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Volume 118, Issue 9 v
VISTA “Our Words, Your Voice.”
vistanews1903 @thevista1903 @thevista1903 The Vista ucentralmedia.com Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Inside UCO contact tracing
INSIDE
What to expect if you test positive for COVID-19 Jacob Silva/Sarah Hite Sports Editor/Editor-In-Chief
Absentee Ballots Information from the state election board on requesting, completing and returning your absentee ballot. See Pg. 7
Decision 2020 Section The Vista brings you coverage of multiple races, candidates and important dates.
Contact tracing, a technique used to isolate individuals who may have been exposed to a virus such as COVID-19, has been adopted by universities this fall to reduce the number of coronavirus cases on campuses. The University of Central Oklahoma outlined its contact tracing plan before the start of the semester, and the Vista investigated what that process looks like for the students and faculty involved, and what degrees of success the program has had. Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs at UCO, Adrienne Nobles, explained what a student, staff
or faculty member goes through upon receiving a positive test. The COVID-19 Response Team at UCO is a group of UCO employees, led by the UCO Department of Public Safety, who have been trained to contact trace in addition to their regular job duties. “When a report of a positive test is sent through our online reporting system, a member of the COVID-19 Response Team will follow up with a phone call to ask when they were last on campus, where they were on campus, if they were wearing a mask/were socially distanced, and who may have been within six feet of the person for more than 15 minutes,” Nobles said. Those who are confirmed to have
been exposed to the positive case must then be given their next steps from a member of the response team. The team reaches out via a phone call and asks further questions to ensure minimal exposure to the community. Recently a Vista contributing writer contracted the virus. Preston Poole said his experience with the response team seemed successful in regard to himself. “So I reported that I had tested positive for covid last Wednesday to the school via their webpage they have set up. Later that night someone called me from the school to ask me some questions,” Poole stated. Continued on Pg.4
Campus rides into biking challenge
See Pg.4-8
HIV Testing The university is providing access to HIV testing on campus for students who wish to get tested. See Pg.3
Around Campus Events are happening all over campus this week! Experience the Black Girl Magic Celebration! See Pg. 2
The Wellness Center is offering a free t-shirt for those completing the Biking Broncho Challenge. Those involved have the option of cycling on campus or cycling at home. (Chris Lomelin/The Vista)
Chris Lomelin Contributing Writer
The Biking Broncho Challenge reached 25 participants Friday at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Wellness Center by registering online to reach a fitness goal of 100 miles. UCO’s Wellness Center has updated its registry of students, faculty and staff for those who wish to participate in this month’s Biking Bronchos Challenge, showing as many 25 people signed up to partake. The challengers will need to accumulate a minimum of 100 miles of biking to complete the challenge within a span of five weeks. The Wellness Center is giving away
a free t-shirt for those who complete the challenge and log their results online before the challenge ends on November 5. The challenge is being spearheaded by the Wellness Center’s Intramural Recreational Specialist Brandon Bermea, who joined UCO in August and runs sporting events not associated with the university’s other athletics teams. “A lot of students here say that all sports are cancelled and think intramurals are under that as well, but we’re actually not a part of anything like that”, Bermea says. “This challenge is something brand new that
we’ve never done before here.” People who enter can cycle on their own at home if they have a stationary bike, at the Wellness Center or out on their own bikes. “All you would need to do is take a screenshot of your miles and then send them to me via email or through the online website,” Bermea says as he refers to imleagues.com, the site that participants first go to register for the challenge and how they keep track of their miles. “I will also personally keep track of their score, all they need is to make Continued on Pg. 3