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THEVISTA
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2002
Homeland Security bill glides through House by Michael Larson ml@thevistaonline.co The much debated Homeland Security Act passed the house of representatives Nov. 13 by a vote of 299 — 121.
The 484 page bill, H.R. 5710, aims to pull employees from different sectors of the federal government into one central organization dedicated to preventing terrorism called the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Louis Furmanski, UCO political science chair, said now that the house has passed the bill, the senate and president will certainly follow suit. "It's a done deal," he said. President Bush said in an
address Nov. 12, "Our government's greatest responsibility is to protect the American people... and this requires Congress to create a new department of homeland security so we can better do our job."
Bush said, "The responsibility for protecting the homeland ... is spread out among more than 100 different organizations, and not
see security bill, page 3
Regents name new chancellor
Forum of discussion
by Mark Schlachtenhaufen ms@thevistaonline.com
Photo by Justin Avera
Junior, Derek England, waits for his chance to speak during UCO's re-accreditation meeting.
MO prepares for re-accreditation by Fawn Porter fp@thevistaonline.com The executive summary handbook for the Higher Learning Commission/NCA Re-accreditation Report says "accreditation is a means of confirming to its constituents and the public that UCO provides quality education programs." Accreditation and re-accreditation currently takes place every 10 years, and after an intense two-year self-study, UCO was well prepared to meet the Higher Learning Association of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HCL/NCA) by whom the university is accredited. Jarrod Noftsger, assistant to the vice president of student development, said each university goes through an accreditation process which makes the students degrees more valuable and marketable. Accreditation shows that a university holds itself to certain standards, Noftsger said. "It says that we must meet certain high-level standards, and that UCO does meet them," he said. Dr. Donna Guinn, assistant vice president for
the Office of Academic Affairs and co-chair of the re-accreditation committee said the last two years UCO has been working on discovering its strengths and areas of improvement in preparation for re-accreditation. Dr. Ed Cauliff, assistant vice president of academic affairs and co-chair of the re-accreditation committee said the two-year process has entailed a rigorous examination that was initiated in March 2000. Guinn and Cauliff said the study found five areas of strengths and opportunities for improvement relative to the HCL/NCA criteria. These five areas include: The institution has clear and publicly stated purposes consistent with its mission and appropriate to an institution in higher education; effectively organized the human, financial and physical resources necessary to accomplish its purposes; accomplishment of the institutions educational and others; continued accomplishment of its purposes and strengthening its educational effectiveness and demonstration of integrity in practices and relationships.
see re-accreditation, page 4
Dome Trivia
ms@thevistaonline.com OKLAHOMA CITY — Some 16,000 Oklahomans turned out to see the new capitol dome and to enjoy the birthday extravaganza for Oklahoma, which turned 95 on Nov. 16. Oklahoma City resident Lupe Escalante was there with her eightyear-old granddaughter, Suzanne, and Luis Sanchez. Luis said he came to the United States from Ecuador and has been living in Oklahoma since 1995. The Moonlight Serenade Orchestra played while Escalante described what the moment meant to her. "It means we are at a patriotic event. It means we belong here; we're all together, like a family. This is America and I feel like it is my home." Delores Williams drove from Tulsa. She arrived about an hour and a half early.
see capital dome, page 5 0., amisai 4,
DPS seeks more cameras by KristenArmstrong sp@thevistaonline. corn
Keating dedicates new dome by Mark Schlachtenhaufen
Increasing the number of college grads, making higher education more affordable and improving student preparation will be priorities for Paul Risser, the new chancellor of Oklahoma's state system of higher education. Risser will take office Jan. 6, 2003, succeeding Hans Brisch, said Harve Allen, the State Regents for Higher Education media relations director. Paul Risser Risser is president of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Allen said the search committee, chaired by Joe Mayer, recognized that Risser had bipartisan support in the Oregon Legislature. Oklahoma has a Democrat-controlled Legislature and a Democrat governor-elect. Mayer said, "We were particularly pleased with the bipartisan support that President Risser was able to receive in the Oregon Legislature." "We found ardent supporters for him in both the legislative and executive branches and we saw proof of the increased support for Oregon State over the past two years despite the budget shortfalls experienced in that state." Allen said Risser's desire to increase the number of Oklahoma's graduates will mesh well with Brain Gain 2010, a regents' plan that calls for 28 percent of Oklahomans age 25 or older to hold a bachelor's degree by 2010 and 10 percent of Oklahomans to hold an associate degree. In 1996, 20.1 percent of Oklahomans age 25 or older held a bachelor's degree and five percent held an associate degree, according to regents' information. Risser also plans to strengthen state scholarship programs such as the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP), Allen said. OHLAP scholarships help pay for eighth, ninth and tenth graders in families with total incomes of less than $50,000. To remain in good standing, OHLAP recipients must stay in school and keep out of trouble, regents said. Mayer said Risser has relationships with Oklahoma business and industry. He also has a strong interest in issues related to the environment, a result of his education background that includes several degrees in botany. In Oregon, Risser was chair of an effort directed at restoring portions of the Willamette River. Risser has family ties in Oklahoma. He was born in Blackwell and his mother lives in Tulsa. One of his sons lives in Norman.
December 16, 1919: Oklahoma City official state capitol. July 20, 1914: groundbreaking
ceremonies. June 30, 1917: construction completed. Final construction cost: $1.5 million. Dome would have cost nearly as much as capitol building. 1999: fundraising begins for dome. 2003: dome completed, other renovation projects completed. Final cost: $21 million. Dome weight: about five million pounds. Dome height: 157 feet. Dome diameter: 80 feet. source: Governor's office
Campus security is an issue that affects students, faculty and staff alike. But with the recent budget woes, the question - how safe is UCO? - weighs heavily in minds of all. "I would say we're the safest campus in the state," said Ted Jones, assistant chief of police for UCO DPS. He said they provide more than just the basic services to students. "We have less than a minute response time to any call or report," he said. The department also employs a beat system, where officers are assigned specific areas to patrol. This puts them in constant contact with students, faculty and staff, allowing them to build familiarity. "We are also very concerned with the residential areas," he said. Officer John Blair, crime prevention officer, said, "We have tight security in the Suites. There is not easy access." However, Jones and Blair agree improvements could be made to the security on campus. "It's not that we don't want to improve. There is a tight budget crunch and we don't have the money," Jones said. He said the university has had
monetary problems since the new Education Building and the paving of the Liberal Arts Building parking lots. "The University has been concerned with using most of the money to meet student educational needs," he said. Jones added that the security budget was increased several years ago to accommodate the hiring of more officers. "We now have eighteen fulltime, certified police officers. There are five dispatchers and five student safety officers," he said. All must meet high standards, and most of the senior officers have served as police officers in other locales for many years, he said. Jones said the department wants to expand surveillance capabilities sometime in the future. "Right now, there are cameras in several strategic places, but we would like to expand to places like the parking lots as well," he said. Jones stressed that any extra surveillance would not infringe on a person's right to privacy. "Our best security is everyone paying attention to what's happening around them, and contacting us if anything suspicious is happening. You can never 'cry Wolf' with our department. We will always respond," he said.
UC 0 fall sports enter the home stretch, some seasons have come to a close, some begin national tournaments and others, like wresling, have just begun — Page 6-7