The Vista Sept. 1, 2011

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THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.

State

BLAZE RIPS THROUGH NORTH OKC

By Trevor Hultner / Staff Writer A series of large fires sprang up in northeast Oklahoma City Tuesday afternoon, engulfing structures and threatening homes in a 12mile area near the intersection of Britton Road and Air Depot Boulevard. Firefighters spent Wednesday checking on hot spots and making sure flare-ups were contained.

Officials say they have not found an official cause for the blaze.

“It’s currently under investigation,” Oklahoma City Fire Department Chief Keith Bryant said. “We had our fire investigators out yesterday afternoon and through the evening, and they were conducting interviews with some of the residents out here in this area to see if they could get any information, but right now we don’t have an exact cause determined.”

Firefighters worked to get the blaze under control through Tuesday night and all of Wednesday. Bryant said the department was concerned with weather conditions throughout the effort.

“It’s still under control, but we have to watch the conditions today, because they’re going to be just like they were yesterday with the high winds,” Bryant said. “We’re absolutely concerned about conditions today, but we believe we have the resources out here to deal with the situation properly.”

Residents in the area prepared for the potential of an oncoming inferno in different ways. Some, like David Beren Richard of the Apple Valley subdivision, doused their roofs with water just in case.

“We’re out of the yellow zone so we’re definitely alright,” Richard said, hose in hand.

Other residents had spotters near the line of fire.

“We work for Kimray Inc., an oil and natural gas production company,” Jason Andrews said. “And our CEO’s house is two miles that way up by Memorial, so we’re just keeping tabs on how close it’s getting to him.”

“We’ve brought a bunch of shovels and different things, so they’re there ready to fight it that way,” Kimray worker and UCO alum Kyle Bowler said.

Some of the onlookers who had gathered near Britton Road were putting up people who had been inside the evacuation zone.

“We haven’t evacuated yet,” Gary Egger, from Shadow Ridge, said. “Jim [a friend who was being interviewed by NewsChannel 4]’s evacuated, he moved up to our house and we’ve just been sitting up there watching the TV, and thought we would come down here

A helicopter flies in water during a fire in Northeast Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

and see whether his house was going to be okay or not.”

The American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma has already begun operations in the affected areas.

“We actually have had around 20 volunteers out, both yesterday, last night and today,” Mary Jane Coffman, manager of Disaster Services with the Red Cross, said. “We’ve got teams that are helping support the first responders – the firefighters, police and EMSA – that are out there fighting the fires, we’ve taken them meals, snacks and water and Gatorade, that kind of thing out there for them.”

The Red Cross has also set up a temporary shelter in Forest Park for victims of the fire as well as people who were not able to get back to their homes in the evacuation zone.

Photos continued on page 5

A firefighter stops to get a drink of water during a fire in northeast Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

Campus Organizations

WEATHER TODAY

H 105° L 77°

VSLC PLANNING A YEAR OF SERVICE

TOMORROW H 103° L 76°

More weather at www.uco360.com

DID YOU KNOW? By comparison, the Egyptian pyramids were as old to the ancient Romans as the Collosseum is to the present.

Luke Glazener, a junior chemistry major and student worker for the VSLC, shows bags in room 103 of the University Center, Friday, that were painted by volunteers at Broncho Difference, which took place Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011. The bags will be donated to charities.

Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

By Trevor Hultner / Staff Writer UCO’s Volunteer Service Learning Center (VSLC) organizes service projects and events around serving the local community. The Vista caught up with VSLC Assistant Director Brandt Smith to see what they have planned for this year.

The Vista: What do you guys have going on in the coming weeks and months?

Smith: We just finished with Broncho Difference, which is our kick-off service project. What we did this year was something called “Love Luggage Project,” where we held a community-wide luggage drive, where people brought all these bags and stuff to the University Center, as well as about 120 or so pieces of suitcase luggage. Students painted those and decorated them in order to be given to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, in order to be given out to foster kids.

On the ninth of September, we have the 9/11 service project. We’re not doing it on 9/11, because that’s on a Sunday; many students won’t be here or won’t be available. What we’re doing with that is we’re planting American flags out around Broncho Lake to commemorate those who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks, and we also take students around to 20 or so fire departments and they prepare a meal for the firefighters there. And then, after that Poverty Awareness Week is next. [Poverty Awareness Week] is going to be on the week of October 9.

The Vista: And that is the week in which everybody goes out in boxes?

Smith: Yes. Poverty Awareness Week includes Shack-A-Thon, where students simulate poverty

in order to build awareness that not everyone gets to live at the standard that we as college students get to.

The Vista: And what else goes on during Poverty Awareness Week?

Smith: This year we are going to be including a poverty luncheon, where students pay a dollar for a meal, and they will choose out of a hat or a bowl, and they find out what “class” they get to eat as.

So it will range from a meal of, like filet mignon, or a steak, or ribs or something, down to sharing a bowl of rice with someone else to experience that; again, not everyone gets to live at the same level as we do. We’ll hopefully also have a presentation from an organization called 1.4 Billion Reasons.

They came at the beginning of summer and gave a presentation about their mission: bringing awareness to extreme poverty. Hopefully they’ll join us, and that’s all I can think of as a part of that.

To get involved with any of the VSLC’s upcoming events stop by their office on the third floor of the Nigh University Center across from the bookstore, next to the Greek Life office.

OPINION

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SEP. 1, 2011

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

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.

Do you think grocery and convenience stores should be able to sell wine, strong beer, and malt liquor?

CHELSEA BATEMAN

NADIA FINLEY

EVAN MARKS

Marriage and Family - Junior

Business and Art- Sophomore

English Education- Freshman

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

Cody Bromley, Editor-In-Chief Christie Southern, Managing Editor Brittany Dalton, Copy Editor Trey Hunter, Sports Editor

Samantha Maloy, Senior Staff Writer Chantal Robatteux, Senior Staff Writer Ben Luschen, Staff Writer Chris Howell, Staff Writer Josh Hutton, Staff Writer Trevor Hultner, Staff Writer Bryan Trude, Staff Writer

Graphic Design Anthony Murray

Advertising Kylee Turner

Photography

Circulation

Garett Fisbeck, Photo Editor Liz Boyer

Troy Fisbeck

Adviser Mr. Teddy Burch

“Yes, I don’t see a reason not too.”

“Probably, It’s easier to beer run convenience or grocery stores which would give younger kids a better incentive to do so.”

“Yes, since we are the only state that doesn’t anyway.”

FREAYA COSHY

MICAH ESAU

TRAVIS BELLARD

Psychology - Junior

Music Vocal Performance- Sophomore

Forensics/Accounting- Senior

Editorial Comic Evan Oldham

Editorial

THE HARD BUSINESS ETHICS OF BOOZE

By Cody Bromley / Editor-In-Chief It sounds like any other news story you see in the business section of The Oklahoman. Warehouse shopping chain Costco wants to build 16 stores in Oklahoma, with a catch. A catch that has proved to be an unwinnable battle for Oklahoma liquor store owners for years.

Costco is the number one seller of premium wine in the country, and with coming to Oklahoma they’re not about to change their business model. The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has sided with the retailer for now, and is working to try and get changes to the state’s liquor statutes on the ballot for voters next year.

Historically, the argument against opening some of the states 80-plus statutes that affect the sale of alcoholic products is that easing the sale of it would make it easier for people to not only be irresponsible behind the wheel, but also make it easier for minors to get their hands on alcohol.a This battle is sure to be a tough one, especially when at stake is jobs, jobs, jobs. The new Costco stores would bring with them up to 200 jobs each. But with six to 10 proposed stores is 1,200 to 2,000 new full or part-time jobs worth compromising our so called “community standards?”

The ABLE Commission, who is tasked with overseeing and enforcing the state’s liquor laws, would be charged with keeping up with 2,200 more liquor operations with the addition of grocery and convenience stores selling higher point alcoholic products. This is on top of the fact that the agency’s budget has been shrinking by 20 percent in the last two years and its staff has been cut almost in half.

If these changes move forward and appear on the ballot next November, then we will not have anything to complain about.

But if the state legislature gets involved and passes a law on their own accord, expect the prudence police to make a huge fuss.

Changing these statutes on principle or public opinion is one thing, but changing it because it now makes sense from a business perspective is not the Oklahoma I know and not the character of its citizens.

Should it come to a vote next fall, it could be headed for failure. Soonerpoll.com surveyed 587 likely voters and 61% of respondents said they did not think the law should be changed to allow the sale of wine, strong beer and malt liquor (such as Colt 45, Mad Dog 20-20 and Four Loko).

For now, Oklahoma will stay one of five states that does not sell higher point alcoholic beverages in conviences stores, and be one of 16 that does not sell wine in grocery stores.

“No because younger kids would have easier access to steal, and we would have an unsafe world.”

“No, not really because liquor stores close at 9 p.m. and convenient and grocery stores stay open later. It would allow people access to higher point alcohol late into the night.”

“I believe yes just because we’re pretty much the only state that doesn’t anyway. It would reduce more binge drinking due to trying to drink more lower point alcohol.”

By Evan Oldham / Cartoonist

NEWS

SEP. 1, 2011 Opinion

Immigration

ALABAMA LEGISLATORS AIMING TO TOUGHEN STATE IMMIGRATION LAWS

Hispanic protestors pray outside the federal courthouse during an all-day hearing over efforts to persuade a federal judge to block Alabama’s immigration law in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/ The Birmingham News, Mark Almond)

By Ben Luschen / Staff Writer Since April 2010, when Arizona first began grabbing headlines over controversial illegal immigration laws, more states have been adopting similar measures. Though the laws of this nature are intended to discourage illegal immigrants from entering the borders of these states, many churches are claiming that such laws are infringing upon their religious liberties.

In Alabama, a group of churches, including the United Methodist, Episcopal and Catholic denominations, have sued the state over recently passed immigration laws which many are calling the toughest ever.

In an interview with CNN, Alabama state Representative John Merrill, said that the laws are not meant to discriminate against any group. “[The legislation] was prepared in such a way that it would accommodate all the needs of all the people we’re trying to reach, not in a discriminatory fashion,” Merrill said. “The intent of the legislation is to provide equal opportunity to all people who are trying to come to Alabama legally and to meet the needs that each and every one of those individuals have, and that’s not asking too much.”

On August 30, U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Blackburn ruled to temporarily block the implementation of the new laws until September 28. Judge Blackburn has not yet reached a decision on whether she will rule in favor or against the laws, saying she needs more time to decide if the measures are constitutional.

After Blackburn’s ruling, Alabama

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Governor Robert Bentley released a statement saying he is still committed to fighting for the law.

The law has provisions that would make it illegal to knowingly assist, rent to, transport or even contact an illegal immigrant. According to many, including Linda Clark, a social worker for the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Oklahoma City, this is something that goes against the vision of the church.

“We uphold the right of a person to immigrate to a new country if their country of origin is unsafe or cannot provide the means to make a living,” Clark said.

The Oklahoma First United Methodist Church, unlike some Alabama denominations and several Oklahoma Catholic churches, is still establishing its own view on the subject of immigration. According to the director of communications for the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church, Dr. Joseph Harris, a church’s opinion on the ztive.

“You know, we’ve had our own immigration issues here, and our churches have been on really both sides of the issue depending on the community and where, but as a denomination it will depend more on how it might affect the people we’re trying to minister to,” Harris said.

The actions taken by religious institutions in Alabama are nothing new. Three years ago, a group of several churches, including St. Charles Borromeo, and non-profits across the Oklahoma City metro area formed a coalition known as the Oklahoma Sponsoring Committee.

Since its inception, the committee has fought for several causes, including what

they believe are “local abuses of the immigrant community.”

“This past legislative session, when a number of harsh immigration bills were introduced and began making their way through the state houses, many of our members spoke out against becoming another Arizona,” Clark said.

Still, there are some like Dr. Harris, who are not as worried about legislation passed outside of the church.

“I won’t say we pay little attention to what the secular law does, but it doesn’t stop us from doing our mission; that is to serve all people, including immigrants, so whether the law changes or not, we’ll continue to have our ministry through our churches to those who are from here and not from here,” Harris said.

Dr. Harris said the United Methodist Church would meet in a conference next year in Florida to, among other things, try to establish an official denominational policy on the issue.

In the meantime, Dr. Harris instructs those interested in how the church should conduct itself when facing these issues to consult the Book of Discipline and the Book of Resolution: books put out by the United Methodist Church in order to make the church’s social principles known and to help church’s reach a best course of action when facing several issues. Still, these books are not always the final word. “[The books] give us some guidelines on some things that have to do with immigrants; but really, no one is bound to it and its up to each individual church on how to do its outreach to the immigrant community,” Harris said.

During an interview with Birmingham radio station WAPI, Alabama state Senator Scott Beason, a supporter of the Alabama immigration laws, denied the opposition’s claims that the bill will infringe on religious freedoms.

“You can’t do things to help people remain in the state illegally,” Beason said.

“And that’s a little different than going out and picking some kids up for vacation Bible school.”

While both sides will continue to fight over the validity of the laws in the federal court system for perhaps months to come, some are questioning the timing of such a debate.

“We are a nation of immigrants,” Clark said. “These people are hard working people trying to feed their families. Our political energy should be on encouraging Washington to fix a deeply flawed system rather than targeting a poor and desperate people.”

Social Media

‘LIKE’ YOUR WAY TO BETTER HEALTH The federal Department of Health and Human Services is challenging web developers to create a Facebook app that makes health information social.

By Josh Hutton / Staff Writer After the recent surge of natural disasters, the East Coast quakes and Hurricane Irene, many Americans are turning to their smartphones before turning on their televisions. The growing trend has led the federal department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to rethink their approach to response in times of crisis.

The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a division of HHS, has issued a contest to create the Lifeline Facebook App Challenge. App developers have been asked to create a service to help citizens prepare and protect each other in a time of emergency.

“For this challenge we are calling all developers, entrepreneurs, social networking fanatics, and public health and emergency response communities to develop a dynamic Facebook application that identifies and connects friends on Facebook who are willing to be ‘lifelines’,” a spokesperson from ASPR, said.

A “lifeline” is a Facebook friend who agrees to contact a fellow friend in the wake of an emergency. After the extensive coverage of earthquakes in Haiti and Japan through social networking, ASPR hopes to hone the effectiveness.

Four requirements have been established for developers to incorporate. The first condition networks “lifelines” to at least three peers. Once a person accepts “lifeline” status, they must be credited on the requestor’s profile page. Secondly, the user will have the option to complete an abridged version of the HHS emergency preparedness plan. The third aspect asks users to share their preparedness plans with their “lifelines.”

Lastly, HHS wants contestants to incorporate a badge system or a similar promotional system to create awareness.

“We’re challenging our country’s most innovative developers to create apps that help people use Facebook not only to reach

out to friends and family for any kind of help they may need after emergency but also to become better prepared in the first place,” assistant secretary Nicole Lurie said.

A limited number of stipulations prevent certain citizens from participating.

“Federal employees, federal contractors, and recipients of federal grants may not participate in the challenge using time paid by federal funds. Winners must be U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. residents or businesses incorporated in and maintaining their primary place of business in the United States,” Lurie said.

Caroline Klimek, a sophomore computer science major at UCO, is contemplating whether or not to enter.

“I’m from Omaha originally, and I have helped my parents create an app for their Italian restaurant,” Klimek said. “I am looking for a few tech-savvy friends to help me enter, since I’ve only created one app, but I could really use that prize money.

I mean who couldn’t?”

The individual or development group who win the contest will receive $10,000 from HHS and a free trip to the 2012 Health 2.0 conference. Second place will receive $5,000 and third will be awarded $1,000. Judges from ASPR, FEMA, the New Orleans Health Commissioner, and Facebook will evaluate submissions.

“I have a lot friends that don’t like an app directly connected with the federal government. I myself didn’t like the idea at first, but it seems to me as look as users remain private on their profiles, the app does more good than harm,” Klimek said.

The Lifeline Facebook Application Challenge runs from Sept. 1 to Nov. 4, 2011. The winning application will see their design utilized within two weeks of the deadline.

Interested parties may register at challenge.gov/challenges/220.

Out of Context By Brittany Dalton Away with the Niceties Rebecca Black has faded into the background of Americans’ collective consciousness, but a new trend is sweeping the blogging world: confessions blogs.

With only a cursory Google search, you too can have the pleasure of reading such hidden gems.

“I secretly ship Dramione!” one boldly asserts, while more serious blogs boast confessions along the lines of, “I moved away to college this year and haven’t made any new friends.”

To the anonymous college poster, whom I’ll address as Lonely at Loyola, welcome to college! For too many of us, college is just an endless loop of the same meet-and-greet nonsense you thought you’d escaped with graduation. Rest assured that in every class you attend from now until you grip that diploma, you will be forced to regurgitate your name, major, class and interesting fact about self.

Does anyone else find that construct absurd?

Personally, I find it laughable, as though the fact you are a kinesiology major or that your favorite color is purple will make us automatic BFFs. Although I cannot be unique in saying this, I think the concept is a waste of time and an unnecessary burden on those of us not socially inclined. I confess that I am no more likely to be your friend based merely on the fact that our mutual favorite color is yellow.

More of an introvert myself, I find these first few days the worst in school, the sting of which has not lessened in the past three years. The confusing syllabi I can handle, and I can even deal with annoyingly over-eager lab partners. But when the dreaded “tell us about yourself” spiel spills from the tenured professor’s lips, I break out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, I am gripped with the inexplicable urge to run to the nearest restroom, stomach churning and palms sweating.

Having sought refuge in the form of a seat nearest the door, my heart hammers in my chest as the student in front of me ambles to the front of the classroom. My ears ring as they explain their preference for Dalmatian puppies and the color pink, drowning out their last thoughts and major.

The lights in the room spot in my eyes as they walk entirely too quickly back to their seat. As I shakily stand, the foremost thought in my mind is that I will trip, god willing, as I approach the front of the class.

At that point in time, that would be the most welcome release of all, since at the very least I would avoid the redundancy of sharing word-for-word the same fact I shared in my three previous classes.

I vote that we do away with the niceties, if for no other reason than the paralyzing terror it instills in the socially inept of us all. I say with no shame whatsoever that one of the happiest realizations that comes with my senior year is that I will no more be subjected to the worst punishment for socially awkward, bad puntelling me.

But for those of you who have miles yet to go, and many more classes ahead in your time here, I’ll give you some advice. Don’t be surprised if no one leaps to their feat joyfully when you assert your status as a “just-declared History Education” major. Size up your professor in each class, because some professors will seek out the huddled, terrified souls who seek refuge in the seats nearest the back wall.

Lastly, it’s highly unlikely any student before you will trip. But just to be safe, heels might be a poor choice. From past experience I’ve found heels are impossible to walk in when your knees are knocking together in terror.

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NEWS

SEP. 1, 2011

Campus Event

ANCIENT TRADITION HITS TENTH YEAR AT UCO

By Danniel Parker / Contributing Writer Dragons are coming to dance across campus with their descendants to pay tribute to the woman in the moon.

That sentence might sound like whispers snatched from a lucid dream, but it’s just the climax of UCO’s 10th Annual Asian Moon Festival, brought to you by the Asian Student Association (ASA).

Serpents will start strutting their scales across the fields of Plunkett Park on Sept. 9th at 6:00 p.m.

The Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival, also known as the Lantern or Moon Cake Festival, is an ancient Taoist tradition dating back five thousand years, when the woman on the moon was worshipped as an immortal solar deity whose love brought a plentiful bounty of crops to villagers.

To celebrate Chang’e, the woman in the moon, many East Asians bake moon cakes as a culinary salute. Moon cakes are pieces of edible art, their crusts meticulously shaped into floral patterns and Chinese characters bearing good omens like “peace” to the eater.

Though eating cake is part of UCO’s Asian Moon Festival, Kim Thai, the vice president of the Asian Student Association, said it holds a different personal meaning for her.

“To me this festival welcomes the start of a new school year,” Thai said. “We want to educate our campus and community about our cultures passed down traditions.”

New this year is the addition of a lantern

contest. Students from across the metro, from preschoolers to post-grads, are handcrafting colorful paper lanterns and entering into the contest.

“We highly encourage students to design their own lanterns creatively,” Thai said.

Artists interested in submitting lanterns must bring them to the judging table by 7:30 p.m. on the eve of the festival.

“Asian culture represents many nationalities and all should be represented there. We hope the entertainment scheduled will cater to everyone attending,” Thai said.

President of ASA, Tue “Tommy” Dinh, gave The Vista the entertainment agenda.

Representing Filipinos is Rebecca Blaskie, the reigning Miss Asian Oklahoma. Blaskie is scheduled to dance onstage; Linh Thai, the Vietnamese Miss Asian UCO will sing; and a Lao troupe of line-dancers will perform as well, Dinh said.

MeShawn Conley is the director of UCO’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The entertainers, whose families hail from different This year’s Asian Moon Festival will take place Sept. 9 at Plunkett Park. Photo Provided nations, help symbolize her view of what the worker girl named Chang’e. The emperor told Dinh said.

Asian Moon Festival represents. the prince that he would be allowed to marry “One day Chang’e was going through her “In celebrating diversity you need to cel- her, but only if he could shoot nine suns out husband’s belongings, and when the prince ebrate everyone’s individual culture. When of the sky with his bow and arrow, Dinh said. came home he almost caught her snooping. you try to lump everyone together into one So the prince pulled back his drawstring, To hide that she was snooping, she swallowed big culture, it’s not celebrating anyone’s indi- took aim and let the arrows fly until all but the pill and floated up to the moon,” Dinh viduality,” Conley said. one of the orbs of molten light fell from the said.

But Tommy Dinh said the true story behind horizon.

And she stays there exiled for eternity lookthe festival is something far wilder.

“To congratulate him, the Emperor gave the ing down from the night sky. And her love is Prince Houyi fell in love with a beautiful prince a magic pill that allowed him to fly,” what brings the harvest.

Grant

PREVENTION PROGRAM FOCUSING NEW FUNDS ON ATHLETES

By Brittany Dalton / Copy Editor Student athletes, an integral part of the campus community, often face the same trials and temptations as their peers. In August, UCO received a $30,000 grant toward an organization on campus aiming to assist and prevent in these trials.

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention

(ADAP) office on campus provides services for students impacted by substance abuse problems.

“We provide direct services for students, as well as individual therapy,” Tamara Reeves, project director for the ADAP office, said. The office also provides working positions for students in the Counseling Center, where they can gain experience while providing preven-

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tion treatments.

“None of the things we implement would be possible without this grant,” Reeves said.

“We’ve implemented part already; students have been chosen for the positions and started working.”

The ADAP office, according to Reeves, is largely funded by grants. As project director, Reeves explains that her job includes project development as well as evaluation, research and grant writing.

“We began working on this in fall of 2010,” Reeves said. “The focus in this is on athletics and building a stronger campus community.”

The grant was submitted in February of this year, and awarded in April. Reeves said there are a few programs the offices hope to implement to help students.

“The program follows the specifications outlined by the NCAA, which is the governing body for student athletics,” she said. “We also hope to add programs that would provide alternate events to go to after games. These would be alcohol-free events, a better option for those attending.”

The office also will provide an online education program aimed at relevant information for student athletes.

Reeves noted that the offices currently provide services to a full load of students. Approximately half of those receiving help, are as a result of disciplinary infractions occurring

around the community.

The ADAP office, in addition to providing preventative strategies for students to follow, also supports students currently in recovery due to alcohol or drug-related problems. Additionally, they refer those seeking help to resources both on-campus and in the local community. At times aiding faculty members who might be concerned about a particular student, the offices are always there to help students who ask for it.

In fact, these services, according to Reeves, are only a phone call away. “All [the students] need to do is call or come on by,” she said.

Reeves explains that this is another means in which the offices hope to effectively help all students who need it.

“These are athletes, but students first,” Reeves said.

Located on the fourth floor of the Nigh University Center, the ADAP office offers support for students seeking recovery or help cutting down on alcohol and drug use.

The ADAP office also offers support groups, self assessments and consultation. Their hours are 8-5 Monday through Friday.

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Andrew Ross Sorkin, author of “Too Big to Fail,” speaks to students about the U.S. financial crisis at Constitution Hall, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011. Sorkin is currently a financial journalist for the New York Times and a co-host of “Squawk Box” on CNBC. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

NEWS

SEP. 1, 2011

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Continued from page 1

BLAZE

A helicopter drops water on the affected areas during a fire in Northeast Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011. Photos by Garett FIsbeck, The Vista

Motorists drive down Hefner Road to watch clouds of smoke roll into the sky during a fire in Northeast Oklahoma City, Tuesday.

David Beren Richard of the Apple Valley housing edition spays his home with water to protect it from flames.

A helicopter drops water on the affected areas of a fire that burned in Oklahoma City, Tuesday.

Firefighters stop to refill water tanks during a fire that burned in northeast Oklahoma City, Tuesday.

Academics

Christopher Egger (left), 3, dad Gary and brother Matthew, 9, stand at the corner of Air Depot and Britton to watch smoke billow on the horizon.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED, AWARDED

By Samantha Maloy / Senior Staff Writer Three UCO students were recently awarded top recognition for excellence in academics for the 2010-2011 school year. Kyle Bates, Danny Buchanan and Tuong Vi Ngo all maintained a high GPA while carrying large credit hour loads.

Bates, a chemistry-health sciences major and Ngo, an accounting major, won the UCO Freshman Scholastic awards. Buchanan, a philosophy major, was the recipient of the upperclassman University Scholastic Award.

Adam Johnson is the associate vice president/registrar, and it is his office that assesses

who is eligible for the scholastic awards.

“For the upperclassman award, [students must have completed] an average of not less than 16 hours each semester and a completed total of 37 semester hours,” Johnson said.

The requirements for the freshman award are similar to that of the upperclassman award, he added.

Johnson’s office then examines the students who met all of the requirements, and award those with the highest GPA and largest credit hour load. Only three students receive such an award each year.

Bates, who completed a total of 32 credit hours his freshman year, discussed what it

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was like to find out he had been selected for the award.

“Whenever I first received the letter in the mail informing me that I was selected to be the recipient of the 2010-2011 Freshman Scholastic Award, I was shocked to say the least,” he said. “It was a completely unexpected award and scholarship, mainly because up until I opened the letter telling me that I had been selected for the award, I had known nothing about it.”

Tuition waivers are not awarded every year to the recipients of the scholastic award, but this year funds were available to reward the three students.

Calling all Bronchos!

Do you have any health questions that you just can’t get answers too? Are you finding it hard to find a way to manage class with your social life with everything else and need some guidance? Or how about you’re trying to lose- or prevent from gaining- that Freshmen 15, and you don’t know what are good food choices on campus, or who to ask? Or maybe you’re from another city/country, and are having some troubles figuring out the customs of UCO/Oklahoma, and don’t know who to turn to for some help?

Well, look no further then right here! “Ask A Peer Health Leader” is a monthly column hosted by The Vista and answered by us, UCO’s own Peer Health Leaders. What is a Peer Health Leader? We’re UCO students who have specialized training in health education and wellness, and who have a strong desire to make a difference on campus. As UCO’s Peer Health Leaders, we are responsible, enthusiastic, and dedi-

“I have been diligently working hard to keep the grades that I have in all of my classes, and plan to keep the same grades that I achieved throughout my first year at UCO for my many semesters to come,” Bates continued. “Again, I am honored to have been selected as the Freshman Scholastic Award recipient and would like to thank everyone working in Academic Affairs for the recognition.”

The complete details of the scholastic awards can be found online at uco.edu in the undergraduate catalogue.

cated student leaders who are here to help you, and the UCO student body, in any way we can. If you want to find out more about us, visit our website: http://administration.uco.edu/ucowc/hs/pe/index.php “Ask A Peer Health Leader” is an anonymous column, where students can email questions, incidents, or problems, and find the answers. We’ll print each problem with the answer beginning of each month in The Vista. Don’t worry, this column is strictly anonymous; no names, addresses, or any give aways will be printed for your privacy!

This column is for you, Broncos, so feel free to write any and all of your health, personal, nutritional, or any other questions down and send to this email address: plusche@uco.edu. We’ll be sure to assign the right Peer Health Leader to answer your question in its entirety!

So get writing UCO! We can’t wait to hear from you!

Healthy Living!

- Peer Health Leaders

6

CLASSIFIED

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

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BY MAIL TO 3705 WEST MEMORIAL ROAD, Help Wanted SUITE 310, OKC, OK 73134 IF YOU WOULD Part-time jobs. Senior LIKE TO DISCUSS THE Services of Oklahoma is OPT OPPORTUNITIES. looking for students to fill part-time positions Monday-Friday. We pay Help Wanted $10/hour for energetic phone work. No experiBest Feet Forward in ence is needed, we will train. Business is located North OKC and in Yuat 1417 N.W. 150th St. in kon now accepting ap- Across Edmond. Call 879-1888 plications for part-time to set up interview. Ask employment. 15-20 hrs/ wk, evenings and Sat. No 1. Blood vessel obfor Megan Parris. retail experience neces- structions sary. Call 608-0404.

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PENDABLE, TRUSTcontinental landmasse WORTHY, DO QUAL- Looking for conscien- 47. Chinese dynasty 39. Involving the posiITY WORK. CALL tious workers. Part-time 48. Parkinson’s treatCONNIE-641-0712. servers, bussers, & bar- ment tion of the body tenders. No experience 40. Gives more money 52. Judge necessary. than is due 54. ___ tide Help Wanted 41. Disappeared 57. Almond 42. Formally surrende 58. Brushed upward Part-time receptionist FUN FACTS 60. Appear, with “up” 46. Drops on blades Great college job. Ap49. Organ stop prox. 27 hrs/week. Ken62. What “it” plays nedy Tire and Auto Ser50. Loquacious talker 63. “Go team!” vice at 530 W. Edmond The Latin phrase “libra 51. Plumber’s snakes Road. 341-8767. Drop in pondo” was used in an- 64. Hairlip (2 wd) 53. Odd-numbered pg and apply today! cient Rome to indicate 67. Affirmative vote weight, which is why to- 68. Hawaiian tuber 55. Appropriate day the abbreviation for 56. “Big ___” (Notori69. Wading bird “pound” is “lb.” ous B.I.G. hit) Edmond Wine SCUBA is not a word. 70. “Acid” (acronym) 59. Agenda 71. Black stone Shop It is an acronym for “Self 72. Silver coins of 61. Buddies contained under water Hiring for multiple PT 65. Vixen Turkey and FT customer ser- breathing apparatus.”

66. Chop (off) vice positions. Cashiers and stock workers are needed. Must be 21. Applicants are expected to lift up to 50lbs. and must be able to stand for long periods of time. Health insurance and vacation time are available to employees who meet company requirements. We offer paid training and flexible schedules that cater to busy college students. Please apply in person: 1520 S. Boulevard.”

Oddly enough, the very first high heels were made for soldiers in the 1500s who needed a way to keep their feet snugly tucked into their stirrups while riding on horseback.

A cricket’s ears aren’t located on its head, but just above the knee on its front legs.

Valium is an all-natural chemical. In fact, trace amounts can be found in wheat and potatoes.

SUDOKU Puzzle 1 (Very hard, difficulty rating 0.82)

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AUG 30 CROSSWORD ANSWERS

1

SPORTS

SEP. 1, 2011

7

Football

TERRY BOWDEN FINDS HOME AT UNA

By Trey Hunter / Sports Editor The life of a college football coach has its ups, and it definitely has its downs.

There are coaches who have success immediately, and there are coaches who aren’t even given a chance to succeed. There are guys who are given the job of their lives and have the keys taken away shortly after arriving on campus. There are also guys who can lose and lose and lose yet they are still given chance after chance to right the ship.

Then there is Terry Bowden.

Bowden has been through it all. He has experienced the ups and the downs. He has won, and he has lost. He has coached in the ranks of Division III and he has coached against the nation’s toughest competition in the Southeastern Conference. He even called games for ESPN for nearly 10 years.

If you’re looking for Bowden now, however, you won’t wfind him in the booth and you won’t find him in the SEC. You won’t find him on the Florida State campus where he was a graduate assistant under his dad Bobby either. You will find him in the northern part of Alabama coaching one of the nations premier Division II teams, North Alabama University.

“I came to North Alabama because I wanted to get back into the coaching game,” Bowden said. “When I arrived, I wasn’t a hot young coordinator like most guys who get head coach-

ing jobs. I had been out of coaching for 10 years and it was just an itch I had to scratch.”

When former West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez left the Mountaineers to take the University of Michigan head coach position, Bowden thought there was a chance he could land at his former school. However, the Mountaineers decided to hire long time coordinator Bill Stewart as their coach and Bowden decided to stay in the booth.

ESPN broadcasted a game from Florence, where UNA is located, and fate seemed to take advantage of the situation.

“I was doing a game in Florence when I was asked to interview for the job here at UNA,” Bowden said. “I decided it wouldn’t be such a bad idea and pulled the trigger. Once our former coach, Mark Hudspeth decided to leave, they hired me and that was that.”

Bowden was named the head coach at UNA on January 1, 2009, and had finally made it back to the profession that created his football success. After taking over, he quickly jumped back into what he knew best. The Lions went 11-2 in his first season and went 9-4 in 2010.

He now has the program at an elite status and the program will soon move into the Division I ranks.

“Florence is a beautiful place,” Bowden said. “One of my favorite pastimes is fishing, and believe me, there is plenty of fish to be caught here in North Alabama. I can’t picture

Former Auburn University head coach Terry Bowden took over the UNA program on Jan. 1, 2009. Bowden is the son of former Florida St. coach Bobby Bowden. Photo provided.

myself anywhere else right now, but the business end of football always seems to stick its head in at sometime.”

The Lions are ranked as high as sixth in the D-II preseason polls and are considered one of the favorites to capture the D-II championship, which is played at their home field.

They open the 2011 season against the University of Central Oklahoma on Sept. 1 in Florence, Ala. “Football is what my family knows best and hopefully I can teach everything I have learned from my dad and brothers to my team. It’s going to be an exciting year.”

Central Men’s Golf

VISTA Q&A: MEN’S GOLF COACH PAT BATES The Vista recently sat down with new UCO men’s golf coach Pat Bates, whose wife Kristie is the daughter of former PGA Tour golfer Doug Tewell, to get to know the man behind the clubs.

Vista: Coke or Pepsi?

Bates: Pepsi. I just played with some guys who own a Pepsi bottling company out in the northwest.

Vista: What would you describe as your perfect Sunday?

Bates: Going to a great church service, watching football and hanging out with my family.

Vista: What is your favorite football team?

Bates: The Green Bay Packers.

Vista: What is your favorite food?

Bates: Stuffed shells. I’m half-Italian, so stuffed shells with Ricotta cheese.

Vista: If you couldn’t have anything to do with golf anymore, what would you do?

Bates: I would probably go into ministry.

Vista: If you were stuck on a deserted island, and you could have three things with you that couldn’t get you off the island, what would you bring with you and why?

Bates: Can I bring my family?

Vista: They aren’t really a thing, so no.

Bates: Well, then I would bring my Bible, so I could stay connected to God. I would also bring a comfortable bed to sleep in and a barbecue grill to cook fish on.

Vista: What is your favorite book?

Bates: I don’t really have a favorite book

other than my Bible.

Vista: What is the most inspirational quote you’ve heard, and who said it?

Bates: “Champions are not born, they are developed.” –Vince Lombardi Vista: Pets?

Bates: We have a dog, Buddy. He’s a boxer/ beagle mix.

Vista: If you could change one thing about Buddy, what would it be?

Bates: I would make him less scared of me, that he wouldn’t run away from me sometimes.

Vista: If you could choose when and how

you died, what would you die doing?

Bates: It would be while I was helping somebody, or spending time with a loved one.

Vista: What would you want your epitaph to say?

Bates: Loved God, loved people, faithful husband.

Vista: If you could go out today and play a round of 18 with any person in human history, who would it be?

Bates: Ben Hogan. He’s been very inspirational in the fundamentals of the golf swing to me. He’s somebody who wasn’t a very accomplished player when he was younger but he developed, worked hard and studied and really developed the modern fundamentals of the game.

Central Men’s Golf

Central Volleyball

UCO HIRES PAT BATES AS NEW GOLF COACH

VOLLEYBALL STARTS SEASON

By Bryan Trude / Sports Writer The UCO Men’s Golf team filled their vacancy at head coach with the hiring of Pat Bates, director of instruction at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City, on Aug. 24.

Bates takes over a team that has gone without a coach since the resignation of former coach Dax Johnston in May, just prior to the NCAA National Championships. The then second-ranked Bronchos lost in the quarterfinals to Central Missouri, coached on an interim basis by women’s coach Michael Bond.

“This is a good opportunity for both myself and the students,” Bates said. “I will continue to teach at Gaillardia and we can get our students to play out there a bit. I know that the golf program was winning a lot of tournaments last year and that UCO had a very strong team,” Bates said. “UCO had a very strong year last year.”

Bates, whose 17-year professional golf career includes five wins on the Nationwide tour and a four-year PGA career, including a tie for fifth at the 2003 Bank of America Colonial.

“It was a dream come true to play on tour,” Bates said. “I trained hard and studied the game and got to play on tour, which was one of my dreams as a kid. One of my most memorable moments was at Colonial, when I managed to hit a 7-iron approach on the last hole and come within a foot and a half of the hole. I was able to birdie that hole and take

fifth. Also, I got to play with Tiger Woods in 2004, so that was a lot of fun.”

Bates credits a 1999 neck injury as slowing down his professional career, “forcing me to slow down and really study the game, making me a much better coach and teacher.”

Bates inherits a loaded Bronchos team including senior Andrew Green, considered one of the top players in NCAA Division II. Other stars returning include senior Baer Aneshansley and junior Josh Creel. “[Creel and Green] are both very powerful players, they both shoot the ball far off the tee,” Bates said. “I think Green and a few of the others can turn pro at some point.”

“I only met him a few days ago, but [Bates] is very knowledgeable,” Green said. “I think he is going to be a great coach and a great resource for us.”

Bates brings the team into the fall golf season relaxed, preparing his players for the more competitive spring season.

“We’re basically going to be qualifying, getting some competition here at home, and figuring out who the top five are,” Bates said.

“The hardest part will be getting ready for the spring. At the end of the day, most of the excitement will be as we approach the NCAA tournament. The team was very close last year, and our main focus is to bring home the national championship trophy.”

The first scheduled tournament for the men’s team is the Charles Cooley Invitational, Sept. 12 in Abilene, Tex.

By Amber Pyle / Contributing Writer The UCO volleyball team opens its season Friday against Harding University at the Missouri Southern Invitational in Joplin, Mo. The Bronchos are introducing seven new players to their roster and head coach Jeff Boyland is looking forward to seeing them come together in the upcoming tournament.

“I’m going to be looking for what our makeup is going to be as a team since we are so young,” Boyland said.

The competition will be tough at the tournament, as the team will face four solid teams that have twice as many returning seniors as UCO. Central will face Quincy University in their match on Saturday. Quincy provides a problem as UCO tries to handle unfamiliar territory.

“Since this weekend will be the first weekend for any of the teams to play, there really is not any film available online yet, so the girls

will have to play like I know they can,” Boyland said. “We know there will be bumps in the road but we also know we can do it.”

The Bronchos will wrap up the tournament against Newman University. Newman is not widely known, but they do bring a big weapon to the court, Karol Marins. Marins is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is known for her fierce ball striking and athletic ability.

“This will be good for the girls; we play them three times this year, this is a team that should not be over looked,” Boyland said.

“We don’t just have a good team, we have a good group of people. They work hard on the court and they work hard in their classes, that’s what makes them so good.”

Central returns home on Sept. 6 to host Southeastern Oklahoma State University for their first home match. They will hit the road again on Sept. 9 to play in the Southwest Baptist Classic in Bolivar, Mo.

MISSOURI SOUTHERN INVITATIONAL Joplin, Mo. 9/2 - vs. Harding University 9/2- vs. Missouri Southern State 9/3- vs. Quincy University 9/3- vs. Newman University

8

SPORTS

SEP. 1, 2011

Central Football

WEEK 1: NORTH ALABAMA

By Trey Hunter / Sports Editor The UCO football team opens their season tonight in Florence, Ala. against one of the top Division II programs in the nation, the University of North Alabama.

The Bronchos enter the season as D-II independents for the first time in school history and will compete in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association at the start of the 2012-13 campaign. The Lions, on the other hand, are on the verge of becoming a D-I school as soon as they have the papers signed.

Central has a tough schedule ahead of them, and it never helps to start off against a team that has been ranked as high as sixth in the nation in some polls. Not to mention the Lions have former Auburn University coach Terry Bowden leading them. Bowden, son of former Florida State head

coach Bobby Bowden, took over the program in 2009 and has the Lions competing at a very high level.

UCO will have to show they can stop an offense before they can put their names on the map. Their defense was terrible last season, which was even more disappointing because the offense was great. North Alabama will likely bring a high-powered attack on offense. They have the ability to run the ball up the middle and to the outside with senior tailback Wes Holland. Holland led the team in carries last season with 132, gaining 757 yards and seven touchdowns. Central will have to key on sophomore running back Chris Coffey as well. As a freshman in 2010, Coffey rushed for 474 yards and nine touchdowns off of 96 carries.

The Bronchos will counter the Lions with their own high-powered attack. Tailback Josh Birmingham is one

of the best players in D-II and has the talent to break off a touchdown run at any point in the game. He rushed for 1,321 yards and 18 touchdowns off of 243 carries last season. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield catching 49 balls for 384 yards and three touchdowns in 2010.

Central also has a dominating passing game. Junior quarterback Ethan Sharp passed for 2,444 yards last season and had 24 touchdowns in 2010.

He averaged 244 yards per game and had 13 interceptions as well.

The Bronchos have a new signal caller this year. New offensive coordinator Chase Harp takes over after Jay Wilkinson left to coach at Broken Arrow High School. Harp runs the same style of offense, so there shouldn’t be a drop off in scoring this season. The team also has a new defensive coordinator, Jason Petrino. Petrino spent 2010 at Winona State University

where he helped lead the team to a 7-4 record.

Head coach Tracy Holland will finally get to coach the team without the restrictions of NCAA probation lingering over his shoulder. The Bronchos have been stripped of scholarships and had a roster reduction for the last few seasons and now that it has been removed, there is more excitement surrounding the program.

Although there is now a light at the end of the tunnel for Central football, it is still impossible to pick the team to win their opener against one of the most powerful schools in the country.

In all likelihood, Central will come away from the game with much more experience and a knowledge of what the rest of the season holds, but without a victory. However, like a famous coach once said, you can never say never until it’s all over.

VS.

Opinion

BRONCHOS NEED TO IMPROVE DEFENSE

Tailback Josh Birmingham will be the teams main sourse of offense in 2011.

Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

By Bryan Trude / Sports Writer As the Bronchos kick off the 2011 campaign as an independent between conferences, the team carries a positive outlook on this transition season on three things: the arm of junior quarterback Ethan Sharp, the back of sophomore running back Joshua Birmingham, and

the mind of new defensive coordinator Jason Petrino.

While there is a definite eye towards improvement before UCO joins one of the arguably toughest conferences in Division II, the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association, it wouldn’t be difficult to improve off of last year’s 2-9 overall record.

Defense was indeed a weak point for the Bronchos last season. The 2010 team’s offensive power was quenched by difficulty defending against the rush, with opponents averaging 196 yards per game.

The Bronchos, who went 0-5 on the road last season and haven’t won since October, stack the cards even higher against them by drawing a brutal road schedule early in the season; they play only one game in the friendly confines of Wantland Stadium in a seven week period, including a four game road trip to open the season beginning Sept. 1 against three-time national champion University of North Alabama Lions.

The Lions, led by legendary former Auburn coach Terry Bowden, held their opponents to an average of 14.7 points per game last season, gathering over 3000 passing yards.

In all honesty, if the Bronchos can return for their Oct. 1 homecoming meeting with East Central an even 2-2, I’d go and spend $1000 on lottery tickets. Because ladies and gents,

the luck would be positively flowing.

The only obviously winnable game the Bronchos have in September that I see is a Sept. 24 meeting against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs, who went 3-8 in 2010, only managed to post 185 points last season, although they did defeat the Bronchos 31-24.

Games against Angelo State and Southeastern are winnable as well, considering the sheer amount of offense UCO can put out.

Putting points on the board does not factor to be a problem again this year, especially since the Bronchos never posted fewer than 20 per game.

What the success of this season will hinge on is not Sharp or Birmingham, but Petrino’s defensive scheme. Last year UCO found itself on the losing end of too many high-scoring shootouts, losing five games by a touchdown or less.

Petrino has the tools to bring the Broncho defense up to the level their offense rests on; he inherits an experienced defensive core augmented with depth courtesy of a large freshman recruiting class. However, these resources will be wasted unless Petrino can show that his defense can adapt to what the opposing offense throws at them as it evolves during the course of each game.

Out of the 407 points racked up against the

Bronchos last season, 112 were scored in the 4th quarter, the most in any quarter. If UCO can adapt their defensive coverage in crunch time to counter any last-ditch changeup the offense may throw at them, I may have those lottery tickets in my future after all.

Central Oklahoma 2010 Record: (2-9) (1-6)

North Alabama 2010 Record: (9-4) (5-3)

Game Broadcasts TV: GCS-TV, Cox Sports Channel (Delayed- 10:30 p.m.)

Radio: KTOK (AM 1000) Web: KTOK.com Apps: IHeartRadio