The Vista Sept. 23, 2010

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Campus Quotes Are you getting your money’s worth at UCO?

SEPT 23, 2010

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Dinning in the Dark

Students Sharing

Students for an accesible society are hosting the third annual event.

Smartphones allow students to update their location anytime and anywhere.

Hockey Bronchos go on the road to another tough opponent in Ames, Iowa.

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THE VISTA

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Lawsuit

UNIVERSITY, DEAN, COACH NAMED IN LAWSUIT By Kory Oswald / Editor-In-Chief

Former members and assistant coaches of the UCO debate team have filed a lawsuit against the former coach, the dean of the liberal arts college, UCO and the Oklahoma Board of Regents for sexual discrimination, harassment and retaliation. The plaintiffs allege that UCO operates under a de facto “rape culture� where sexual coercion, underage drinking and drug use is accepted and perpetuated by the university and members of it’s administration. This attitude toward the students and employees ultimately led to the termination of employment and enrollment of the plaintiffs, according to court papers. In the lawsuit the former students and employees claim that the coach, Eric Marlow, 43, used his position as the head of the debate team to coerce, sexually discriminate, harass, intimidate and take advantage of members of the debate team. The lawsuit also claims that when notified of these actions, Dr. Pamela Washington, the dean of the Liberal Arts College, not only disregarded their complaints as unfounded but also participated in and contributed to retaliatory actions along with Marlow against the plaintiffs. These actions, the lawsuit says, created “a hostile� environment so severe that the assistant coaches were eventually fired and the students were forced to quit the team

and leave UCO, except for one that is still enrolled at the university. The lawsuit states that the defendants “engaged in unlawful intentional discrimination and engaged in discriminatory practices with malice and/or reckless indifference to the federally protected rights of the aggrieved plaintiffs.� “I cannot make any specific comments about the filed lawsuit,� Washington said, “However, every university policy and procedure was followed, all timelines were followed. I was in contact with legal counsel the day that any allegation came to light, and I feel very confident of a positive outcome at the end of this process.� The 12 plaintiffs – nine students and three employees – claim Marlow pressured one of the students, an 18-yearold freshman, to have sex with him under the threat of taking away her scholarships. Marlow also allegedly pressured the team to party with him in hotel rooms while the team was at debate tournaments, telling, Ian Lee, a student, to “come down and drink, or I will kill you.� Marlow could not be reached for comment. When the team complained to Washington, they say she requested a written statement and then told Marlow about the complaints and requested he reply to her in writing. The students claim that the dean spread false accusations about them and labeled one student, Tia Robertson, “a slut,� “liar,�

PHOTO BY GARETT FISBECK

Plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed on Sept. 9 are suing for damages in excess of $100,000 as well as back payment for tuition, scholarships and emotional distress.

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and “evil.� Both Marlow and Washington allegedly called the debaters “the crazies.� According to the court documents, Washington acknowledged in UCO’s “Analysis and Recommendation for Sexual Harassment Complaint� that an “inappropriate relationship existed,� and that it became nonconsensual. The dean then recommended that Marlow be removed from coaching and work strictly in an administrative capacity. However, the students claim the change was merely “a ruse,� and was never actu-

ally implemented. Accusations against the coach: The debate team accuses Marlow of pressuring one of the students, who was approximately 18 at the time, “for sexual favors,� during the entire fall 2009 semester. The lawsuit says that the coach pressured the student to use illegal drugs and engage in underage drinking, in an attempt to lower her inhibitions and take advantage of the student. When the student “resisted

or refused his demands he would become increasingly controlling, manipulative and threatening. On numerous occasions he threatened to terminate her scholarship,� the lawsuit says. They also claim that Marlow’s behavior was “predatory,� and that he would send “threatening� and “demeaning� text and Facebook messages that said, “If you don’t cooperate, you will regret it.� According to the lawsuit, Marlow even sent photographs of the student’s license plate to her cell phone to show that he knew “exactly

where she was.� The lawsuit claims that it was “common knowledge� that Marlow used illegal drugs and openly discussed his history of drug use with the members of the debate team. The lawsuit even claims that Marlow used and bought illegal drugs in the debate squad room, the hallways of the Liberal Arts building, and at debate tournaments. The lawsuit also states that Marlow would routinely

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Student Profile

Parking

ONCE HELD HOSTAGE

PARKING PROBLEMATIC FOR SOME COMMUTERS

TODAY

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By Samantha Maloy / Copy Editor

TOMORROW H 80° L 62°

More weather at www.uco360.com

DID YOU KNOW? A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away.

A car wreck. A tornado. A burglary. All of these can be labeled as scary events. But what about facing one of these crises alone? How about facing them at age 14? Nic Ivers, a senior majoring in advertising at UCO, was taken hostage---and lived to tell the tale--- in the May 2004 Khobar Massacre, an event he deemed the scariest moment of his life. Ivers, now 21, was 14 years old when 17 terrorists of the Jerusalem Squadron attacked the compound in Saudi Arabia where he and his family lived. The terrorists took more than 50 hostages and killed 22. Ivers and his family had not experienced any unrest or hostilities up until this point. “I lived there for four years‌all was peaceful,â€? Ivers said. However, since the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq one year prior, there were heightened anti-American and anti-Bush sentiments in that area. The Americans lived on compounds, and Ivers’ complex, the Oasis Compound, was deemed the safest and “most elite.â€? “Terrorists got into the compound dressed as Saudi Arabia police,â€? he said. Ivers was home alone on the morning of May 29, 2004 as his father was at already at

PHOTO BY JOSEPH MOORE

WEATHER

work and his mother was on vacation in California. He was up and getting ready for hockey practice when he was alerted to the situation. After hearing gunshots outside, “I put on hockey gear and hid under the bed,� Ivers said. He hid in his room for about half an hour, when he could hear the terrorists in his own house downstairs. The next thing he knew, he we was hauled up from under the bed by his ankles by the attackers. The group was targeting non-Muslims. As they came upon the inhabitants of the compound, they were asked if they were Christians. “I said I was a Christian,� Ivers said when questioned by the terrorists. He was taken im1LF ,YHUV VXUYLYHG D KRVWDJH DWWDFN LQ 6DXGL $UDELD DW DJH

mediately to Soha Towers Hotel, where he was held hostage for close to 48 hours with about 50 other people. “It was a 5-star hotel, really luxurious. It [the hotel] had several restaurants in it,� Ivers said. While in the hotel, Ivers said the hostages

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By Cody Bromley / Staff Writer For many commuter students, part of normal morning stress is the search to find a good parking spot. Michael Sokoff is the director of transportation and parking services, and he said that there is always enough parking at UCO if students are willing to take a longer walk. “The way we refer to it is as a parking distribution issue, and a time management issue,â€? Sokoff said. “There is available parking for people, but everyone likes to park close to their building five to 10 minutes before their class starts. No one wants to have to walk more than about five minutes to a classroom.â€? Counting all the available parking spaces in UCO parking lots, Sokoff said that depending on the maintenance schedule, there is between 6,300 to 6,600 spaces. “When you look at this you’re going to be saying, ‘Gosh. There’s more students than there is parking spaces.’ But the thing that you need to understand is that not all students are here at the same time every day,â€? Sokoff said. Sokoff said that Transportation and Parking Services is trying to make it easier for students to get access to good parking. “We have a very active Twitter and Facebook program. We tweet in the mornings especially‌ indicating which lots are open and which lots are filling up.â€? But also, Sokoff said that students need to plan coming to class a little earlier than maybe they are used to, and also to

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