The Vista 3-11-11

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Campus Quotes

Women’s History Month

Little Women

Basketball

What do you think about Proposition 1 not passing?

Timeline of famous women who have changed the course of history for women.

Mitchell Hall Theater present ‘Little Women,’ tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball opened LSC tournment in dominating fashion, defeating Angelo State, 76-52

MAR. 3, 2011 uco360.com twitter.com/uco360

THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.

Campus News

State Legislation

By Kory Oswald / Senior Staff Writer On Feb. 24, the Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee unanimously passed SB 529, also known as the Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act. It is a bill designed to increase the penalties for DUI convictions in the state. “By the time somebody is even convicted once of drunk driving, chances are they have driven drunk a lot of times,” Dr. Keith Swezey, professor of mass communication at UCO, said. Swezey is the impetus for the bill and the father of its namesake. Erin Swezey was 20-years-old when she was killed on April 4, 2009. The car she was driving was hit head-on by a drunk driver traveling westbound in the eastbound lane on the John Kilpatrick Turnpike. “Our accident re-constructionists estimates that he was going more than 100 miles per hour at the time of the accident,” Swezey said. “The emotional cost to both families, the financial cost to the families, the financial cost to the state … drunk driving costs the community tremendously … in all sorts of ways.” The drunk driver was a repeat offender who did not have a license, insurance or even a personal car. He was driving a company car from his employer, the Hudiburg Auto Group, at the time of the wreck. After the fatal accident, Swezey and his family started the Erin’s Hope Foundation to honor their daughter’s memory, educate the public on drunk driving and change the law. Under SB 529, first-time offenders will be required to install an ignition interlock device, or Breathalyzer, on their car as well as getting a “brand,” or a stamp, on their license signifying the licensee has had a DUI conviction. The legislation is roughly 27 pages long, according to Swezey, and it modifies existing legislation. Currently there are 13 other states with similar laws that have seen a 40 percent reduction in drunk driving deaths as a direct result.

PHOTO BY GARETT FISBECK

SB 529 requires first-time DUI offenders to install a breathalyzer in their car and get a stamp on their license, signifiying their conviction.

On Feb. 24, the Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee passed SB 529, also known as the Erin Elizabeth Swezy Act. Her father is Dr. Keith Swezey, a UCO mass communication professor, and author of the bill.

Three other states are also considering similar legislation. Now that it passed the committee unanimously, SB 529 will go to the full senate for a vote with a “do pass” recommendation. According to the Center for Disease Control, when ignition interlocks were installed, re-arrest rates decreased by 67 percent, and drivers with the interlocks had fewer alcohol-related crashes than those who had only their license suspended. In spite of these statistics, SB 529 has faced some opposition. The American Beverage Institute (ABI) claims that the bill is a “one-size fits all mandate” that will cost the state $14 million, according to Fox News. ABI is essentially a national lobbying group that represents national restaurant chains, as well as individual restaurants. Current law mandates that drivers pay for the ignition interlocks; however, they are not required until an offender’s third DUI conviction. “I don’t know where they got that figure, they don’t indicate in the release

where they got that figure,” Swezey said. “It’s interesting because … .08 is the legal limit nationwide and [ABI finds] themselves in the curious position of supporting people who break the law. Erin was a sophomore at OSU when she died. She was also a devout Christian that was interested and active in missionary work. The Erin Swezey Foundation plans to provide scholarships for school and missionary work to honor her memory. They foundation will also educate the public on drunk driving through public service announcements and various campaigns. They also plan to continue pursuing legislation that will combat the problem of drunk driving. For more information about Erin’s Hope Foundation, supporters can visit www.erinswezeyact.com. There is also a Facebook page for the legislation, which has had more than 180,000 hits since it was created one week ago. The bill’s progress can be tracked on the legislature’s web site is http://www. lsb.state.ok.us

By Cody Bromley Staff Writer

PHOTO BY GARETT FISBECK

PROFESSOR TAKES ACTION PROP ONE FAILS After weeks of debate and campaigning, the proposition to raise the student activity fee has failed. The voting that concluded Tuesday night included the voices of 2424 students and was decided by only 32 votes. UCOSA president pro-tempore David Jenkins issued a statement through Facebook on Tuesday night regarding the results. UCOSA President Matt “UCOSA is excited to share Blubaugh worked to get more than 2,400 students cast out the vote on Monday. a vote during the Proposition 1 referendum, the largest vote in UCO history. Unfortunately, we are saddened to announce the proposition failed by a mere 32 votes. We feel we fought an incredible fight and are extremely grateful for all who voted. We will remain committed to UCO and will continue to work toward a better, brighter future for our great university.” UCOSA President Matt Blubaugh said that he and UCOSA are very excited about the turnout, but even though they did not get the result they desired, they would not be appealing the decision. On Tuesday, supporters of Proposition One rallied together to add to the last minute vote totals. Supporters gathered at the Max Chambers Library and in Hamilton Field House before polls closed at 7 p.m. Students also got into the spirit by making T-shirts and using sidewalk chalk to share their ideas. The election went smoothly except for some events in housing on Monday night. Students with laptops showed up at Murdaugh Hall and in the Commons Apartments to encourage voting. “We’d heard discussion about how there might dorm storming, so we sent an e-mail to our staff indicating we viewed dorm storming as solicitation,” Josh Overocker, director of housing, said. Housing staff were quick to respond to the incident, and in the case of the Commons Apartments, UCO police were called. “They were trying to solicit a certain vote in this process, and we have a solicitation policy. Our goal is to create a safe a secure home for all of our students, so we viewed solicitation as a way to protect [students],” Overocker said. Overocker has been with the university for almost five and a half years, and this is the animated he’s seen the student body about a vote, and he believes that it is a good thing. Overocker said that as a result of the events which occurred Monday night, housing would review its solicitation policy.

Campus News

TODAY

H 74° L 51°

UCO TO REPRESENT AT SALES COMPETITION By Christie Southern / Staff Writer

TOMORROW H 62° L 38°

More weather at www.uco360.com

DID YOU KNOW? The world’s largest rodent is the capybara.

The 2011 National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) will take place March 4-7 in Atlanta, Georgia. Senior Stephanie Mackay and junior Ryan Jones, both marketing majors, will represent UCO at the NCSC this year. This is the first year for any Broncho students to participate in this national sales event. “This opportunity allows them to put themselves out against some of the best professional sales programs in the country,” marketing professor Robert Kaiser said. The NCSC was inaugurated in 1999, becoming the largest and oldest sales role-play competition in existence. According to its website, the sales competition was instituted for the purpose of “enhancing the practice and professionalism of the sales profession.” Competitors will make sales calls to fictional businesses with corporate partners of the NCSC playing the students’ prospect. During this year’s competition, students will be selling NetSuite CRM+ , an internet customer relationship software product that helps manage business practices productively and more efficiently. The idea is for student to obtain a second appointment or to actually make the sale within the twenty minutes given, Kaiser said. “The goal is to keep the selling situation going.” Mackay and Jones said they have been preparing all year by doing individual sales presentations set

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

WEATHER

Ryan Jones (left) and TJ Looper practice a sales role play in preparation for NCSC.

up by Kaiser. Jones finds his biggest strengths to be with product knowledge. “I like to talk about the product and match its benefits to the customer’s needs,” Jones said. “As far as being outgoing, enthusiastic and bubbly…I have a hard time with that.” Although Jones says an outward personality is not exactly his style, Mackay says that is where her strength lies. “I’m very outgoing and bubbly,” Mackay said, making her very well in touch with that side of the selling aspect. The pair hopes to make it through a couple of rounds at the competition.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking…everybody’s watching you,” Jones admits, but he hopes to be a little more relaxed going into it. The competition will be a tournament-style format which includes a wildcard and elimination rounds for advancement. Contestants will be evaluated on their approach and rapport, needs identification, presentation, handling of objections, closing and communication skills. The focus is on the sales skills exhibited rather than the outcome of the call itself. Companies sponsoring the event include Liberty Mutual, State Farm, NetSuite, Verizon, McAfee, Aflac, FedEx, Paycom, and Groupon. However, the benefits are not just for students. This event is a way for these corporations to scout the top collegiate sales talent from around North America. “The reason they are paying all the money to support this thing is because they are getting the best trained professional sale students in the U.S. at this competition,” Kaiser said. Some of the participating universities are Florida State University--whose student won first place during last year’s competition--Baylor University, Colorado State, Texas State University, University of Houston, and William Patterson University. A total of sixty one universities and 130 students will participate during the NCSC. The sales competition is followed by a career fair

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