The Vista June 19, 2017

“Trump Cabinet” on 5 Volume 114, Issue 15

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Monday, June 19, 2017

UCO Ranked Ninth Safest University in America

(Cara Johnson/ The Vista).

MeganThele

@1bigtimenicole Reporter

The University of Central Oklahoma has been named the ninth safest college in America in 2017

by Alarms.com, who studied over 2,167 public, private and not-forprofit colleges across the country.

“It is nice to get outside confirmation about what we already knew about UCO being one of the safest places in the country,” said UCO Chief of Police, Jeff Harp.

The rankings were created based off of data accumulated from the National Center for Education Statistics and the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting. Colleges and universities with no crime information listed were excluded from the list of over 2,000 institutions.

The data used in the study is required information by the Jean Clery Act that is submitted yearly, according to Harp. It compiles on campus crime data with non-campus property, such as fraternity and sorority houses, and local crime data from the community around campus.

Harp said for its population, Edmond has a low crime rate, which contributes to UCO’s safety. This factor helped in the study, as local crime accounted for 50 percent of

the crime totals data.

“UCO has the best campus police force possible,” said Harp. “While we may be small, our staff is incredible.”

The UCO Police Department has multiple initiatives in place, alongside normal duties, to continue making the campus safe.

SafeWalk is one of the main initiatives that has been in place for many years. Students can request an officer to accompany them across campus or to their car if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe. New yellow boxes are being installed around campus to ensure easier access to SafeWalk buttons.

The Rave Guardian app was a new initiative this past year and will be pushed more in the coming year. It allows students to fill in their name, photo, and medical information for campus police to access in case of emergency. The app includes a button to contact police with your information and GPS location, along with the option to set safety timers and designate guardians.

Ambassador initiative, a community policing program, partners every officer on the force with at least one group on campus. The objective is to build relationships and trust between officers and students in various groups, like Student Alliance For Equality (SAFE), international students, and housing.

Students can work with their officer to See UCO Safe Campus, Pg. 3

Royals Put Holden Capps on the Map

University of Central Oklahoma pitcher Holden Capps, 6, throws the ball dring a Spring 2017 game against Pittsburg State in Edmond, Okla. (Provided/ Archives).

See Holden Capps, Pg. 6

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The Vista

the

June 19, 2017

CONTENTS

VISTA

CONTENTS

Partnership/Sustainability Minor ...3 Columns .....................................................4 Trump's Cabinet ......................................5 Holden Capps ..........................................6

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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.

STAFF

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.

Peter Agnitsch Elizabeth Spence Austin Moseley Cara Johnson Megan Thele Jordan Belew Nate Baldwin Michelle Pennza Ryan Naeve Teddy Burch

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Reporter Sports Reporter Sports Reporter Graphic Design Photographer Advisor

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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 thevista1903@gmail.com.

Carolyn Pickle Dylan Brown Christian Tabak Faith Kelly Wesley Davis

Maturing Millennial Humor Columnar News News News

UCO News

June 19, 2017

The Vista

UCO Safe Campus to identify problems and discuss concerns.

In the coming weeks, a new electronic access control system will be installed on the ground floor doors of every building on campus, according to Harp. Student ID cards can be swiped to gain access to buildings outside of normal hours.

Doors will be locked and unlocked on a schedule, with select access outside of these hours. Lists of who can access the buildings will be similar to current ones that require an officer to manually let in students and staff.

This will allow UCO police to lock down campus in a matter of seconds in an emergency. “This system along with surveillance cameras will put us ahead of other campuses,” said Harp.

The study provides important information for current and prospective students and their families, according to Harp. He hopes it will motivate more people to call campus police and ask questions so that they can get a sense of how safe campus is.

President Don Betz sits withFrancis Tuttle Superintendent Tom Friedemann. (Provided/ UCO University Communications).

UCO and Francis Tuttle Agree on Partenership Faith Kelly @vista1903

Contributing Writer

The recent partnership between The University of Central Oklahoma and Francis Tuttle Technology Center could help college students who want more educational options and training in their career field.

Francis Tuttle Technology Center is a career training program that offers certificates and third party certifications for different industries.

Career training programs are usually quicker than a four-year college, and do not offer degrees. Students

can attend the training center with or without a degree.

UCO and Francis Tuttle’s recent partnership had been discussed for years between UCO’s President Don Betz and Francis Tuttle’s Superintendent Tom Friedemann. Jeff Knapp, communications coordinator at Francis Tuttle, said Betz and Friedemann have had a longstanding friendship, and they want to help students who might want to explore their options.

Knapp said, “Statistics prove time and time again the better education you have, the better the income is.” He said that the program wants students to explore their educational

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opportunities, or ad to the education and experiences they already have.

“Our sole purpose is to help people get a job and to help drive economic development through hands on training. People who get in fields get degrees but don’t have experience. Students come to us to learn something and to see if they like a program.” Knap said the main purposes behind Francis Tuttle are to get students more educational and career hands on experience.

Roderick Wright, a career transition specialist from Francis Tuttle, recently began working in a UCO office to advise students of UCO and Francis Tuttle who want to become involved in the career training program.

“Instead of universities and career tech centers being viewed as opposites, this partnership is trying to help bridge the gap,” Wright said.

“Whatever the college needs, Francis Tuttle could be able to provide more practical skills for students.”

Wright said the schools are still considering the benefits that a partnership will bring. There is not a set date or specific time interested students can begin to ask about Francis Tuttle. Since Wright is available, students can contact him to get advisement and more information they need regarding the program.

UCO Offers New Sustainability Minor Wesley Davis

@WesleyRyanD Contributing Writer

The University of Central Oklahoma is adding a new minor in Sustainability Studies to the course catalog starting this coming fall semester to educate students on taking care of the environment ecologically and socially as well as expand their qualifications in their respective careers.

Dr. Katrina Lacher, UCO professor and faculty advisor for the minor, first proposed the new minor in early January 2015 after discussing increased student interest in the environment and long term effects of society.

She worked on this proposal with Tim Tillman, who at the time was the Director of Sustainability at UCO. Since then, Eric Hemphill has taken over as the new Director of Sustainability and carried on with Dr. Lacher to see this minor through.

This was the second time a minor in sustainability was proposed. The first time, being years prior, the minor was never able to get the approval to move forward.

Dr. Lacher said that the most

Two recycling cans sit on the east end of the University of Oklahoma campus. UCO is adding a Sustainability minor to the university's minor options to teach students how to be more ecologically vigilant. (Cara Johnson/ The Vista).

challenging part of starting a new minor was building the curriculum, but after over two years of working towards implementing the minor, the goal is to get the word out to students that the minor is available and grow to provide more opportunities for students.

The minor is built around courses in Geography, History, Leadership, Political Science and Sociology. Almost all of these classes are already taught at UCO with only a couple exceptions of newly added classes.

“Some of the students here have already completed enough of these courses required to obtain the minor and probably do not even know it,” Dr. Lacher said when asked about the course requirements.

Dr. Lacher is currently working on creating scholarships for Sustainability Studies minors and hopes to grow the program in the next few years to open up the possibility for grants.

She also plans to bring a number of guest speakers from all over the region to campus to talk to students.

UCO is not the first school to implement a Sustainability Studies minor. With organizations like the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, sustainability is taught across the country in smaller schools like UCO and in larger schools like University of California, Los Angeles.

Students can enroll in the classes and declare a minor in Sustainability Studies now.

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As of this weekend, there is only one week left until my wedding.

Things are going pretty smooth for now, but I’m prepared for chaos.

I still feel like there is so much left to do. I have to paint some decorations, order chairs, make the cupcake stand, and somewhere in between all of that I have to pack all of my belongings for the big move.

My mom and I finally picked up my dress from the seamstress.

As I was standing there looking at myself in the mirror I felt like the dress was wearing me instead of the other way around. It felt like a costume with a life of its own.

The longer I stared in the mirror, the more flaws I could find on myself. I didn’t feel good enough for this designer gown.

The seamstress kept telling me

The Vista

how flat my tummy looked but the dress was just so tight I could barely breathe. I felt like I was trying to squeeze myself into the mold of “bride” instead of just wearing a simple dress that made me feel confident and comfortable.

It got me thinking about the tradition of weddings and why we do them. My feminist side was disgusted that I would play into society’s ideals about weddings.

I felt like I was just putting on a show for everyone else. I won't just be representing myself, I'm also representing my family. I am expected to plan this huge party and make myself look magnificent so I can show my future husband and our families how good of a wife I will be. As if my value is in how many friends I have or in my looks.

June 19, 2017

COLUMNS

(Provided/ Carolyn Pickle).

However, the little girl in me wanted a big happy wedding, just like everyone else. I wanted to feel like I was good enough for 100 people to show up and see me. I wanted to feel like I was worthy of the big dress, the gifts and the heartfelt speeches.

But in the end, the seamstress did her job exactly like I asked her to. So after, I finished having a panic attack, we paid and left. I decided to just let

it go because there’s nothing I could do about it now. Plus, it really is a gorgeous gown. (And it does kind of make my waist look small.)

I know that Ben loves me for who I am right now. I could walk down the aisle in my pajamas and he would probably still cry a little bit. The most important thing is that I am going to marry my person, all the rest is just details.

The EICLU Discovers New Illness, Facteoprosis WARNING: THIS IS A HUMOR COLUMN. This is A fictional story intended for satire.

A recent medical study done by the scientists at Edmond Ivy League College University (EILCU) found that a lot of people have been diagnosed with a new brain illness called Facteoporosis [fakt-tee-oh-puh-rohsis].

Austin Faraday is the head scientist at EICLU, he was the first to discover the brain illness.

“I was immediately surprised that this was an actual illness and not just a character-trait that someone had. I mean, for years we’ve just thought that some people were born without understanding humor. Now we know it is neurons within their brain that doesn’t allow them to discern what is fake from what is real; Facteoporosis.”

Forty-two-year-old Harold Lepkiss was diagnosed with Facteoporosis soon after the medical study was published.

“It has stopped me from enjoying

a lot of things in life,” said Lepkiss.

“Halloween is a nightmare for me.”

Angela Burnstein has been the caretaker of Lepkiss for the past eight years, a job that takes up most of her time.

“I am just thankful that it is an actual disease,” said Burnstein. “He could possibly get a prescription now and make my job easier. Last year there was a prosthetics convention at the hotel we were staying at, lots of fake legs and arms and stuff, he thought it was all real. Mr. Lepkiss screamed and fainted, I had to carry him out of the hotel.”

Burnstein’s job requires her to shield most information from Lepkiss, from newspapers to fast-food restaurant signs.

“I have eaten at the same restaurant all my life,” said Lepkiss. “The sign said it had the best burgers in the world. Why would I eat anywhere else?”

Now that Facteoporosis is an actual disease, Faraday and the other scientists at EILCU have begun working on a solution to the diagnosis.

“We are still working very hard to find a way to solve this,” said Faraday.

“He thinks that any movie he watches is real,” said Burnstein.

“As a boy, my toys would come to life when I left the room,” said Lepkiss. “A lot of times my toys wouldn’t even be where I thought I put them because they would come to life and move around.”

“I made him watch Toy Story last year,” said Burnstein. “I thought that maybe he would realize that an animated movie is fake, that didn’t work.”

Lepkiss was recently fired from Chili’s because he had been serving alcohol to minors for almost the entire time he worked there. Lepkiss worked at Chili’s for fifteen years.

“He couldn’t tell which ID’s were fake and which were real,” said Burnstein. “Minors would hand him a slip of paper that just said ‘My ID,’ and he would think that it was real.

I’m surprised he didn’t go to jail.”

“Social Media has made me and my colleagues search harder for a specific vaccine for Facteoporosis,” said Faraday.

Social Media contains a large amount of information that is intellectually digested by its readers. Those without Facteoporosis are able to use

logic to figure out the real information from the fake.

“I keep Mr. Lepkiss away from all information,” said Burnstein. “He thought his toys came to life because he watched an animated childrens movie. Facteoporosis has made him not understand when something is fake.”

“I still live a fulfilling life,” said Lepkiss. “Once I get a letter to attend Hogwarts, then I will just learn a healing charm like Brakium Emendo; it will fix me right up.”

“It has stopped me from enjoying a lot of things in life,” said Lepkiss.

“Halloween is a nightmare for me.”

Political

June 19, 2017

5

The Vista

Trumps Cabinet Needs Stocking 419 Positions Lack Nominees on Trump Staff

Christian Tabak @vista1903 Contributing Writer

Nearly five months into his presidency, President Donald Trump celebrated the convening of his first full cabinet meeting last Monday. Yet with still more than 500 sub-cabinet positions requiring Senate confirmation, the entirety of Trump’s cabinet remains far from complete.

Mired in procedural delays prompted by committee Democrats and difficulties processing vetting paperwork from the Trump administration itself, Trump’s top cabinet positions were not completed until last month’s Senate confirmation of Robert Lightizer as U.S. Trade Representative.

While Trump has blamed much of the delays on obstructionism by Senate Democrats, his own delay in submitting nominations for Senate confirmation has played a significant role in determining the speed of the process.

According to the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit and non-partisan organization based out of Washington D.C., the Trump administration has only had 42 of 558 key cabinet and sub-cabinet leadership positions confirmed. Of those 558, 419 continue to lack nominees.

“While the top cabinet positions are usually the positions that get the most attention, without leaders in place to lift-up the agencies throughout all levels of the cabinet it hinders the administration’s ability especially in the areas of disaster response, infrastructure and health care,” said Mallory Barg Bulman, the Partnership’s vice president of research and evaluation.

Included among these key sub-cabinet positions are deputy and assistant secretaries, chief financial advisors, general counsel, heads of agencies, ambassadors and other major leadership positions that are essential to the functioning of individual agencies and departments.

“Plainly, the President can’t run the federal government out of the White House and secretaries can’t run their agencies. It harms our ability to deal with crisis,” said John Wood, associate professor of political science at the University of Central Oklahoma.

While harmful to the operation of federal agencies, these vacancies also stand to negatively affect state governments by limiting or reducing the amount of support offered by the federal government.

As Oklahoma continues to struggle with its own budget crisis, federal sequestration’s impact on military funding presents the opportunity to compound the state’s problem if defense budget cuts end up affecting

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 15, 2017, during an event on Apprenticeship and Workforce of Tomorrow initiatives. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Tinker Air Force Base.

“When defense budgets are cut, civilian jobs disappear at Tinker Air Force Base, for example. This may not seem to be a major catastrophe, but every employed person spends money in the local community. So, staffing government agencies has a multiplier effect on the local economy,

adding to the local tax base,” said Elizabeth Overman, associate professor of political science at UCO. The ongoing federal sequestration does not stand to improve by vacancies within the Office of Management and Budget, which is responsible for overseeing all federal agency budgets.

“This puts more work on the exist-

ing staff and some services may have to lapse because there is no one to carry out the necessary implementation procedures,” Overman said.

“When states like Oklahoma want to get federal agencies to aid in the provision of services that could enhance the lives of residents, federal agencies may not have the staff to meet the request.”

Another significant way that these absences stand to dramatically impact the Trump administration is in their ability to hinder the administration’s completion of key campaign promises.

As the administration works to implement major tax cuts, health care reform and infrastructure reform, vacant positions within the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Transportation can only serve to hinder these efforts.

“These vacancies profoundly affect the administration’s ability to deliver on Trump’s campaign promises,” said Bulman. “Without a relationship between the federal organizations and the administration, you don’t have the linkage to move forward with or implement these policies.”

President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, before having lunch with Republican Senators. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

SPORTS

June 19, 2017

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The Vista

Royals Put Holden Capps on the Map

Holden Capps, 6, prepares to pitch the ball during a Spring 2017 game against Pit State at the University of Central Oklahoma. Capps was recently drafted to the Kansas City Royals. (Provided/ Vista Archives).

Austin Moseley @Austin_Moseley Sports Editor

Holden Capps, a pitcher from the University of Central Oklahoma, was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 240th pick of the MLB Draft on Tuesday.

“I don’t think it’s really set in yet,” Capps said. “It’s been a dream since I was a little kid.”

Coming into the second day of the draft Capps said he didn’t think he would get drafted yet, but as more and more teams started to call him, he began to think his childhood dream would be fulfilled.

“It’s probably one of the best days of my life yesterday, if not the best,” Capps said.

The lefty from Lawton is the highest MLB draft pick in UCO history and the last UCO player drafted since the Royals selected Miguel Moctezuma in 2008. The previous highest draft pick was Guy Hardaker, UCO’s current women’s basketball coach, who was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 10th round of the 1984 MLB Draft.

UCO has now had six players taken in the MLB Draft.

Capps said his next move is to go to Surprise, Arizona, where the Royals have a training site. Capps will attend camps and then find out where

his career with the Royals will begin.

Capps wasn’t a highly-recruited player out of high school. He said he had a few Big 12 teams contact him, but nothing came out of it. But Capps wouldn’t be deterred and remained extremely motivated.

“I think honestly my biggest strength is my commitment and work ethic,” Capps said.

So Capps went to Redlands CC in El Reno, where he spent two years as the starting pitcher. After two seasons at Redlands CC, Capps decided to transfer to North Carolina-Charlotte.

During the 2014 season with UNC-Charlotte, Capps ended the season with the 11th most strikeouts per game in the entire nation. In his last year with UNC-Charlotte in 2016, Capps had the second most strikeouts on the team, and allowed the least amount of hits on the team of pitchers who threw at least 50 innings.

But, after a couple years in North Carolina, Capps found his way back to his home state of Oklahoma.

Capps said he felt he had a better opportunity to be drafted if he transferred to UCO. He also came back so his family could watch him play if it was his last time playing baseball.

Fast-forward a year later and Capps’ career is far from over, as his family now gets to watch him live his dream of being a professional baseball

player.

“It’s finally a reality now and it’s a very, very exciting time in my life,” Capps said.

Capps will enter a Royals organization known for churning out young talent. The Royals already have a stock of pitching prospects waiting for their opportunity to be called up to the major leagues. Josh Staumont, drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft, is a right-handed pitcher whose fastball can reach speeds of 102 miles per hour. Staumont is playing for the Royals AAA team, where he has accumulated a 3-5 record so far, this season.

Another pitcher Kansas City has sitting in its minor league program is Eric Skoglund. The 6’7 left handed pitcher, was taken in the third round

of the 2014 draft and has already seen playing time in the major league. This year Skoglund has gone 1-1 in the MLB, allowing a .333 batting average.

“I don’t think it’s really set in yet,” Capps said. “It’s been a dream since I was a little kid.”

SPORTS

June 19, 2017

The Vista

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Bronchos’ Backfield Ready to Run Wild Nate Baldwin @nbaldwin05 Sports Reporter

The 2017 UCO football team will feature a backfield of returning seniors to lead the way as the Bronchos look to have a successful campaign in the fall.

Stacked with Chas Stallard under center and running backs Clay McKenzie and Jake Gandara, the running game looks to be in safe hands.

"We've been in the system for five years now," McKenzie said. "We're pretty confident heading into the season."

McKenzie returns coming off a 785 rushing yard season with 13 touchdowns. Combined with Gandara's 606 rushing yards and 6 TD season.

Together, McKenzie and Gandara were responsible for 70 precent of the Bronchos' rushing yards per game and over half of the rushing attempts for the season.

The Bronchos look to build on those performances this season as UCO will have both proven backs healthy and available. "It's tough taking all of the reps at the college level," McKenzie admitted, "so it's nice to have relief through Jake."

Although both players get similar results, the two running backs have a slightly different style that brings their own flair to the game.

McKenzie, who busts through the middle of the line, powers his way forward. Leading him to a record eight games with at least 100 rushing yards last season. While the elusive veteran, Gandara, has made his mark with the ability to make defenders

Running back Clay McKenzie, 23, takes the ball from quarterback T.J. Eckert, 10, during a Fall 2016 football game at Wantland Stadium. (Provided/ Vista Archives.

miss, and can break a long run at any time. "It makes us difficult to game plan for," McKenzie added.

A hidden piece of both their games is the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. With a combined 235 receiving yards, Stallard should have a reliable safety net to throw down to.

Stallard looks to take over the reigns of the offense this year. It isn't his first though, as Stallard started the entire 2014 season and has shared the responsibilities over the last two

seasons. Passing for over 4,000 yards in his career and picking up another 1,594 yards with his legs, Stallard is a genuine dual threat.

"His legs help us out in our running game," McKenzie said. "The option game with him takes some of the defense with him and opens our lanes up."

Stallard needs only 648 yards to become the all-time leader in total yards gained for the Bronchos. But his team knows he won't be the one to announce it, "It would mean a lot

to him obviously, but he's humble," McKenzie said.

Coming into the season the three Bronchos say the only expectation is to give everything they have every game, and to take care of the football. "Having zero fumbles would be huge," McKenzie stated. "It's something Jake and I are focusing on."

A dual threat quarter back under center, and two running backs ready to charge ahead, the offense will have many weapons to choose from.

And while records and personal accolades may mean a lot to some; for these three Bronchos, it's all about winning. "That stuff is great to look back on, but our focus is on getting our team in the best spot to win," McKenzie stated.

The 2017 season looks to be an exciting one for Bronchos' football.

Lead by UCO's own three-headed ground attack. "We're roommates as well as teammates, we all push each other hard."

Running back Jake Gandara, 24, runs the ball in to the endzone during a Fall 2016 football game in Wantland Stadium. (Provided/ Vista Archives.