much sooner and get the information out sooner to give [the students] a chance to volunteer. So next year, keep an eye on the UCO homepage, Facebook and Twitter and we [will] get the information out for what game and how to volunteer,� Tillman said. “I want to say thanks to all the wonderful volunteers, students, faculty and staff who pitched in and made this a wonderful success and helped us win,� he said. “I have no idea what it looks like. There is no big formal ceremony, they told us when they would have the results posted on the website and when the results came up, I was pleasantly surprised,� Tillman said.

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The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

NEWS

DEC. 9, 2010

5

Health

Continued from page 4

PARASITE USED TO TREAT BOWEL DISEASE

TSA

By Josh Hutton / Staff Writer Scientists have made a huge leap in digestive health with a little help from a few parasites. A new study has immerged showing that the common whipworm, or Trichuris, plays a large role in humanity’s wellbeing. The parasitic creatures’ eggs are unable to hatch without the assistance of gut bacteria. Strong proof shows a long evolutionary partnership between worms, bacteria and their mammal hosts.

Whipworms are exceptionally successful parasitic nematodes infecting a wide range of mammals, including nearly a billion people across the globe. Trichuris eggs are usually acquired accidentally and if hatching process is successful, the emerging larvae nest into the intestinal wall.

The young worms eventually migrate downwards and take up permanent residence in the colon where they mate and begin releasing eggs into the environment.

Though the extent of what the bacteria get in return for helping the worms hatch is unknown, the rela-

The Trichuris parasite, commonly known as the whipworm, seen through a microscope. The parasite is used to treat bowel disease.

tionship does offer some absolute advantages to the hosts. Controlled damage of the intestine by infecting nematodes, for example, increases the contact between gut microbes and immune cells allowing effective responses to alien bacterial pathogens.

The new findings are owed to one man’s quest for a solution to his bowel disease. A young entrepreneur con-

tacted P’ng Loke, a parasite specialist, who at the time was employed at the University of California in San Francisco. Typical treatments, like steroids, had failed the young businessman and he was looking to treat his discomfort by any means necessary. He came upon the unusual work of scientist Joel Weinstock. Weinstock had begun using parasitic worms to

help people with ulcerative colitis.

Weinstock asked his patients to swallow microscopic eggs. After the eggs hit the GI tract, they would hatch and the worm would adapt to the host’s immune system. Loke made an agreement with the businessman, who had beaten the disease, to study the effects.

Chase Krauter, a veteran biology major at UCO, said, “What amazes me, is that we are always pushing sciences harder, stretching technology further, yet so many solutions are found in nature.” The science beyond the process is sound, but one potential red flag Krauter brought up was whether or not doctors could control the growth of the worm colony, “I’m sure the parasites could get the job done, but if their population got out of control, it would still take a nasty toll on the body.”

Drug companies are trying to cap the concern that Krauter brings to light. Parasites that would actually be approved by the FDA do not seem to be far out of reach after the recent success story.

CIVICS TEST GETS MAKEOVER previous test was “What is the Constitution?” The question on the new test asks, “What does the Constitution do?”

The new test was tried on 6,000 citizenship ap-

PHOTO BY GARETT FISBECK

crews from facing the full severity of the procedures.

Looking forward, the machines are not expected to be leaving airport security checkpoints anytime soon. A spokesman for the TSA told the Tulsa World that between Oct. 29 and Nov. 18 there 37 million people who were screened, and only 700 passengers who made complaints about the new imaging machines.

With all the talk of enhanced security measures, some people wonder where civil liberties get left to lie.

Artist Mike McQuade is using T-shirts and underwear to get his opinion across. He set up a website selling items with the fourth amendment to the Constitution written on them in metallic ink visible to the new AIT machines. The text of the amendment prevents the government from making unreasonable searches without a warrant.

Others wonder about the implications of the so called “security theatre.” James Fallows, a former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter and columnist for The Atlantic magazine, wrote last week that in wAmerica we do accept a certain level of risk, “otherwise, we’d never fly- or would strip everyone nude before boarding, do cavity searches, and carry no cargo.”

Fallows sees the political routine for airport security to be a slippery slope.

“Politicians can’t come out and say that any risk is acceptable. Nor can they take the risk themselves of saying that security-theater rituals should be dropped, because of the risk of being blamed when the next attack occurs. Thus security-theater is a ratchet.

You can add it, but you can’t take it away,” Fallows said.

Now, with Thanksgiving finally past and Opt-Out Day over, the media has shifted to the next news cycle. For the original opt-out, this is good news. wOn his blog, Tyner said that it looks like his 15 minutes of fame are just about over, but he’s glad. He said that he is proud of the stance he took, but now it is up to the newly informed Americans to have the intelligent conversation over airport security.

w

Most of the questions asked on the civics test come from curriculum covered in elementary schools in America.

Sasi Kumar (left) and Uinodhini Kumar (right), who emigrated to the United States from India 15 years ago, stand with their daughter Sudhiksha Sasikumar to take their oath of allegience to become naturalized citizens of the United States.

More than 250,000 people apply to become a naturalized citizen every year, but only 50,000 are granted citizenship.

By Lauren Nelson / Contributing Writer The Citizenship and Immigration Services has redesigned the civics test taken by immigrants who want to become naturalized citizens of the United States. The revamping is the first time the test has been changed since 1986.

A spokesperson for the USCIS said that the changes made to the questions show that applicants are really trying to learn more about the U.S. and that the test will help them to be better citizens.

Some of the changes include the wording of some questions. For example, a question on the

plicants before its release. Ninety-two percent of the people who took the test passed on the first try.

The questions range from easy to difficult. The applicant is given 100 questions to study and ten questions are chosen randomly during the interview process. The questions are asked orally to ensure that the applicant can speak English and the questions are not multiple choice.

The civics test is just one part of the naturalization process. Other components of the process include speaking, reading and writing tests to ensure that the applicant can speak, read and write in English.

More than 250,000 people apply to become a naturalized citizen of the United States every year, but only 50,000 people are granted citizenship. .

Most Americans know who the president is and can name at least one branch of government. But can most Americans name one of the authors of the Federalist Papers? Could you name who the president was during World War I? All of these questions are given on the civics test that applicants for U.S. citizenship have to answer.

Most of the questions asked on the civics test are curriculum covered in elementary schools in America.

Parenting

WHEN PARENTS PARENT CHILDREN TOO MUCH

By Brittany Dalton / Staff Writer Though the intent is to smooth bumpy roads for their children, helicopter parents may only be making matters worse, according to recent articles.

In Time magazine, Nancy Gibbs argued that parents must adopt a “laissez-faire” policy in parenting, or as she described it, “let them grow by letting go.”

Dr. Nathan Cottle, assistant professor of Human Environmental Sciences, described the term for those who may be unfamiliar.

“A helicopter parent hovers, and takes care of any problems that arise,” Cottle said.

Helicopter parenting can particularly affect teenagers in high school and those entering college. Cottle described that habitual interference by parents can be hard to break.

Hara Estoff Marano, the editor of Psychology Today, explains the trend is relatively new, but ruggedly persistent.

“There is substantial evidence that students going off to college have changed over the years,” she wrote. “For one thing, studies show that they are emotionally closer to their parents and their parents to them. One thing

that means is that they depend on each other for their children, the coping skills necessary more for happiness.” often are missing. This can put a toll on colCottle noted that helicopter parenting is lege students’ anxiety levels. alive and well, even at institutions like UCO. According to the American College Coun“Parents often e-mail about the student’s seling Association, the number of college stugrade, instead dents reporting of the student having “serious making an “Studies show that [kids] are emotionally psychological appointment closer to their parents and their parents to problems” rose to come see to 93.4 percent me,” he said. them ... they depend on each other more in 2009.

“The parents for happiness.”

“Helicopter step in even parenting does on issues affect students’ such as the ability to deal student getting into a class. What they do is with crises and issues,” Cottle said. “The real step in and say ‘I’ll do this,’ which renders the issue at hand is that eventually, you have to child helpless.” solve your own problems. Your parents won’t Cottle said that when parents refuse to loos- always be able to.” en the apron strings, students do not get life He notes that college is a time of latitude, experiences they will need. but that post-graduation issues can be entirely With parents often just a phone call away, different. it seems easier for the student to call. Stu“The real world won’t put up with it,” he dents may not always know the right course said. of action to take, and parents are looked to as Cottle said that most parents interfere most sources for advice and guidance. in matters of money. He noted the logic in However, if parents handle every conflict this, as many college students may be tight on

money. However, financial coping is one skill Cottle insists students must pick up along the way.

He said students must be willing to come out of their shell, so to speak, and take advantage of the help colleges have to offer.

“At college, we understand it’s a transitional state,” he said. “It’s a perfect opportunity for learning, and it’s a shame when parents come and take that away.”

College is the first time a student leaves home, and while there are more freedoms, there are also more responsibilities. Cottle urges students to gain the experience they can.

“For children of helicopter parents, I would recommend they sit their parents down. They say, ‘I need to handle this, so I can learn,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with asking parents for guidance or advice, but you need to know how to take care of yourself too.”

He compares it to a bird leaving the nest.

“The baby has to learn to fly on its own,” he said.

SPORTS

DEC. 9, 2010 Continued from page 1

Opinion

WIKI P H O T O B Y S A LVA T O R E D I N O L F I

Police say WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested on a Swedish warrant.

week, Sen. Joseph Lieberman called on all companies and organizations with ties to WikiLeaks to terminate their relationships with the site, and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) began taking steps to have document-dumping host listed as a terrorist organization.

“We will not be gagged, either by judicial action or corporate censorship. Today Visa joined MasterCard, PayPal, Amazon, EveryDNS and others in cutting off their links,” Hrafnsson said.

“WikiLeaks is still online. The full site is duplicated in more than 500 locations. Every day, the cables are loaded more than 50 million times.”

Among Assange’s allies is his native Australia, where Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters that Americans, not Assange, are responsible for the “unauthorized release of 250,000 documents from the U.S. diplomatic communications network.”

Rudd said that they would extend support to Assange, who vowed to fight extradition to Sweden.

“Any Australian citizen is entitled to the presumption of innocence – and that includes Mr. Assange,” Rudd said.

Continued from page 1

PARANOID Yes, I was completely serious. I laid the packaging on her desk, so she knew what the day’s journey should entail.

“Were you okay to drive?” she asked as she scanned the casing. I smiled slyly, and replied with a tinge of arrogance, “I was very cool on the drive, two hour wait period.”

First off, that was a lie. The party enhancers are actually supposed to take an hour before the partaker should feel results, however when ingesting two pills, it speeds the process up by 30-minutes.

Secondly, Vector is very clear in its warning to never take more than one pill in a 24-hour period, but in the name of a nation of excess, I disregarded the caution.

“Where did you even get this?”

Vector Party Enhancers are conveniently located at your friendly neighborhood head shop. They are a currently legal, herbal alternative to ecstasy. Never take two.

My office chair treated me to a few spins, and in between laughs, I sang bits of Bowie’s “Golden Years.” Rayven stared with two parts fright, one part amusement, Rayven could only say, “This is bad.” It was not long until I completely agreed.

Ten minutes after the initial effects had appeared, my homeostasis became horrendously twisted.

“My insides are lava!” I said lacking propriety, “I’m gonna pound some H2O for homeo.” Once I had filled my cup, I decided it best not to move for the rest of the day. The 12-step journey from my desk to the break room left me with nothing but a divine sense of nausea. My insides were ceaselessly burning.

“Rayven, I’m sweating bullets over here.” But after checking my armpits, I discovered no sweat. My body and mind were tearing themselves asunder.

I tried to maintain a balance between doing my work and taking notes on my changing condition, but as my condition

6

changed, I found it impossible to keep any sort of focus. I would begin to organize vendor forms; this would last for a matter a seconds before I began drawing pictures in my notebook. I rarely draw, so why I felt the unbridled urge to get my Pablo Picasso on, is unclear. Most of the images dealt with my cognitive dysfunction, so naturally my head was exploding in nearly every illustration.

However, it did prove to be a helpful documentation.

I spent most of the workday talking about being in tune with the spiritual world, boasting an absolute understanding of The Beatles’ “Revolver,” never finishing any text messages, glancing at an ever-growing pile of work, and trying to recover enough of my motor skills to put together boxes for my boss.

All of the water I drank eventually caught up to me. I clumsily slithered to the restroom. As I was finishing up at the urinal, the door flung up, and in a fit of paranoid fright, I flung my genitals back into their holding place. My eyes slowly crawled to the guest washing his hands.

He, of course, was a police officer. The situation immediately made me reminiscent of Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.”

Only in this story I was the drugs, the supplier, and the drug dog. I walked up to the adjacent sink, eyes gazing with such obsession, that he had to return the look. I shrunk back when our eyes locked, neurons attempted to cross my scattered synapses, and I felt the overwhelming urge to break the silence. So, I said the first thing that came to mind.

“Thanks for keeping them streets clean.”

He was moderately freaked out, and slowly said, “No problem.” I nodded like a good, little idiot, and backed out of the restroom.

For my experiment with the party pill, I felt it necessary to be in a situation that required definite coherence. Once

three hours had passed, my thoughts became more focused despite my burning insides and sensory-sensitive shell.

I became conscious of how I was only walking in line with the American i.d.

Bringing up the rear in a nation of halfwrong doers with an uncanny ability to rationalize all the wrong away. Diet soda benders, vaginal virginity preservationists engaging in anal sex, and founts of K2 smoke blended into my throbbing head.

I was shackled to my computer, body screaming, trying to focus enough to follow the icy ritual of data entry. I noticed my veins began to be much more pronounced, like I was working out strenuously. The nausea and mental clarity both came in waves. “DO NOT take more than one tablet within a 24 hour period.” I will never take all caps so lightly on a product again.

When the gag reflexes kicked hard, I told myself vomiting was not allowed at the Capitol, due to its nice marble. Each accountant looked at me like a proper reptilian as they crossed my path, sucking their bottom lips and furrowing their brows. I became fascinated with biting myself. My reaction to pain was profoundly delayed, and even when it finally registered, the pain just wisped into pleasure.

The state comptroller finally came by and told me it was time to go home.

There was an inert wall of silence after each of her sentences. Combined with her painted grin, it made me feel like I had cancer and this was the last time she was ever going to see me.

I floated back to Lolita. I aged another twenty minutes idling in the driver’s seat. The day had passed quickly, miserably, and as I slipped the key into the ignition, I noticed one other car in the parking lot. Its plate read: “HEDNIST.” I thought, “how poetically perfect.”

OPINION LACED WITH

FACT

BY

A.J. BLACK Thursday is normally reserved for Ask Andrew, but I do what I want, so whatever. Over the weekend, I expanded my vocabulary through discovering the word “pugnacious.” It sounds cute, but its definition makes it a verb worth knowing. To be pugnacious, as defined by some old, white elitist is to posses a quarrelsome or combative nature. Well, fair enough; I could think of worse things to say about better people.

So, being the pugnacious kind of guy that I am, sometimes I have to try to force myself to be nice to someone against my will, but it doesn’t always work. A heated debate over religion is just as liable to end with someone getting punched in the nose as it is to getting any logical arguments across to either party. Just as well, a trip to the Transportation and Parking Services at UCO is just as liable to end with a phone call to the police as it is to getting your three hundred and thirty dollars worth of parking violations heard before the dispute committee.

Parking on campus seems to be an issue on a lot of student’s minds, and who is doing anything about it? Well, apparently it is “none of my business,” as Assistant Director for Transportation and Parking Raul Martinez put it, but I don’t feel satisfied with that answer.

Math may not be my strong point, but from what I understand, there are currently over 2,000 students that have paid one hundred dollars $100 each for a parking decal.

The visitor parking rates are fairly ridiculous, there are meters throughout the grounds that collect coins that add up to dollars, and judging by the crowd I encountered yesterday, several students and faculty a day receiving parking violations at thirty dollars a pop.

Now, I am not denying that I have parked in the faculty parking lot more than once and collected tickets for my glove box, but driving around for 30 minutes looking for an open spot isn’t cool. Neither is walking a mile and a half with a hundred books while wondering what the point of paying for a decal is when it would be more efficient to just have class in the parking lot.

I did some checking around and found it to be true that whenever there is money involved, people tend to get a bit touchy if you question where it is going. It turns out that this holds true at a publicly funded institution as well.

Any organization that is paid for by tax dollars and state funding is open to public inquiry, but from my experience, if you try to find out let’s say, how much of the ever-increasing Student Activity Fee that every student pays goes toward athletics and administrative expenses instead of the several programs that are being cut due to lack of funding, you will just get the run around from Teresa Metzger, budget coordinator and vice president of student affairs. It is the same case when you question where the thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars students have paid to park near campus, without any significant additions or maintenance to the conditions for years.

To date, there is nothing that comes close to a definitive plan to remedy the parking situation for the future. More students are enrolled at UCO than ever before, and it is most likely that that number will continue to rise. Is there a solution to the problem? Well, I don’t know. Maybe we should all ask. You have the numbers and the names. Give the minions something to do with their time besides count all the money from our rising tuition, fees, and fines. Feel free to tell them I told you to call, and ask them to gather up all of their financial documents for a school project called the G.F.Y. Revolution.

-Until next semester…Light it up, A.J. Black

NEWS WITH A FLASH PHOTO BYRAMON ESPINOSA

A supporters of presidential candidate Michel Martelly throws stones at UN peacekeepers during protests in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010. Supporters of eliminated candidates protested after officials announced that government protege Jude Celestin and former first lady Mirlande Manigat would advance to a presidential runoff election.

PHOTO BYGARET T MCINTOSH

This Dec. 7, 2010 photo shows the Antarctic tourist ship the “Clelia II” struggling in high seas with 165 people aboard in the southern Drake Passage, just north of the Shetland Islands. The ship declared an emergency on Tuesday, reporting it had suffered engine damage amid heavy seas and 55 mph (90 kph) winds when it was about 500 miles (845 kilometers) from Ushuaia, the Argentine Navy said in a statement.

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Help Wanted

The “L.L.” in L.L. Bean stands for “Leon Leonwood.”

It takes 492 seconds for sunlight to reach the Earth.

The first bomb dropped on Germany in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin zoo.

Tug of War was an Olympic event between 1900 and 1920.

JOB OPENING at the trails YMCA for membership serThe Stanley Cup originally vices M&W 4:45 am- 9:00 am was only seven and a half weekly and some weekends inches high. apply online at ymcaokcjobs. org.

If you counted all the gifts that were given in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” you would realize that the number of gifts being preStudent P/T to clean vacant sented were 364 in total, thus Apts, Afternoons. Near UCO. a gift was given for each day Must be dependable, trust- of the year. worthy, have positive attitude, do quality work. Call Connie Christmas was illegal in 641-0712 England from 1647-1660.

This was enforced by the then leader Oliver Cromwell who believed it was immoral to hold celebrations on one of Handy student P/T. Af- the holiest days of the year. ternoons. Property & Lawn The celebration of Christmas maintenance, carpentry, was therefore a criminal ofpainting. Near UCO. Must be fence which could lead to an self-motivated, trustworthy, individual being arrested if able to work unsupervised. he or she was found guilty of 641-0712 condoning any revelry during the period.

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Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green.

SERVICES

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Across

Down

1. Marienbad, for one 4. Door clasps 9. Pipsqueak 14. Priestly garb 15. Cognizant 16. Blacksmith’s block 17. Room alcove 19. “Silly” birds 20. Stage item 21. “Dig in!”

23. Game with matchsticks 24. Unchanging essences in Hinduism 26. Off the mark 28. Reconstruct 32. Hairdo 35. ___ apso (dog) 36. “___ Maria” 37. Great time 40. Sylvester, to Tweety 41. Terminal sections of intestines 44. Reprimanders 47. Small toiletry bag 50. Coin 51. Decline 55. Infomercials, e.g.

57. ___ green 58. Like composition paper 59. Formal orders 61. Work together 65. Heavy stick 66. Ear bone 67. “Polythene ___” (Beatles song) 68. Eye sores 69. Some tides 70. Oolong, for one

1. Mideast native 2. Braid 3. Deep cavity 4. Required at some restaurants 5. Barley bristle 6. Blue 7. Ace 8. Waste water conduits 9. Small Old World bird 10. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.

11. Come about 12. Not yet final, at law 13. Initial substance of the universe 18. Beat 22. “A jealous mistress”: Emerson 25. Fink 26. Blow up 27. ___ power 29. Black gold 30. Boris Godunov, for one 31. Beanery sign 32. Leopard 33. “Your turn” 34. Water, e.g.

38. “Hold on a ___!”

39. Alpine transport 42. Cooking meas.

43. Sterile surgical techniques, e.g.

45. Futile 46. Tart drink 48. “Rocks” 49. Pellagra preventer 52. Not fitting 53. Bristles 54. Swelling 55. Cobblers’ tools 56. “Dang!”

60. Not just “a” 62. “___ moment” 63. Mozart’s “L’___ del Cairo” 64. Nipper

SUDOKU Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.59)

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SPORTS

DEC. 9, 2010 PHOTO BY TONY GUTIERREZ

American Hockey League

HOUSTON DOWNS OKC, 4-3 IN A SHOOTOUT

Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead (22) is stopped on the line of scrimmage by Oklahoma defensive end Pryce Macon (94) and defensive end Chuka Ndulue (98) in the first half of the NCAA Big 12 college football championship game Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A CLASSIC RIVALRY, LOST

By Trey Hunter / Contributing Writer The Oklahoma Sooners and the Nebraska Cornhuskers ended one of the most historic rivalries in college football history on Saturday night.

The Sooners defeated the Cornhuskers 2320 to capture their seventh Big 12 championship under head coach Bob Stoops. However, the victory brought with it the end of a great tradition.

The OU-Nebraska rivalry dates all the way back to 1928 when the Sooners and Cornhuskers first joined the same conference.

Since then, either Oklahoma or Nebraska has won the league 67 times. The two teams competed against each other every year until 1998 when the Big 8 added the four Texas teams (Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor) to became the Big 12. Nebraska was put into the north division and Oklahoma was placed in the south, which caused the rivalry to only be renewed twice every two years.

The most historic memory from this rivalry was the 1971 matchup that is referred to as “the game of the century.” No.1 Nebraska squared off against No. 2 Oklahoma in Lincoln for the Big 8 championship. The winner would go on to play for the national championship as well. Nebraska won the game 35-

31 on the last drive of the game. The Sooners overcame two ten-point deficits during the game and almost pulled out the victory. The Cornhuskers would go on to win the national championship by defeating Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

More recent matchups have tossed a little kindling on the fire as well. In 2000, the Sooners entered the game as the No. 3 team in the nation, however, Nebraska was No. 1.

The Sooners were coming off of consecutive victories over No. 11 Texas and No. 2 Kansas State and were not intimidated. The Sooners defeated Nebraska 31-14 on the way to the national championship. In 2001, the Cornhuskers would get their revenge. Each team was again ranked in the top three as Oklahoma was ranked No. 2 and Nebraska No.3.

Eric Crouch and the Huskers got the victory 20-10 and would go on to face the University of Miami (FL) in the national championship.

There are not too many rivalries that can compare with OU-Nebraska. The TexasOklahoma and Ohio State-Michigan rivalries might be the only matchups with more history. When the Big 8 added the four Texas teams, the conference leaders took a knife and punctured the Sooners-Huskers rivalry right in the heart. With the demolition of the Big

By Chris Wescott / Sports Editor The Oklahoma City Barons held a twogoal lead on Tuesday night but dropped to a 4-3 shootout decision against the Houston Aeros. The loss gives OKC a 1-2-1-1 record against their foes from Texas. The Barons’ season struggles against the Aeros rival only with their series futility against San Antonio (0-2-0-0). The Barons’ only win against the Houston Aeros came on Oct. 17 on the road.

Oklahoma City crushed the Aeros 8-2.

Houston opened up scoring and it seemed to be more of the same story. Matt Kassian redirected a puck past Barons’ goaltender Jeff Deslauriers 3:33 into the first period.

Oklahoma City tied the game up 13:45 into the second frame when Brad Moran was assisted by forward Colin McDonald. OKC appeared to be rallying to victory when Jeff Petry shot the go-ahead goal at the 19:02 mark of the second period.

The Barons continued to rumble in the third when Alexandre Giroux scored 3:30 into that period. With a 3-1 lead, OKC looked to be dominating the ice, but Houston was not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

The Aeros scored just 40 seconds after Giroux’s goal to pull within one and then tied the Barons at 14:07 of the third. The rest of the game went back and forth with no more goals scored.

Deslauriers took umbrage with a Houston player skating into him after the play and started swinging. The goaltender received

a double minor with under five minutes remaining in the game.

OKC was forced to play stellar defense to turn Houston away. The game headed to overtime, where it remained scoreless. The Barons then entered their fifth shootout of the season.

Teemu Hartikainen and Linus Omark were both denied by Houston goaltender, Anton Khudobin, to start the shootout. Then Houston forward Robbie Earl added to his two goals with a shootout score to apply pressure to OKC. Oklahoma City’s next three shooters missed their mark and the Aeros were victorious, stealing the 4-3 win at the Cox Convention Center.

“I think that’s part of any season,” McDonald said after the game. “It’s 80 games, and there’s going to be ups and downs. It’s not a smooth ride the whole year. This is my fourth year (professionally) and this has been way better than any of my three years so far.”

“Not that we’re happy with how things have been as of late, we just know it’s a process,” he added.

The Barons host the Manitoba Moose at 7:05 p.m. this Friday night at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. It will be $1 hot dog night and kids from local elementary schools will be performing Christmas carols as part of a “Sing for Santa” promotion.

12 and Nebraska’s decision to join the Big 10, the knife has just been twisted and pulled out.

The Big 8 has long been in the rear-view mirror. The annual matchup turned into a twice every two years matchup and it dampened the rivalry’s fire. With the Sooners’ victory on Saturday, the days of Switzer versus Osbourne, Thanksgiving Day college football and Stoops versus Pelini are long gone. The rivalry will never be the same. Even if the

teams matchup down the road, it will not be Oklahoma-Nebraska like it was in the old days. With the new conference outlook and the departure of Nebraska and Colorado, it is time to create new rivalries and continue the tradition of those still in good standing.

DEC. 2, 2010

SPORTS

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SPORTS

DEC. 2, 2010

Sports Feature

‘IT WILL KILL YOU, BUT IT’S GOOD’ Tirey’s Training is where the UCO hockey team and others go to hone their athleticism, strength and agility.

PHOTO BY GARETT FISBECK & MIKE GIPSON

By Mike Gipson / Contributing Writer By walking in and smelling the sweat on the ground and the chalk in the air, you wouldn’t think that you just stepped into a normal gym.

Rock and rap music blast from the speakers. A few industrial lights harshly illuminate the warehouse that is the gym. And inside, men and women sweat and toil. And they become stronger.

This house of sweat and iron is Tirey’s Training, and it’s where you’ll often find the UCO hockey team honing their athleticism.

“The training we do in here is the toughest

training I’ve ever done” UCO hockey defenseman Tony Bruno said. “I know most of the guys feel the same way. But it’s 100 percent worth it.”

The callouses on his hands agree with his words.

The nightly training sessions start with group stretching before the team breaks into smaller groups. The guys that have been in the gym a lot have heavy squatting and deadlifting on their minds. The ones that are not as familiar with the gym spend their time conditioning their bodies by dragging sleds with a hundred or more pounds.

PHOTO BY MIKE GIPSON

UCO senior, Greg Masters lifts a 35-pound weight during a training session with Luke Tirey at Tirey’s training. Tirey employs a “come in and work out” atmosphere in his gym.

The gym is not all hockey players and heavy lifting, though. Tirey’s Training is home to many people from all over Oklahoma.

Right next to the elite hockey players hoisting hundreds of pounds off the ground is one of the nightly female training sessions. You might not realize it, but these women are just as familiar with struggling against a barbell as the men of the gym are.

Annie Koranki was a little unsure about lifting weights. “I thought: this is a man’s workout! But it was good. It got me looking pretty good too.”

“We flip tires. Like men,” Jessie Scott, another female patron of Tirey’s Training said.

Skepticism vanquished, the women of Tirey’s Training have not only gotten better physiques, but they’ve gotten stronger and more agile too.

Perhaps the one thing that has hit these ladies the hardest is the Prowler.

Annie did not think much of it before her first time pushing the Prowler. “Looking at it, I thought it was going to be no problem. But then, after pushing it once, I was dying. It was terrible. But for results, it’s way better than running on the treadmill.”

The Prowler, a large weighted sled that can be loaded with hundreds of pounds, has earned its infamy at Tirey’s Training. Training with it is deceptively simple – just push, and push hard. But it has the unusual training effect of not really hitting you until you’re done.

“It’s hard. It will kill you, but it’s good,” Scott said.

The Prowler has claimed victims from the hockey team plenty of times too.

“The first time we came in here right after nationals, nobody was prepared for that,” Bruno said. “I think we had guys throwing up. It was just so hard to push. That was definitely the hardest experience ever. I thought I was going to die, to be honest.”

Despite the hardships that the gym causes everyone, it’s not without its rewards. Every week, everyone in the gym gets a little bit stronger, a little bit leaner, and gains a greater appreciation for the exhilaration of struggle.

Kacey Smith, a forward on the ice, is a true

“Looking at it, I thought it was going to be no problem. But then after pushing it once, I was dying.” believer in what he’s learned in the gym.

“For me personally, since I started working out here at the end of the last season, I’ve dropped about 15 or 20 pounds, I’ve been a lot faster on the ice, and there’s more explosion in my stride. I’m quicker on my feet, my shots are harder, and I’ve pretty much gotten total results.”

Tony agreed. “The environment in here is strictly ‘come in and work out.’ Obviously we have fun, but you work out as hard as you possibly can. “­­ And the man behind the gym himself, Luke Tirey, cannot help but be proud of his athletes. It is not just his goal to make his trainees better at what they do now, but to impart upon them the foundations of correct diet and exercise.

“Nowadays, I think everyone is looking for way too much when it comes down to workout out, recovery, diet. As trainers and athletes, we’re trying to simplify things and get back to the basics of becoming better at small things. When we can become better at the small things, the results are so much better.

Try to enhance the things you can improve point-blank, and when you do that, everything else falls into place over time.”

Despite what TV experts say, the trainers and trainees at the gym do not spend hours a week on a treadmill, eat any grains, or buy workout gadgets on infomercials. Everyone at the gym eats a lot of fat and protein and works through squats and deadlifts, and yet somehow they still make radical physique changes.

“We try to make people sufficiently better at the best bang-for-your-buck lifts. We try to simplify diet and nutrition to help our trainees be able to carry it over into a lifestyle, and not just get on a diet for six weeks. Working out with good diet should be a lifestyle, not something you do temporarily.”

PHOTO BY MIKE GIPSON

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BucktheNorm.com/ empowerment The UCO hockey team loosens up before their workout with Luke Tirey in Edmond. The team trains with Tirey by lifting weights, tires and using the “Prowler”, a large weghted sled that can be loaded with hundreds of pounds.

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