@TheVista1903 thevista1903 The Vista SEE SPORTS ON 7 The University of Central Oklahoma’s Student Voice Since 1903
Monday, July 11, 2016
Larceny and Controlled SubstancesTop Campus Crimes Elizabeth Spence @lizzlynn Reporter
The University of Central Oklahoma ranks 11 out of 21 in the list of the safest college campuses in the state, but according to the UCO crime log from January to June of 2016 the top three crimes committed on campus were larceny, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and notice to leave campus. Chief of UCO Police, Jeff Harp is involved in investagating crimes committed on campus. Harp said that there were 29 counts of larceny on campus and it is the most frequent crime SEE CRIME ON 3
The University of Central Oklahoma Police Department provides the campus with a way to feel safe without relying on Edmond PD.UCOPD operates directly on campus, and deals with all campus matters.w Photo by Cara Johnson, The Vista.
LibertyFest Interrupted by Injury and Property Damage to LAR
UCO’s Liberal Arts building received mass amounts of damage to the windows on the southwest side. The damage was due to the fireworks explosion that occurred during Liberty Fest on July 4. Photo by Cara Johnson, The Vista.
Five Officers Slain in Deadly Dallas Shooting; Mayor Calls for Support
A Dallas police officer, who did not want to be identified, takes a moment as she guards an intersection in the early morning after a shooting in downtown Dallas, Friday, July 8, 2016. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cara Johnson @cara_johnson_
Elisabeth Slay @Eslayslay
Photo Editor
Reporter
The 2016 Liberty Fest firework show, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma, was cut short on July 4 when a faulty shell caused an unexpected explosion and injured a crew member. Thirty-one-year old, Travis Guthrie was identified by UCO police as the victim of the explosion. He suffered a blow to the knee and was taken to a nearby hospital. At first there were reports of a second victim but according to Liberty Fest president Bob Meinders this information is false. The malfunction occurred at the south side parking lot of the UCO Liberal Arts building fifteen minutes into the show. According to witnesses it was an extremely sudden and confusing display. SEE FIREWORKS ON 4
DALLAS – Five Dallas police officers are dead following the mass shooting that occurred Thursdaynight during protests over the killings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota earlier in the week. Seven other officers and two civilians were also wounded during the attack. The shooting was the deadliest event for police since September 11, 2001. Police Chief David Brown has said that “snipers” were behind the gunfire, but the exact number of shooters involved is still unknown. However, three suspects are in custody, and a fourth was killed by a bomb delivered by robot. The bomb was detonated by the Dallas police in the parking garage at El Centro College in which the suspect had taken cover, exchanging fire with police. SEE DALLAS ON 4
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS STAFF NAME AND POSITION
3 ..........................................................................CAMPUS NEWS 4 ……………...........................LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS 5 ............................................................................TECHNOLOGY 6 ......................................................................................FEATURE 7-8.......................................................................................SPORTS
Kateleigh Mills Queila Omena Ike Wilcots Cara Johnson Taylor Michaud Eriech Tapia Elisabeth Slay Megan Prather Katie Standlee Elizabeth Spence
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter
Ryan Naeve David Terry
Photographer Photographer
Teddy Burch
Advisor
Campers play volleyball in the late afternoons and evenings to pass their free time on campus. UCO hosts a number of different camps throughout the summer, and houses the attendees in student dorms. Photo by Cara Johnson, The Vista. Advertise with the Vista: The Vista is published weekly during the spring, summer, and fall semesters In all issues, The Vista has opportunities for both classified, online and print ads. Email your questions to: ucovista.advertising@gmail.com The Vista is published as a newspaper and public forum by UCO students, weekly during the academic year, at the University of Central Oklahoma. The issue price is free for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy obtained. 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, and must include the author’s printed name, major, classification and phone number. Phone numbers are included for contacting purposes only. 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 73034-5209, or deliver in person to the editor in the Communications Building, Room 131. Letters can be emailed to vistaeditorletters@gmail.com.
A wild Psyduck appears in front of Broncho lake in the popular new mobile game Pokemon GO. The game allows users to train and search for Pokemon in the real world using their mobile phone cameras. Photo by Ryan Naeve, The Vista.
CAMPUS NEWS Elizabeth Spence @lizzlynn Reporter
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Central Crime Report
“Yearly there are over 100 reports of larceny on the UCO campus and many don’t get reported,” Harp said. “Larceny is 99 percent a crime of opportunity, so the trick to not being a victim of larceny is to not create an opportunity.” Larceny, robbery, and burglary are three types of crimes that are usually property related. “Larceny is simply when somebody takes something that belongs to you so, maybe they’ve stolen your bicycle that’s parked outside your house or your apartment. Statute says that they intend to deprive you of it. Larceny is one of the most common and most frequent crimes on the planet,” Harp said. The second most commonly committed crime at UCO, with 19 counts, is possession and distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS). “A Controlled Dangerous Substance is anything. Marijuana, methamphetamine, heroine, or prescription drugs that are illegally obtained or possessed,” Harp said. The difference between possession and distribution is the quantity and packaging of the substance. Driving Under the Influence (DUI) does not occur as often on the UCO campus as possession or distribution of a CDS. UCO police officers recorded 11 DUI’s this year. The age of the person given the DUI is not
recorded but the person is arrested and taken to jail immediately. There was only one count of public intoxication this year. This crime ranks third for the most common crimes at UCO and it falls under trespassing. The crime is a ‘Notice to Leave Campus’ and has been committed 11 times in the past six months. If they are not affiliated with the University (not a student or faculty member) and they are disturbing the peaceful activities of the institution (selling prescription or illegal drugs on campus or other like activities) UCO Police officers can tell them to leave campus immediately and to not return for six months. If they do come back to campus before six months you are charged with a misdemeanor and immediately arrested. Stalking and harassment can also be charged with a notice to leave campus. “Usually there is some sexual or emotional under penning to stalking,” Harp said. “People will think ‘Ah the police can’t do anything’ well we wanna know if something happens to you so we can put resources in there and try to figure out what’s going on.” There have been four reported counts of stalking and harassment from January to June. UCO police said there are probably many that are not reported every year. Along with the 29 counts of larceny there
were six counts of burglary and one count of robbery. These are all property related crimes which are sometimes associated but are different. “Robbery is essentially described as ‘The taking of property using force or fear’,” Harp said. “Robbery is when somebody comes up and grabs something or they threaten you with a gun or a knife and say ‘Give me that’ that’s robbery.” “People will call and say ‘I was robbed’ no, you weren’t. You were burglarized,” Harp said. The crime of a burglar could involve vandalism but burglary usually occurs when valuable items are stolen. “Burglary is not always associated with theft but it normally is. Burglary is when somebody has broken into a place and it requires that they are not allowed to be there,” Harp said “Typically look for some force: they’ve crawled over a wall, maybe kicked in a door, broken in a window, and then they’ve committed a crime wherever they were.” The UCO police officers request that no matter how small the situation may seem to always contact them if there is a problem. If students do this the problem can be recorded and resources will be put in the problem area to aid other students and to eventually prevent the crime from happening again.
UCO Crime: January to June 2016
Arrests and charges on campus range anywhere in offenses from auto theft, to DUI, to larceny. Larceny is one of the most reported crimes at the University of Central Oklahoma, with 24 reported since January. (Information provided by UCO Crime Logs.)
CAMPUS NEWS Elizabeth Spence @lizzlynn Reporter
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Central Crime Report
“Yearly there are over 100 reports of larceny on the UCO campus and many don’t get reported,” Harp said. “Larceny is 99 percent a crime of opportunity, so the trick to not being a victim of larceny is to not create an opportunity.” Larceny, robbery, and burglary are three types of crimes that are usually property related. “Larceny is simply when somebody takes something that belongs to you so, maybe they’ve stolen your bicycle that’s parked outside your house or your apartment. Statute says that they intend to deprive you of it. Larceny is one of the most common and most frequent crimes on the planet,” Harp said. The second most commonly committed crime at UCO, with 19 counts, is possession and distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS). “A Controlled Dangerous Substance is anything. Marijuana, methamphetamine, heroine, or prescription drugs that are illegally obtained or possessed,” Harp said. The difference between possession and distribution is the quantity and packaging of the substance. Driving Under the Influence (DUI) does not occur as often on the UCO campus as possession or distribution of a CDS. UCO police officers recorded 11 DUI’s this year. The age of the person given the DUI is not
recorded but the person is arrested and taken to jail immediately. There was only one count of public intoxication this year. This crime ranks third for the most common crimes at UCO and it falls under trespassing. The crime is a ‘Notice to Leave Campus’ and has been committed 11 times in the past six months. If they are not affiliated with the University (not a student or faculty member) and they are disturbing the peaceful activities of the institution (selling prescription or illegal drugs on campus or other like activities) UCO Police officers can tell them to leave campus immediately and to not return for six months. If they do come back to campus before six months you are charged with a misdemeanor and immediately arrested. Stalking and harassment can also be charged with a notice to leave campus. “Usually there is some sexual or emotional under penning to stalking,” Harp said. “People will think ‘Ah the police can’t do anything’ well we wanna know if something happens to you so we can put resources in there and try to figure out what’s going on.” There have been four reported counts of stalking and harassment from January to June. UCO police said there are probably many that are not reported every year. Along with the 29 counts of larceny there
were six counts of burglary and one count of robbery. These are all property related crimes which are sometimes associated but are different. “Robbery is essentially described as ‘The taking of property using force or fear’,” Harp said. “Robbery is when somebody comes up and grabs something or they threaten you with a gun or a knife and say ‘Give me that’ that’s robbery.” “People will call and say ‘I was robbed’ no, you weren’t. You were burglarized,” Harp said. The crime of a burglar could involve vandalism but burglary usually occurs when valuable items are stolen. “Burglary is not always associated with theft but it normally is. Burglary is when somebody has broken into a place and it requires that they are not allowed to be there,” Harp said “Typically look for some force: they’ve crawled over a wall, maybe kicked in a door, broken in a window, and then they’ve committed a crime wherever they were.” The UCO police officers request that no matter how small the situation may seem to always contact them if there is a problem. If students do this the problem can be recorded and resources will be put in the problem area to aid other students and to eventually prevent the crime from happening again.
UCO Crime: January to June 2016
Arrests and charges on campus range anywhere in offenses from auto theft, to DUI, to larceny. Larceny is one of the most reported crimes at the University of Central Oklahoma, with 24 reported since January. (Information provided by UCO Crime Logs.)
LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS
4
LibertyFest Fireworks Explosion Elisabeth Slay @Eslayslay Reporter
“I was near my car and the fireworks were going off and all of a sudden there was a low firework that shot up and I heard an explosion. Then everything stopped all at once, UCO student Elizabeth Noel said. There was minor damage to the windows of the first and second floor classrooms facing the south parking lot. Classes have Fireworks were left in the parking lot where LibertyFest took place and the explosion occured. Police are still investing temporarily been relocated until the windows what caused the explosion. Photo by Cara Johnson, The Vista. have been repaired. properly made. be hired once again for next year’s display People were also watching the show from “When the charge left and exploded out despite this occurrence. nearby neighborhoods and were unaware of of the tube, it fed off and sent off a chain reacTo ensure the fireworks were not tamthe situation taking place on campus. tion. The racks and mortar tubes where they pered with, the Edmond police bomb squad “I was watching from my house and then are housed blew apart,” Meinders said. was brought in to investigate the situation suddenly it just stopped. I didn’t know what The company known as Arc Pyrotechfurther and discover the problem. happened. It was strange,” Edmond resident nics Inc. has been hired by Liberty Fest to do Reports from the Edmond bomb squad, Hailee Paridon said. the show for the last ten years and has never fire department and UCO police should be According to KOCO, Meinders said the had a problem. Meinders believes they will finalized within a few days. explosion was caused by a shell that was not Cara Johnson @cara_johnson_ Photo Editor
The fourth suspect has been identified by Texas law enforcement as Micah Johnson, 25. He reportedly told officers, before his death, that he wanted to kill whites and was upset over the recent shootings. The standoff between police and Johnson lasted several hours, Police Chief Brown
Dallas Shooting said. Johnson was a former U.S. soldier and claimed to not be “affiliated with any groups”. He reportedly told police that he had placed bombs throughout downtown Dallas. However, no bombs or suspicious items have been found.
In a press conference for the shooting Friday morning, Chief Brown said that officers tried to negotiate with Johnson for hours, and “saw no other option” than to detonate the bomb. “Other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger,” Chief Brown said.
Dallas police officers stand in a line near the site of shootings in downtown Dallas, early Friday, July 8, 2016. Snipers opened fire on police officers, police said; some of the officers were killed. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The police force intends to exhaust every lead until the investigation is closed. Brown said they are “not going to be satisfied” until all the evidence is found, and every suspect is brought to justice. Other information regarding suspects, or number of suspects, is not being released until the conclusion of the investigation. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings stated in the press conference that this was in order to keep Dallas citizens safe. “Our number one job is to make sure the citizens of Dallas are safe,” he said, “So we are not going to tell you anything about the suspects and we’re not going to answer any questions on that.” A prayer was held by a leadership group of interfaith ministers at 12 p.m. Friday in Thanksgiving Square in Dallas. Mayor Rawlings asked citizens to join them in prayer to help the city heal. “We [the police force] don’t feel support most days,” Chief Brown said, “Let’s not make today most days.”
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TECHNOLOGY
TraffickCam App Aims to Stop Sex Trafficking Around the U.S. Megan Prather @meganthefeline Contributing Writer
The International Labor Organization estimates that 4.5 million people are trapped in sex trafficking globally, but the TraffickCam app plans to combat these numbers with the help of its users-you. The app lets users upload pictures of various hotel rooms they stay in during vacation, business trips, etc. This creates a database of hotel room images for investigators to search through when they receive a photo of a hotel where sex trafficking has taken place. They can then figure out where it’s coming from and take action. Sex traffickers will take pictures of their victims in hotel rooms for online advertisements, however, these images leave investigators with little to no information on location. However, with a data base full of user uploaded hotel room images with location, they can compare images, locate where it’s happening, and stop it. The app has over 1.5 million images. “Right now there are pictures
TraffickCam enables travelers to document hotel rooms across the country to provide a database for investigators of human trafficking. (Photo provided by Pixabay.)
posted every day. Hundreds of pictures, in every city around the United States, posted online, that show victims of trafficking, in hotel rooms posed on beds,” the apps developer Abby Stylianou said at a human trafficking event. The app was formed by Washington University and the Exchange Initiative. The idea for the app formed when police approached Nix Conference and Meeting Man-
agement, the company that runs the Exchange Initiative, to try to identify where a photo they found of a sex trafficking victim online was taken. One member of the staff could tell where it was, and they wondered how many others might have information. There were 22 cases off human trafficking reported in Oklahoma between January and March of 2016 in Oklahoma. Of those cases, 16 of them were female, six were males, and two were gender minorities. Oklahoma has a convenient transportation system for human trafficking due to the highway system. There are various other ways you can help fight human trafficking while traveling. One of these steps is staying in hotels that have adopted the Tourism Child Protection Code of Conduct. When tourism companies join this initiative, they are agreeing to take multiple steps to help protect children from training employees to promoting a zero tolerance for the exploitation of children. The goal of this code is to create Between January and March this year there were 22 reported cases of human trafficking, 16 of those were female victims. (Photo provided by Pixabay.) a tourism industry that is very
aware of human trafficking. Another step is to report all signs of trafficking to management. Signs of trafficking children include children who seem afraid to answer questions and look to the adult they’re with instead, adults with minors who do not appear to be their children, and strangers coming in and out of hotel rooms. Finally, download the TraffickCam app for free in the app or the Google Play store and start taking pictures of the various hotel rooms you stay in. There are also various ways to protect yourself against human trafficking including being wary of appealing job opportunities, especially those outside of the country, avoiding employment opportunities through the internet, leaving contact information with friends/family while traveling, and being aware of your surroundings in locations like truck stops and airports. If you want to report any kind of human trafficking you can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1 (888) 3737888. You can also text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733.
FEATURE
6
Get Your Ghost on in Guthrie Reporter
Katie Standlee @kkkkkatiemarie
The Guthrie Ghost Walk is a one to two hour-long walk in downtown Guthrie that goes through six to eight sites that have had multiple reports of paranormal activity. The walks are given seasonally on Friday and Saturday evenings, but additional or private walks can also be scheduled. The walks have been an attraction in Guthrie for four years. The founder, owner, and tour guide of Guthrie Ghost Walk, Stacey Frazier, came up with the idea for the walks after visiting several ghost walks out-of-state and realizing Guthrie had better ghost stories. Frazier has done extensive research on the ghosts, their families, and how all of it is connected with Guthrie. The ghost stories are all deeply rooted in explaining not only why the ghosts are there, but also the history of Guthrie. “I like teaching people and relating the history of the town. It
The building seen here was one of the first federal prisons in the southern United States. The building was made to house less than 100 prisoners, and it was nicknamed ‘The Abyss’ because of the miserable conditions. Prisoners froze to death in the winter and died of heat stroke in the summer until it was shut down and sold to a church, and eventually became the home of a cult. Photo by Ryan Naeve, The Vista.
really is unique,” Frazier said. The walk used to just be given in October, but now is year-round. Frazier has three different series for the walks, each of them containing different ghost stories.This month is conducting series three. “We have more ghost stories per block. People will walk down the
Several cards are pinned to the cieling of the Blue Belle Saloon in Guthrie to mark bullet holes in the cieling frrom the saloon’s early days. Photo by Ryan Naeve, The Vista.
street with me and just point at multiple buildings asking if they are haunted, and I almost always say yes. Almost every building is haunted. Most of the buildings have been here since the land run,” Frazier said. At the start of the tour people are asked what they believe a ghost is. Frazier said that several people say they believe a ghost is someone who is angry or has unfinished business; however, she believes that is actually not the case. Frazier said that most
strange and fascinating things that have occurred in Guthrie’s past. For example, there are bullet holes in the ceiling of the famous Blue Bell Saloon, which is now called The Blue Belle Grille House. The current owners mark the bullet holes with playing cards so visitors can spot them. “The Blue Bell Saloon is the single most investigated place in Oklahoma for paranormal activity. The Oklahoma Paranormal Association has done lots of research in the Blue Bell saloon, and almost
of the time a ghost is there because in their death they longed to be at a particular location. Frazier stated that it more has to do with a connection that person had with something, someone, or someplace. Frazier explained that the point of these walks is not to scare people, but rather to explain the history of Guthrie and the
all of the TV ghost-hunting shows have been in it,” said Frazier The tours start at the Apothecary Garden at 7:15 p.m., and tickets can be purchased on site with adults paying $10 and children ages 7-14 paying $7 per ticket. For more information about Guthrie Ghost Walks or to schedule a walk, contact Stacey Frazier at 405-293-8404.
SPORTS
#NFL
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Fantasy Football Superstars to Watch
Peter Agnistch @peteypete33
Contributing Writer
Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers celebrates teammate Ted Ginn Jr.’s touchdown in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium on Jan. 24, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images (Photo provided by slate.com)
Le’Veon Bell is arguably fantasy football’s top running back this upcoming season. Although Bell is coming off of a torn MCL, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Bell said he will be 100 percent come the start of training camp. Bell is one of the rare running backs in the NFL who can play all three downs and is also a great running back for Points per Reception (PPR) leagues in the 6 games he played. Last season he had a total of 24 catches, only six less than Adrian Peterson who played the entire season. Antonio Brown is hands-down the consensus number one pick in all fantasy mock drafts for PPR and standard leagues. Brown is coming off a season where he had 136 receptions, 1834 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Brown had five games last season where he had 10 or more catches.
Brown’s only fault is when Ben Roethlisberger is not playing, his production goes down drastically. In the four games Roethlisberger missed, Brown totaled 17 catches, 235 yards and zero touchdown catches. However, if Roethlisberger stays healthy all year, Brown is definitely a top fantasy option. Cam Newton is coming off of a career year where he led his team to the super bowl and winning the MVP. Newton also had a record stat year for himself with 3,837 passing yards, throwing 35 touchdowns, also rushing for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns, which was shocking due to the lack of wide receiver depth for the Carolina Panthers. Carolina’s star-wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin will be back from a torn ACL which could help increase Newton’s passing production vastly. Newton’s ability to run the ball
also sets him apart from all other QB’s making him the best fantasy quarterback going into next season. Rob Gronkowski has been the best tight-end in football for some time now, having two straight thousand yard receiving season with over ten touchdowns. He
is also the only tight-end in the NFL who is the primary offensive weapon for his team. Although Tom Brady is serving a four game suspension this shouldn’t diminish Gronkowski’s production on the field enough to where he isn’t worth a first round pick in fantasy draft’s.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) looks to block for running back Le’Veon Bell (26) as Bell scores a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, in Pittsburgh. Bell ranked better than Brown in a recently published formula rating NFL receivers. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
SPORTS
8
#ROLLCHOS Des’Ree Glover
A UCO Cheer National Champion
@ImJustFooly
Contributing Writer
The 2015-16 UCO Cheer team. The Cheer team hopes to bring home a National Championship trophy this year with Tumbler, Holly Solley. (Photo provided by uco.edu)
The University of Central Oklahoma’s Cheer Squad hopes to win another National Championship and bring a trophy to UCO this season with their tumbler, Holly Solley. Solley is from Ardmore, Oklahoma and graduated from Plainview High school, where she also attended many cheer clinics for fundraisers. She graduated high school in 2014 and has cheered with UCO since her freshman year. “UCO Cheer is a family and one I am proud to be in,” Solley said. UCO Cheer is not the only sport that Solley has competed in. She has also participated in gymnastics for a year at Kippers and cheered for a local All-Star competitive squad called Cheer Connection Outlaws. “Outlaws is what gave me a lot of stunting experience, and for
that, I was happy,” Solley said. In 2014 Solley went through a three-day process trying out for UCO. Solley said that trying out was especially challenging for her because there was so much talent there and she was “freaking out”. Throughout her many years of cheering Solley has encountered a few injuries. This last year she has bruised her meniscus and has had a few ribs get moved out of place. “No pain, no gain, right?” Solley said.
She just recently had surgery on her hand because it was not healing correctly, and she is now waiting for her doctor to release her so that she can tumble with her squad again. This Ardmore native has now been to two national competitions with UCO, one in Daytona, Florida and, stunt competitions for two consecutive seasons as well. “My favorite part about cheerleading is tumbling, so I am glad I get to do it on the mat,” Solley
(Photo provided by the offical twiiter page of the National Cheerleading Association)
said. She also mentioned that when she is not tumbling, she is spotting stunts to make sure everything goes as planned. Solley studies english education at UCO and plans to teach reading or English at the middle or high school level after she graduates. “I hope to be involved with cheerleading, whether it be as a sponsor or as a coach of a cheer squad,” Solley said. UCO Cheer has won the National Cheerleading Association Championship in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2016. They also won the Stunt National Championship three consecutive years in a row. For more information about the UCO Cheer Squad follow them on twitter @UCOCheer.