UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
MARCH 2, 1999
STINKY LAWNS Weed killers coming...........2
BASKETBALL UCO ends season 15
ART FUND-RAISER Chaddlestone
BRONCHOS WIN
AROUND CAMPUS Campus happenings........8
COLUMN Cloning's bad 19
Dorm tenants to get fewer bites for their bucks By Jarrod Briley StainVriter
E
ager to offset costs incurred during recent dorm renovation projects, a UCO official announced Monday that student housing and meal plan fees would be increased. Although all students living on campus will be affected by the increase, those students who use meal plans,
It is very typical that food costs increase each year to keep up with inflation... —Cornelius Wooten, vice president of academic affairs
especially the flexential program, will be affected most. The flexential program allows students living on campus to purchase meals, and buy books and supplies with the remaining balance. Currently, the program costs $1,647 each semester. Beginning July 1 it will cost $2,083 each semester, said Cornelius Wooten, vice president of academic affairs. Wooten attributes the increases to inflation. "Research conducted by
• See FEES, Page 2
Baseball 16
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The Student Voice Since 1903
Driven mad students get another parking lot By Jarrod Briley StallWriter
U
nder pressure from disgruntled students, still fuming over the destruction of several hundred parking spaces north of Max Chambers Library, a UCO official said Wednesday that another temporary parking lot will soon be opened. The parking lot will be located at the intersection of University drive and Ayers, south of the 7Eleven convenience store, and will accommodate approximately 60 vehicles. The new parking lot will be the second temporary lot to be constructed. The first lot, located at the former driver's education driving range, was completed in midFebruary and accommodates approximately 200 vehicles, costing UCO $18,000 in construction costs, said Keith Weber, research assistant to the Office of the President. Leon Fourcade, parking services manager, anticipated the driving range parking lot, and a lot located east of Wantland Stadium, would amply compensate students for the
nearly 1,000 spaces that were The Hamilton lot will be open manager, in a recent Vista article. destroyed during construction. until next fall, said Leon However, Wooten said the However, students rarely use Fourcade, parking services parking lot may become a the Wantland lot because of its permanent distance from campus — nearly fixture at UCO, one half mile — leaving them depending on with the 200 spaces in the driving the location of range lot as compensation for the upcoming 1000 destroyed. construction Students did not care for that projects. much, said Cornelius Wooten, The Wellness vice president of administration. Center, or phase After receiving numerous II of the complaints from student who said apartment there was an insufficient number complex, may be of parking spaces, UCO constructed on administrators decided to the driving range lot, but if not, commission the construction of the driving range lot, Wooten said. the lot may But the complaints continued. become To further pacify students, permanent, UCO administrators Wooten said. commissioned the construction of T h e the new parking lot. construction of The land will be leased from all temporary the Wesley Foundation, a lots will be Christian fundraising funded by organization, for an indeterminate money generated amount of money, Weber said. from student Once completed, in parking fines. approximately two weeks, the parking lot will remain open until He emphasized the Wesley Foundation begins that no state construction on a new complex at —Photo by Shauna Hardway appropriated an undetermined time, Weber money was used. Steve Tracy smooths concrete at the new lot. said.
State: Schools may still 'wine and dine' legislators By Trent Dugas StaftWriter
I
f the UCO Brochos want
to give free tickets to members of legislation and government officials, they can now do it without worry from House Bill 1007. The bill would have prohibited institutions of higher education, including UCO, from giving away anything of value free to members of legislation or other government officers. The bill was not heard in the rules committee last week and has no chance of being passed for this
session. "The bill is basically dead and does not have a chance of being heard until next session," said Lisa Weddle, secretary to Rep. Russ Roach, D-Tulsa. Rep. Leonard Sullivan, ROklahoma City, proposed HB 1007, which stated, "It is in the intent of the legislature that no higher education institution within the Oklahoma State System of higher education shall provide the governor, any member of the Oklahoma Legislature or any officer of the state, county or municipal governments with anything of
value free of charge, including, but not limited to, any trip, meal or ticket to any sporting event." Roach, chairman of the rules committee, decided not to hear the bill in session, and said he thinks it is a private matter based on judgment of the legislators. He thinks everyone involved should make personal decisions on whether to keep anything given to them by an institution of higher education. "It's none of the legislators business and they should keep their nose out of affairs that do not involve taxpayers' money," Roach said.
Many UCO officials, including President Roger Webb, thinks the bill was not aimed at UCO in particular, but was created for other institutions. "I know where Rep. Sullivan is coming from and I don't think he envisions institutions like UCO because I am confident that he understands that a ticket to a basketball game is not going to corrupt a member of the house or senate," Webb said. "I took no position at the legislature on the bill, and if it had passed we would have lived
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