The Vista April 8, 2003

Page 1

The Student Voice Since 1903

www.THEVISTAONLINE.COM

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2003

East Hall site of nationwide drill â– Demolition of East Hall provides training ground for first responders by Mark Schlachtexhaufen ms@thevistaonline.com A campus building once used to house UCO students will soon become a classroom for police and fire rescue teams from Oklahoma and across the nation on April 11-12. Part of East Hall's south wing will be demolished, possibly beginning April 9, said Charlie Johnson, News Bureau director. Time is needed to remove asbestos, he said. East Hall has been vacant since May 2001. FEMA (the Federal Emergency Managemen t Agency) will conduct a mock terrorist attack in which a terrorist has detonated a "dirty bomb," built to damage buildings and spread chemicals throughout an

urban area. About 150 first responders will participate in the April 11 event. Up to 125 nursing and other UCO students will portray "walking wounded." After they are processed through a decontamination area they will be assessed by UCO nursing students, said Linda Steele, School of Nursing chairperson. Some student "victims" will be placed in safe areas within the rubble, Steele said. Dr. Don Powers, director of Quality Assurance and Safety Management, is one of the primary event organizers. It is a firsttime event for UCO. "Given the uncertain times in which we live today, this is an extremely important learning and training experience for all of us here at UCO," Powers said. "Of course, we hope we never have to use any of what we learn, but our goal, is to be as prepared as possible in the event of a disaster." First responders will begin the

Bronchos win over Northeastern State in two straight games. -Page 8

Photo by Juli Barker

The partial demolition of East Hall is scheduled to begin April 9.' search and rescue process Friday evening and work throughout the night under work lights, Johnson said. The on-campus portion of the training exercise will end about noon Saturday. A fence has been erected around East Hall to secure the

site until the exercise, Johnson said. After it is finished, the rest of the building will be demolished. It will be some time before UCO decides what to do with the space, said Steve Kreidler, vice president for administration and

finance. Possibilities include adding more classroom space or housing for students, he said. Powers said, "This is a rare opportunity for first responders to participate in a hands-on situ-

see Demolition page 4

UCOSA elections unfold online April 9 by Thad Danner td@thevistaonline.com

Photo by Rebecca Martin

Darin Henderson, custodial supervisor for the Physical Plant, picks up approximately 2 1/2 tons of UCO's shredded paper for the recycling program.

Recycling program withering; new forces to breathe new life by Thad Danner

td@thevistaonline.com Despite some success, UCO's nine-monthold recycling program is struggling. "Personally, I can only devote a few hours a week to this," said Darin Henderson, custodial manager of the Physical Plant and recycling program director. Since its inception last July, the program has recycled 20.6 tons of paper, saving 351 trees. The program now recycles 3 tons of paper a month, he said. Currently, the program recycles paper and some metal. The paper collected by the program is recycled by Waste Management in Oklahoma City at no cost to the school, he said. Henderson said he'd like to expand it to include aluminum and plastic, but there is no budget or manpower devoted to recycling. "Without help, I can't expand this,"

Henderson said. On March 31, UCOSA approved legislation mandating that recycling bins be placed in every building on campus. Currently, only those buildings that formally request the bins have them. The bill also stated that UCOSA would, "share authority, responsibility and yearly oversight [of the program]" with UCO administration. The bill says nothing about dedicating labor or money to the program. "That's more along the lines of a committee issue," said Kate Thrift, president pro tempore of the UCOSA Senate. Thrift said UCOSA plans to set up a committee to "maintain attention to it, to make sure that everyone is aware that we have this program." Members of the Tri Beta Biology Club have set up smaller paper collections boxes throughout Howell Hall, which they empty into the

see Recycling page 5

Elections for UCOSA President and Vice President will be held online April 9 from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The Presidential candidates are Kate Thrift and Derek England. Candidates for Vice President are Yuma Takahashi, Hanan Shahid and Kristin Hoffman. Kate Thrift is a political science junior. She is currently the President Pro Tempore of the UCOSA Senate. Thrift said she wants to maintain a student voice against raising tuition too much and to increase international student participation in UCOSA. "I think it's important that we set up a committee of international students in UCOSA and also in the cabinet," she said. Thrift also said she will work toward implementing an enrollment waiting list if the number of students trying to get in a class exceeds the class size. "It's very expensive. There's no guarantee I can accomplish that in one year, but I can work on that," she said. Derek England, a finance junior, is currently the secretary of the President's Leadership Council (PLC) and President of

The House passed the "Oklahoma Education Lottery Act" by a 52-49 vote April 2, giving Gov. Brad Henry the authority to let Oklahomans vote on a lottery. While that much is certain, legislators must still approve a companion piece of legislation calling for a Constitutional change. If Senate joint resolu-

tion (SJR) 22 does not pass by a two-thirds majority from both houses, a popular vote would not occur until 2004. Henry has said he wants a vote sometime this summer. "It's critical that we have a safeguard in place so the people can be absolutely sure that this is going to be new money for education," Henry said. "That's the way the people want it." The Senate joint resolution guarantees that lottery proceeds

would benefit education, treating the revenue as new money above and beyond current allocations. Henry will continue to lobby for the lottery and hopes the legWative portion of the issue will be resolved in a couple of weeks, said Paul Sund, Henry's communications director. SJR 22's history provides a source for optimism, Sund said. On March 12, in a roll-call vote, made necessary due to the

see Elections page 5

Bronchos have first scrimmage under new head coach April 5. -Page 8

Fall faculty vacancies may not be filled due to budget crisis. -Page 5

Event benefits Malaysian student by Ivan Botev Student Writer The Malaysian Student Association (MSA) will hold "Save a Life Charity Night" at 6:30 p.m. April 27 in the Ballrooms B and C of the University Center. Several tradi-

Popular vote to decide state lottery by Mark Schlachtenhaufen ms@thevistaonline.com

Murdaugh Hall. "What I'd really like to do is help UCOSA do something worthwhile, even if that means we only pass two pieces of legislation," he said. England said he doesn't have any specific agenda, just, "I'm here for the students, not for myself " Yuma Takahashi, running for UCOSA Vice President, is an economics junior. He is also a member of Toastmasters and a delegate in the Japan-China conference. "I wish to make the student association an inviting and organized place where students feel welcome to meet with their representatives, solicit help for student organizations and gather socially," he said. Takahashi sees discrimination as a major problem locally and said he will work to increase understanding among students of different backgrounds. Hanan Shahid is an international trade freshman running for Vice President. He is currently a member of the House and a debater on the CEDA team. Shahid said he wants to work on ways to organize and educate students on the benefits of this campus. He also said he wants to

special election provision, SJR 22 was passed by the Senate 3510, said Kyle Enevoldsen, Senate spokesman. An earlier Senate vote passed 37-8, exceeding the two-thirds majority. "As I have said many times, public education is the key to Oklahoma's future," Henry said. "The education lottery isn't the magic bullet that will solve all of our revenue challenges, but it

see Lottery page 5

tional Chinese paintings, photos, quilts, masks and other art will be sold. The money raised will be used to help fund the surgery of Danny Tan, a UCO student in Singapore General Hospital, awaiting a bone marrow transplant. The operation costs approximately $100,000 and so far $10,000 has been collected. "Malaysian people from all over the United States have been very supportive," said Yin Wee Chua, MSA president. "It could happen to anyone and I'm happy for this great support and understanding," said Choon Boon, UCO graduate student. Tan was supposed to graduate in spring 2003. His intentions are to graduate from UCO in the near future. MSA has placed donation boxes in restaurants and other businesses. For more information call 974-4155.

Political Science professor discusses NorthSouth Korean relations. -Page 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.