THURSDAY
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
February 4, 1999
MISS BLACK UCO Who will win? 4
`SHE'S ALL THAT' Just that, hilarious 11
CLASSIC MOVIES At campus near you 5
INDOOR EXCELLENCE Track team ranks high....12
GIVE A PINT Bookstore Blood drive 6
DEAD WEEK Give it to us 15
The Student Voice Since 1903
Senate makes call, some student groups lose activity funds By Stacy Brasher StaffPirivr
- Staff photos by Negeen Sobhani Dr. William Caire shows a stuffed white-footed deer mouse, the most famous species found to carry the deadly Hantavirus disease.
Inhaling mouse droppings may be fatal By Jarrod Briley Staffkliter
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ometimes death is a lion, fierce and strong, tearing its way through humanity with wild abandon. But sometimes — sometimes it's a mouse. In this case, a field mouse harboring the infectious virus, "Hantavirus," found throughout Oklahoma and most of the U.S. The good news: The virus isn't necessarily fatal. The bad news: 42 percent of the time it is, there is no cure and treatment options are virtually non-existent. Dr. William Caire, professor of biology at UCO, is a member of a research team formed by Dr. Richard Nisbett, adjunct professor of biology at the University of Oklahoma, to study the field mouse and its habitat, hoping to unlock the secrets of the mysterious virus. The team regularly travels to the Black Mesa area of Oklahoma to capture field mice and perform a variety of blood tests searching for the presence of Hantavirus. "We have trapped around 20 different species and found four species that tested positive for Hantavirus antibodies," said Caire. The team plans to establish a permanent research station in Oklahoma. It will be devoted to the study of Hantavirus and its host species',
mice and rats, after the team has performed a detailed survey of the entire state, which will take an undetermined amount of time. The virus is found in the feces, urine and blood of a variety of rodents, including the field mouse, and can only be transmitted from a rodent to a human. Infection usually occurs when minute, aerosolized particles of an infected rodent's fecal matter are inhaled, according to Center for Disease Control (CDC) documents. Symptoms of Hantavirus, which has between a one and five week incubation period, include: •Fatigue and fever •Muscle aches in the large muscle groups — thighs, hips, back and shoulders. •Headaches, dizziness and chills. •Abdominal problems — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. If detected early, in its incubation period, oxygen therapy may lessen the effects of the virus. But, if detected late in the incubation period, treatments are generally ineffective. Although the virus has been reported in metropolitan areas, it is predominately found in rural parts of Oklahoma where populations of field mice are especially high. Discovered in the Four Corners area of the United States, where the borders of New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona meet, the virus has infected a total of 205 people as of January 11, 1999, according to CDC reports. <
he UCO Student Association Senate (UCOSA) approved by consent Monday the Appropriation Committee's report on Student Activity Fee allocation. The committee's suggestions will be sent to the house for compromises, and a final 19992000 appropriations budget for student activities will then be revoted upon by UCOSA. The final step will be Pres. W. Roger Webb's approval. Several issues arose before the Senate agreed to pass the committee's recommendations. Because Monday was the deadline for the appropriations recommendations, some senators felt they were being rushed to a decision and wanted to see the specifics on which they were voting. One senator pointed out that funding request applications were submitted on Nov. 2, and that plenty of time was left for the committee to have met and given their report earlier than the day of the deadline.
Although it delayed the meeting, a single copy of the committee's report was passed around the room for individual senators to see before the vote was taken. In the budget draft, most organizations were allocated what they asked for; however, one organization, the Student Programming Board, received $5,000 more than they requested. The board was allocated $25,000 in 1998-1999, and requested $35,000 for their 19992000 year budget. The committee suggested they receive $40,000. The extra $5,000 was awarded because the committee felt the group is "not a student organization just seeking themselves, but seeking the interrelationships of the student body as a whole," said Jason Vaughn, committee chairman. Vaughn pointed out that the Student Programming Board holds events for the student body as a whole, rather than specific segments of the UCO population. Some student organizations requests were cut due to statutes and other rules and regulations. Particularly, the committee
V See FUNDS, Page 2
4-6 (The group is) not a student organization just seeking themselves, but seeking the interrelationships of the student body as a whole. —Jason Vaughn Appropriation Committee chairman
