The Vista Oct. 09, 2018

Volume 116, Issue 26

the VISTA “Our Words, Your Voice.”

ucentralmedia.com vistanews1903 @thevista1903 @thevista1903 The Vista

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Machell Recommends School Consolidation Katie Standlee

@katiestandlee Managing Editor

School district consolidation in Oklahoma could result in saving approximately $27 million for education funding, according to a report recently published by James Machell, dean for the University of Central Oklahoma’s College of Education and Professional Studies.

“We need to find a way to get money into more schools,” Machell said.

“That was the main motivation: trying to generate ideas on how we could get more money in schools, knowing that we can’t continue to increase taxes all of the time.”

Machell began writing this policy paper over the summer and titled the report, “‘Right-sizing’ Oklahoma See “MACHELL” on Pg. 6

Joy Hofmeister, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, visits an Oklahoma school on Aug. 27. James Machell, University of Central Oklahoma’s dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, released a report discussing the possibility of consolidating school districts throughout Oklahoma. (Provided/Oklahoma State Department of Education)

Search for Next UCO President Continues Vy Luong @vy169

Reporter

The Regional University System of Oklahoma is conducting a national search for the 21st president of the University of Central Oklahoma after President Don Betz is set to retire next June.

According to RUSO Executive Director Sheridan McCaffree, the board is developing the advertisement that includes the qualifications for the applicants. They hope to finish it by the end of this week.

“RUSO will advertise widely in numerous higher education publications, including The Chronicle of Higher Education,” McCaffree said.

“Applicants will be advised how to

CAMPUS NEWS

Duvall and Mette Named Homecoming Royalty

See “HOMECOMING” on Pg. 11

apply in the advertisement.”

McCaffree said that an earned doctorate was preferred, as in their previous searches. They are expecting to have candidates from both internally at UCO and externally.

“It will be preferable to apply before the advisory committee meets on Dec. 3, 2018 to screen applications,” McCaffree said. “We expect to have a result in Spring 2019.”

The RUSO Board of Regents Chair Mark Stansberry appointed 19 members for the search advisory committee. The board includes RUSO Board of Regents members, UCO faculty, staff, administrators and students, as well as UCO alumni and members of the community.

See “SEARCH” on Pg. 11

UCOSA Expands Student Benefits with Shop Central Madison Bolton @TheVista1903 Reporter

President Don Betz holds a bundle of American flags to put into the grass near Broncho Lake in rememberance of 9/11.

(Regan Rosson/The Vista)

BRONCHO SPORTS

Bronchos Fight to Secure Homecoming Lead

See “BRONCHOS” on Pg. 12

The University of Central Oklahoma has paired up with businesses in Edmond to create Shop Central, a service which allows students with a valid school ID to receive discounts on select food, retail and other services.

Shop Central was originally launched in 2016 by former UCOSA president Austin Sheehy and has since been brought back into awareness.

See “SHOP CENTRAL” on Pg. 6

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the

Oct. 9, 2018

VISTA

CONTENTS

Conference.............................................................................................3 Around Campus.........................................................................................4 Shop Central/Certifications.........................................................................5 Machell..................................................................................6 Homecoming.............................................................................10 Homecoming/Search...............................................................................11 Bronchos...............................................................................12 Kicks......................................................................................13 98 Season................................................................................................14

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.

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Contents

STAFF Christian Tabak Katie Standlee Jonathan Goudeau Regan Rosson Megan Thele Austin Moseley Michelle Pennza Skyler Baldwin Vy Luong Yi Wen Wong Lauren Morris Madison Bolton James Jackson Derek Parker Teddy Burch Alex Brown

On the Cover:

Right: University of Central Oklahoma quarterback Will Collins celebrates after scoring a touchdown in a Oct. 6 home game against Central Missouri.

UCO win 33-26.

Left: Hannah Mette, representing Alpha Xi Delta, and Stockton Duvall, representing the Leaders Of Tomorrow, were named Homecoming Royalty Saturday.

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Online Editor Design Editor Editorial Cartoonist Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Sports Reporter Sports Reporter Adviser Advertising Specialist

Clarification:

Clarification: On Sept. 4 the Vista published an issue that included an article on the investigations within the Catholic archdiocese. This clarification is to state that St. Monica Catholic Church and Father Hamilton are not under investigation.

The Vista Weekly Editorial

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 thevista.ads@gmail.com.

by Skyler Baldwin

Conference

Oct. 9, 2018

3

Ethics Conference Address Tribalism Christian Tabak @CaffeineWallace Editor-In-Chief

Modern tribalism and its polarizing effects on society will be the major theme of discussion during the University of Central Oklahoma’s upcoming Media Ethics Conference hosted from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 10 in the Nigh University Center Ballrooms.

This year’s theme, “Modern Tribalism: Polarization and the Social Connect/Disconnect,” will include a panel presentation on polarization and its impact on marginalized communities, a question and answer session on ethics from a global perspective and a keynote presentation on social media and the First Amendment.

“This conference will feature something for every person on campus and in the community,” said Duncan Rowan, conference co-director. “Whether we know it or not, we’re all a part of a tribe, and it’s important to know how all these tribes interact in the age of social media.”

Tools of Polarization and the Impact on Marginalized Communities, the panel presentation, will focus on exploring the effects of social media on groups who are at risk for social marginalization.

“We want to shed light and give people a sense and a want to understand each other,” said Trevor Stone, conference co-director.

Panelists will include students and faculty members of UCO’s diverse student organizations, including the Native American Faculty and Staff Association, the International Student Council and the Student Alliance For Equality.

Olga Kravtsova, project coordinator for the Russian Press Council, will lead the discussion for the second presentation, Ethics from a Russian Perspective. Krastova will discuss how the absence of similar First Amendment protections in Russia impacts the media, according to Stone.

“That kind of changes things, so their media may not contribute the same amount to the tribalism in their country,” Stone said.

Ken Paulson from the national nonprofit First Amendment Center will deliver the conference’s keynote presentation, The First Amendment in Peril? This discussion will focus on the current state of First Amendment protections across the nation.

Sponsored by the Department of Mass Communication, the conference is organized by students in Endowed Journalism Ethics Chair Joe Hight's media conference leadership course.

The Media Conference Planning class consists of 18 students on the conference leadership team who plan the Media Ethics Conference. This year the conference will be held on Oct. 10 in the Nigh University Ballrooms. (Provided/Media Ethics Conference)

“I think the student leaders greatly enrich the conference in many ways, add their own touches that make it even more special and provide significant promotion and leadership,” Hight said. “It's important to me that the student leaders have ownership in the conference; that they are empowered to lead it.”

Made up of 18 students, the student committee responsible for organizing the conference covers each major decision from arranging for funding to scheduling the event’s speakers.

“This started as a group of five people who had no experience with conferences prior, and the cool thing with that is Professor Hight wants this to be ours and has really let us make all the decisions,” Stone said.

An early struggle the conference leadership faced was some concern among Native American groups with possible connotations surrounding the term tribalism. While the conference was using it to highlight the ways in which modern society can be divided, Stone said he understood where there could be room for misunderstanding.

“There’s been some concern, as people have associated the term with negative connotations with Native Americans and images such as the [Washington] Redskins and the like,” Stone said. “We’ve had to combat some things like that and let people know that’s not our intention or even what we’re really talking about.”

Hight said that the primary concern expressed had been in relation to the promotion of a separate Mass Communication event where the term tribalism was being used in a negative light.

In response, the conference consulted the Native American Faculty and Staff Association to get a better

understanding of the significance of tribes in Native culture, according to Hight.

“It also was exciting to learn that Dr. Mary Carver and David Duty, who teaches Intercultural Communication and Interracial/Interethnic Communication, are coordinating listening sessions based on the theme for the afternoon after the conference,” Hight said.

A reception will be held after the

conference from noon to 1 p.m. in the Nigh University Center Grand Ballroom A, where a video on the importance of the First Amendment will also be debuted.

“We’re shooting for somewhere around 250 or 300 people to come, but if only just one person comes, it will honestly be worth it because at least one person got what we were trying to say,” Stone said.

4

Oct. 9, 2018

Around Campus

On Oct. 2, students paint small plant pots as a part of the Homecoming Spirit Event Crafternoon at the Broncho Lake Clocktower. (Shelby Cargill/The Vista)

Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018 Lessons in Leadership Speakers: Ann Ackerman, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Business Roundtable, will speak in Constitution Hall from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Ackerman will share her perspective and ideas on leadership. Lessons in Leadership Speakers is open to UCO students, faculty and staff.

HPV - What is it anyway?: The UCO Peer Health Leaders will be in the food court of the Nigh University Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to discuss what HPV is and why it is important to students. Those who attend will also have the opportunity to sign up for an HPV vaccination, offered by pharmacists on Oct. 12.

SMART Recovery: In Room 322 of the Nigh University Center from noon to 1 p.m., the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will host a meeting for those in recovery. The meeting will help build and maintain motivation, learn skills for managing thoughts and will teach those in attendance how to cope with urges.

Life Skills Around Eating: From 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Room 328 of Thatcher Hall, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will have a group to discuss eating disorders and how to safely tolerate distress triggered by food. This is a free and confidential group.

National Coming Out Day Vigil: The Student Alliance for Equality will be at Broncho Lake from 7-8:30 p.m. as they observe National Com-

ing Out Day with a candlelight vigil.

Stories of coming out as LGBTQ+ persons will be shared and discussions of making UCO more inclusive will take place. The event is free and open to everyone.

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018 Media Ethics Conference: The UCO Media Ethics Conference will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in the Nigh University Center Grand Ballrooms, where the topic will be centered around modern tribalism. The goal of the conference is to address what modern tribalism is, the role of the media and how humans are disconnected even with technology which is supposed to bring us closer.

One of the speakers is Olga Kravtsova, coordinator of the Russian Press Council. The STLR-tagged event is free and open to faculty, students and staff.

Dr. Reid Weber’s “Complicating the Promised Land - Interpretations of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and Premodern History: UCO Humanities and Philosophies professor Reid Weber will discuss Hebrew texts originating in Israel from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the Radke Fine Arts Theatre. Everyone is welcome to attend the free event.

SPB - Karaoke At Noon: The Student Programming Board will have karaoke from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Blue Tent beside Broncho Lake.

Students who are unable to attend the SPB Talent Committee’s night events and are looking to take a break between classes are encouraged to come sing.

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 National Depression Screening Day: There will be free, anonymous and confidential depression screenings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the food court of the Nigh University Center.

Trauma Recovery: The Center for Counseling and Well-Being will have a workshop from 2-3 p.m. in Room 328 of Thatcher Hall that is designed to help understand trauma and provide coping strategies to manage symptoms.

Stress Paws: Students looking to relieve stress can go to the fourth floor of the Nigh University Center from 3-5 p.m. where therapy dogs will be located.

Behavioral Neuroscience Guest Lecture: From 5-6:15 p.m. in Education Building Room 101, students can attend the Brain Science Fair. Students who attend will learn about the classic, as well as the latest research studies in the field of Behavioral Neuroscience.

Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 HPV Vaccinations: Those who signed up for HPV Vaccinations on Tuesday at the UCO Peer Health Leaders event can receive their vaccination from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Will Rogers Room 421 of the Nigh University Center.

UCO CJ Day: From 12:30-2:30 p.m. in UCO parking lot six, representatives from local, county, state and federal criminal justice agencies will be at UCO to talk with students interested

in the profession. Students interested in criminal justice are encouraged to talk with these representatives.

Connections Group: In Room 322 of the Nigh University Center from 2-3 p.m. students can learn how to get involved with organizations on campus.

Capture the Flag SIG:The Capture the Flag SIG is a CS Special Interest Group is hosting a meeting from 5-6 p.m. in Room 115 of the Math and Computer Science building. This group works with penetration testing tools and CTF competitions. Those attending are told to bring a laptop and an 8 GB USB drive.

Asian Moon Festival: The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Asian American Student Association will host the 17th annual Asian Moon Festival from 6-8 p.m. at Plunkett Park. UCO students, faculty, staff and the Edmond and Oklahoma City community are invited to the Moon Festival.

UCO Volleyball vs. Central Missouri: The UCO volleyball team will face the Central Missouri Jennies at 6 p.m. in the Hamilton Field House in an MIAA conference matchup.

UCO is ranked No. 19 and is 19-4 this year.

UCO Soccer vs. Emporia State: The UCO soccer team plays Emporia State at 7 p.m. at Tom Thompson Field. UCO is 12-0 this season, the longest win streak in UCO history, and is the No. 16 team in the country.

Shop Central/Certifications

Oct. 9, 2018

5

UCOSA Expands Student Benefits with Shop Central Continued from Pg. 1 UCOSA President Remington Dean said he feels this program is important to bring back into awareness because not only does it help college students save money, but it shows the community the importance of UCO and its impact in the metro area.

Sheehy said the inspiration behind Shop Central came from Keep it Local, which connects locals with businesses around Oklahoma City. He wanted to get students connected with local businesses in Edmond in the same way.

Currently, 35 businesses in Edmond are a part of Shop Central and Sheehy said it is a great opportunity for them to prosper.

“Participation is free for companies as long as they offer some sort of discount to our students,” Sheehy said. “It’s practically free advertising to 17,000 students, so it’s a no-brainer for most companies to join.”

Through Shop Central there is a 10 percent discount for students at Pops, All American Pizza and Café Evoke. Flatire Burger also g ives discounts to students by offering an $8 student special that includes a burger, fries and a drink.

“I think students will use the discount for food the most and I can’t blame them, everyone has to eat,” Dean said.

Services round out the longest list with 18 businesses that give discounts through Shop Central.

One of the services includes auto services at Kennedy Tire and Auto Service, where UCO students can get $5 off filter and oil changes, as well as $5 off each new tire purchased.

American Self Storage charges students $22.95 for their first month of storage and gives 12 percent off every other month, while Mid America Self Storage gives 10 percent off each month’s rent.

Discounts in health services are given at Beyond Esteem Therapeutic Massage, CrossFit OKC, Edmond Crossfit, Live Well Massage Therapy and Wellness Center, One Focus Medical and Profile

by Sanford.

Trinity Lawns gives students 10 percent off any lawn services with a valid student ID. Discounts are given for retail around Edmond as well, supporting local boutiques like The Pink Petal, Retropolitan, Kickoff Couture and Head Over Heels Boutique.

Sam’s Club in Edmond also gives you a $15 dollar gift-card when signing up with a UCO ID. Backpacks With A Purpose gives students free shipping when ordering online and Sherry’s Drug gives 10 percent off all over-the-counter products.

Dean said he hopes to concentrate on this program during his time as president and persuade more business to join Shop Central.

Oklahoma Increases Emergency Teacher Certifications in Response to Shortage Yi Wen Wong @TheVista1903 Reporter

The number of emergency certified teachers in the state of Oklahoma has increased since 2015 to assist in the lack of certified teachers.

According to statistics on ok.gov, the number of educators with issued emergency certification by area and district was 69 during the 2007-08 school year. The amount has increased to 2,153 between 2017-2018 and is still increasing.

“The large number of emergency certified teachers in Oklahoma is very bad news because this reflects a severe shortage of certified teachers who are properly prepared and competent to teach children,” said James Machell, dean of University of Central Oklahoma College of Education and Professional Studies.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education, emergency certification should only be requested when the district has exhausted every option to find an appropriately certified person for the open position.

“They may have good classroom management skills or are good with kids, but they might not know how to teach,” Machell said.

The UCO College of Education is working to elevate the teaching profession so that it is more at-

tractive, which might lead to increased enrollment in teacher preparation programs, Machell said. This would lead to a reduction in the need for emergency certified teachers.

“Most emergency certified teachers have little or no training in how to teach and how students learn,” Machell said.

June Chong, a CEPS alumna who is currently a pre-K teacher in Oklahoma, said that she thinks it is more unfair for the children compared to the certified teachers because they should get teachers who have the education and knowledge to teach them.

“I believe it makes a difference having a teacher who has been certified in education and understands appropriate methods and ways to teach children compared to one who has not,” Chong said. “It will definitely impact the students learning and classroom environment.”

The OSDE stated that in 2008 Oklahoma’s state minimum teacher salary was $31,600 for first year teaching for bachelors degree holders and $32,800 for masters degree holders back then in 2008 and 10 years later those numbers remain the same.

Due to the shortage of certified teachers, emergency certified teachers are in the need. Emergency teacher certification is approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Education, which only requires a two step process to apply.

On Sept. 27 UCOSA tweeted this photo to let students at the University of Central Oklahoma know about all the shops they are partnered with for students to recieve student discounts. (Provided/UCOSA)

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Oct. 9, 2018

Machell

Machell Recommends School Consolidation Continued from Pg. 1

Districts.” Within, Machell examined district size, enrollment and superintendent compensation in Oklahoma school districts.

Through Machell’s recommendation, the school districts that have less than 1,000 students in their district would be consolidated into nearby school districts that have more students.

As of last year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education showed that 391 of the 525 districts in the state had less than 1,000 students. Within that 391, 282 districts had less than 500 and 29 districts had less than 100 students.

“I found that there were four other states that were very similar to Oklahoma, each having about 700,000 students in the state,” Machell said. “Of these, all of them have between 160 and 220 school districts, so most of them have about 200 school districts. We have got 600, three times as many.”

This data Machell found regarding the similar states is from the National Center for Educational Sta-

tistics 2015-16 report that included Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Utah.

That same report from NCES showed that Oklahoma averaged 1,141 students per district while the average between the other four states was 3,736.

“While the total number of students and number of schools are similar across these five states, Oklahoma has a disproportionately large number of districts which serve a disproportionately small number of students,” Machell said in the report.

There are, however, some issues with consolidating school districts.

Machell said in his report that a majority of these school districts are in rural areas, and local citizens of these areas fear that losing their school district will erode the vitality of the many struggling rural communities in the state.

“What I am suggesting in this study to most people is common sense, it just makes perfect sense; it seems like we are wasting money by having too many small school districts,” Machell said. “Yet these ideas are not popular with those who are in real small communities around the state.”

On April 2, during the Oklahoma teacher walkout teachers stand outside the state capitol with signs in protest of the current education budget. (Regan Rosson/The Vista)

Machell said it would be a loss of identity as well for that community, because they are connected to their school district, and for some it is difficult because some districts that would consolidate together are rivals.

Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, chair for the Senate Education Committee said he is sure the data in the report is correct in saying that the state could save $27 million a year, and the benefit to students in consolidating districts would be good.

However, there are two main difficult areas in consolidating.

Stanislawski said the first difficulty is that in parts of the state, such as western Oklahoma where there has already been consolidation, there are still school districts with just a couple hundred students, and they live many miles away from another school district.

“In practice, we would have to be much more careful on the distance between districts before requiring the districts to consolidate,” Stanislawski said.

The other difficulty is looking at the size of the school district, Stanislawski said. Instead, he said the students outcome should be taken into consideration.

Schools are reviewed on a grade scale of A-F, and that is how Stanislawski proposes schools should be viewed in consolidation.

“It’s not just focusing on small districts, but what district has the best

outcomes for students whether they are small or large, and those that do not have good outcomes direct some type of change to a district that has better outcomes,” Stanislawski said.

Superintendents are not typically in favor of consolidating school districts, and that is largely because for some this directly impacts their school. Both Stanislawski and Machell said this is partly why legislators don’t back consolidation politically, because several representatives are from these smaller communities. “[Consolidation] would require laws or rules to be passed by elected leaders in the state and they are not prone to doing these kinds of things because it makes them unpopular with their constituents,” Machell said.

Stanislawski said consolidating is politically very difficult to do, but he thinks the report might help.

“Any time that you can offer data for proposing change I think it is very helpful, but it won’t necessarily cause that much change that legislators will go ahead and support it when they have not in the past,” Stanislawski said.

Over the years some school districts have consolidated in Oklahoma, but this type of consolidation is not currently backed politically amongst all of the legislators.

“What I am advocating for is a pretty big change and it would also represent a shift in culture,” Machell said.

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October 10 Modern Tribalism

Polarization and the Social Connect/Disconnect

Media Ethics Conference Speakers 9 a.m. to noon in Nigh Grand Ballrooms B & C • Tools of Polarization and the Impact on Marginalized Communities • Ethics from a Russian Perspective • The First Amendment in Peril?

Reception noon to 1 p.m. in Nigh Grand Ballroom A

Scott Williams

CEO and Chief Solutions Officer of NxtLevel Solutions

Ken Paulson

President of the First Amendment Center

Mary Carver, Ph.D. UCO Mass Communication Department Chair

Olga Kravtsova, Ph.D. Project Coordinator of the Russian Press Council

Don Betz, Ph.D.

President of the University of Central Oklahoma

10

Oct. 9, 2018

Homecoming

Top Right: The Beta Upsilon Chi, BYX, fraternity performs on Oct. 4 during the first night of Cheer and Dance. BYX won first place in the male organizations category.

(Samantha Karbelk/The Vista) Bottom Left: At the UCO Wellness Center on Sept. 30th, a group of UCO students celebrate during the dodgeball tournament that is held during Homecoming. (Karyn Chrisman/The Vista) Above: Queen Hannah Mette, representing the women of Alpha Xi Delta, King Stockton Duvall, representing the Leaders Of Tomorrow, Kalen Russell, 2017 Homecoming Queen, and Cash Deitz, 2017 Homecoming King pose for a photo during halftime at the Football game on Oct. 6. (Gerald Leong/The Vista)

Homecoming/Search

Oct. 9, 2018

11

Homecoming King and Queen Crowned Austin Moseley @Austin_Moseley Online Editor

The University of Central Oklahomas 2018 Homecoming King and Queen were announced Saturday, with Stockton Duvall and Hannah Mette taking the crowns.

“It means a lot that the students put their trust in me,” Duvall said. “It really means a lot that they would vote me as their king.”

Duvall is the former UCO student body president and is currently a part of Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT), which he represented in homecoming.

“Through all of those, they’ve connected me with new people [and gave me] better connections,” Duvall said.

“I'm just extremely thankful for those organizations.”

When Mette, who represented Alpha Xi Delta during Homecoming, heard that she had won, her mouth dropped.

“Being homecoming queen is just everything that it means to be a Broncho,” Mette said. “It’s amazing that they saw that in me, and that [the students] see that I have the qualities of what it means to be a Broncho.”

Mette started her college life as the executive director of the now-defunct Freshman Activities Board. She was immediately thrust into the Broncho life, and it started to snowball into other areas.

Pike competed in the homecoming Cheer and Dance competition bringing the crowd to their feet. (Samantha Karbelk/The Vista)

“When I joined my freshman year, I never imagined that I would be here my senior year,” Mette said. “It’s just crazy to look back at all of the organizations I was in these past three years; just truly giving my time and having quality relationships built with people.”

Being named the homecoming queen was the last thing Mette expected.

“I'm so proud to represent UCO,” Mette said. “It’s really exciting that a school that’s shaped my life, I now get to represent in that way.”

Both Duvall and Mette said they developed close bonds with the other candidates and would have been happy with any outcome.

“Truthfully, if I would have lost to any of the other candidates, I would have been OK with it,” Duvall said.

“They are four individuals who have given all four years to UCO and have

devoted a lot of time.”

Having been a part of UCO Leadership Academy, Alpha Xi Delta, and leadership ambassador, among other organizations, Mette said she’s just proud to be a Broncho.

“All of those areas, they really shaped my entire experience and my entire view of what it means to go to UCO,” Mette said.

A week of events revolving around UCO's 101st homecoming theme, "Cirque Du Central," worked to raise funds and support for this year's philanthropy, Ally's House. This nonprofit organization provides financial support to pediatric cancer families in Oklahoma.

Throughout the week, students volunteered and collected donations for Ally's House. The Homecoming Activities Board announced Sunday night that $19,567.49 was raised for Ally's House, $8,000 more than what

was raised last year.

One of the events that helped raised money was Giveback Night at the Garage, where a portion of the proceeds went to the philanthropy. The annual cheer and dance competition was another large event that raised money over Thursday and Friday, which was the first time the competition has been split into two days.

Students could attend the competition for free if they acquired tickets beforehand, while others paid $5. The cheer and dance competition involved different organizations around campus performing a dance routine with a short cheer. Organizations involved were split into three categories: male, female and mixed gender.

Last year, Sigma Tau Gamma won the competition and had a video of their performance go viral, currently with 6.6 million views on Facebook, in an effort to raise money for Special Olympics.

This year's winners were Beta Upsilon Chi for the male organization, Sigma Kappa for the female organization and the President's Leadership Council for the mixed gender organization.

Other events held throughout the week included the Bronze and Blueberry Breakfast, Bronchtoberfest, Rock the Block, crafts by Broncho Lake, the homecoming carnival and football game.

Search for Next UCO President Continues Continued from Pg. 1 “Their role is to help the board manage a productive search process while demonstrating concern for the diversity of interests affected by the search,” McCaffree said. “They will screen applications and recommend candidates to be interviewed by the regents.”

She said that with the diversity of the committee, those members will bring the knowledge of UCO and connect that with the community as a whole, as well as maintain the confidentiality of the search.

UCO Student Association President Dean Remington, a member of the advisory committee, said that they will have their first meeting later this month.

UCO President Don Betz will retire June 30, 2019. Next year will mark Betz’s 49th year of working in higher education.

“I've reached a certain age when most people are already retired, and

President Don Betz pushes an American flag into the grass near Broncho Lake on Sept. 11 in rememberance of those lost and wounded in 2001. A nationwide search is currently being conducted for Betz’s successor following his retirement announcement in June. (Regan Rosson/The Vista)

so probably later than most of my colleagues,” Betz said. “[After I retire], I have opportunity spend more time with [my family] and to do some other activities and some travel.”

He said that although he is not a member of the committee, he will assist them with anything he can.

“President Betz has done an outstanding job growing the engagement of UCO’s students, faculty, alumni and donors. His forward thinking, collaborative research and increasing STEM graduates is evidenced with the new Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Research Center,” Stansberry said in a

press release. “We anticipate the next president will continue building on this innovation for the future of our students and the state’s workforce.”

The RUSO Board of Regents is the entity that has the sole power to choose the president for the six universities they govern including UCO.

12

Oct. 9, 2018

Bronchos

SPORTS

Mules Get Bucked By Bronchos

The University of Central Oklahoma quarterback Will Collins breaks a tackle during a Oct. 6 home game gainst Central Missouri. Collins threw for 268 yards and scored five touchdowns in UCO’s 33-26 win. (Gerald Leong/The Vista)

Devynn Base

@TheVista1903 Contributing Writer

The University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos beat the University of Central Missouri Mules 33-26 in their homecoming game on Saturday at Wantland Stadium.

This is the Bronchos third win of the season, bringing them to 3-3 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play.

“This was a challenging week for

our football team,” said head coach Nick Bobeck. “I just want consistency with our kids...and if we’re talented enough, if we’re consistent, we’re [going to] win.”

The Bronchos came out ahead in the first quarter with a 48-yard touchdown run from starting quarterback Will Collins who made his first career start. He finished with 268 yards and four touchdowns.

“Our coaches prepared a phenomenal game plan that our entire team went out and executed well,” Collins said. “[We] still have a lot of mistakes

to fix, but the effort from everyone was there.”

After the defense forced the ball back to the Bronchos, Collins threw a 59-yard pass to Ronald Monroe to score the second touchdown of the game. UCO punted on their next possession, but the defense held Central Missouri back.

The Bronchos had to punt again on the fifth possession, but the Mules’ returner fumbled the ball on their 12-yard line where Josh Autaubo recovered the ball. Clay McKenzie ran the ball in from the 2-yard line for the third touchdown. UCO forced a safety on the next play to end the quarter 23-0.

UCM ran in three touchdowns in the second quarter, missing one extra point cutting the Broncho lead to 23-20.

UCO worked their way up the field in the third quarter and were one yard short of a touchdown before UCM had a 66-yard touchdown run.

The Bronchos managed to block the

Mules’ extra point field goal.

UCO had the ball with less than 50 seconds left in the quarter, but failed to come out with a touchdown, leaving them behind at the end of the third quarter at 23-26.

The Bronchos started the fourth quarter with a long drive and a 51-yard pass from Collins to redshirt freshman Mekail Hall. Collins threw his second touchdown of the game to Justin Curry and brought the score to 30-26 with around 12:00 left in the game, regaining the lead. UCO could not score a touchdown on the next drive and had to kick a field goal that brought the score to 33-26.

UCM had the ball on the 17-yard line with 1:18 left in the game to attempt to score. UCO’s Eli Hook had back-to-back sacks to regain Broncho possession. The Bronchos took a knee and won the game with a final score of 33-26.

UCO plays at Missouri Western State University for their next game on Oct. 13.

University of Central Oklahoma defense celebrates after forcing a safety during a Oct. 6 home game against Central Missouri. The defense held Central Missouri to 291 yards passing, nine below their season average. (Gerald Leong/The Vista)

Kicks

Oct. 9, 2018

13

Soccer Kicks Into First Place

Defender Kelsey Gordon, No. 3, prepares to kick the ball during a home game against Central Missouri. Gordon earned MIAA defensive player of the week. (Provided/Bronchosports)

James Jackson

@JamesDJackson15 Sports Reporter

The No. 16 University of Central Oklahoma soccer team remains undefeated after taking down No. 17 Central Missouri State University 2-0 at Wantland Stadium on Sunday in a top-25 matchup, and Lindenwood University 7-0 on Friday. With the two wins, the Bronchos improve to 12-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

“That was a big win for this team to know how good they truly are,” said head coach Mike Cook. “This team is capable of so much and they’ve shown that. They work together and work so hard. It’s a lot of fun to see them walk away winners after a game like that.”

Katie Killion scored the first goal in each game this week. Sunday she finished with two goals that came in the sixth and 85th minute, and Friday she recorded a hat trick. With her posting of five goals this week, she is now

Forward Asha Haile, No. 19, dribbles the ball during a Oct. 5 home game against Lindenwood. Haile scored two goals in the 7-0 win to help the Bronchos remain undefeated on the season. (Provided/BronchoSports)

the nation’s leading scorer this season with 17 goals.

The win is UCO’s first against Central Missouri since October 2016 when the Bronchos won 2-1. Killion scored the first goal in that matchup as well when she broke the scoreless tie in the 42nd minute. That was the first goal the Mules gave up in the 2016 season.

“Katie was good tonight,” Cook said after Friday’s win. “But so was the rest of our offense. [Kaitlyn] Asha was really good. The offense was aggressive and I’m really proud of the defense too for their efforts. For them to only allow one shot on goal tonight was big.”

In Sunday’s matchup, UCO only allowed nine shots, four of which were on goal, but none fell through. This brings UCO to 10 games this season where an opponent has failed to score.

The Bronchos have only allowed two goals all season, which both came from a winless Southwest Baptist University team in separate matches.

True freshman goalie Kelsi Gibson leads the nation in goals against, with an average of .121.

As of last Tuesday, UCO is one of five teams in the nation that remain undefeated in Division II, with the exception of University of California-San Diego, Grand Valley State

University, Columbus State University and Concordia University who have all recorded draws.

“The offense was aggressive and I’m really proud of the defense too for their efforts. For them to allow only one shot on goal tonight was big.”

Mike Cook Of the five truly undefeated teams, UCO ranks fifth behind University of West Florida, Bemidji State University, Barry University and Franklin Pierce University.

UCO’s next matchup will be at home Friday against Emporia State University, who is coming off of a 1-0 win over Southwest Baptist. With a 9-2-1 (4-1-0 MIAA) record, Emporia State is having its best start in program history.

14

Oct. 9, 2018

‘98 Season

‘98 A Season To Remember Jonathan Goudeau @Goudeau_jdg Sports Editor

Color commentator for KRXO FM and University of Central Oklahoma Hall of Famer John Fitzgerald remembers the 1998 season fondly.

He never officially lost a game.

“It’s the most special thing that I’ve accomplished as a football player,” Fitzgerald said.

His path to Edmond isn’t much different than some of his fellow teammates; it started somewhere else.

“I took a football scholarship to Oklahoma State in 1995,” Fitzgerald said. “I got there, didn’t love it and decided I was done with football.”

He then took a year off to compete in track and field, but it wasn’t the same.

“I realized I missed football and wanted to play again,” Fitzgerald said. “I had friends that played at UCO and decided to walk-on and had a great four years.”

Fellow teammates Todd Barnes, Claude Davis, Johnny Luter and Reggie Donner had stories of their own.

Barnes was a starting wide receiver for the University of Oklahoma in 1997, but transferred to UCO due to then head coach John Blake changing the offense. Davis, who is in the UCO Athletics Hall of Fame, spent time in the military before coming to UCO thanks to his connection with Luter as high school teammates in Lawton.

Luter, a two-time All-American and UCO Athletics Hall of Famer, blew out his knee in 1997, costing him the season. He came back in 1998 to spearhead the nation’s number one defense. However, it was Donner, an All-American running back that played at conference rival Texas A&M University-Kingsville that might have them all beat.

“He showed up to Edmond on a bus,” Fitzgerald said. “He went to a McDonald’s and called on a payphone to coach to ask where the school was and showed up wanting to play football.”

With new talent on hand and a healthy Luter, the teams’ expectations were high.

The 1998 University of Central Oklahoma football team prepares to run out the tunnel before a game against Northeastern State University. UCO won 36-10 to complete an undefeated regular season. (Provided/John Fitzgerald)

“We thought we were going to be good,” Fitzgerald said. “We were 9-2 in 1997 and we had a good nucleus of people coming back.”

They opened the season against Northwestern Oklahoma State University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school at the time, and only won 3-0.

“After that week we kind of thought ‘I don’t know how good we’re going to be,’” Fitzgerald said.

The next week Kingsville came to Edmond riding a 40-game conference win streak and six straight Lone Star Conference championships.

“We beat them like a dog 38-9,” Fitzgerald said. “I think after that we knew we had something pretty special we just needed to harness it.”

The Bronchos went on a run, outscoring their next three opponents 90-30 including a shutout win against Abilene Christian University. However, it was a week six game against East Central University that threatened to stop their undefeated season in its tracks.

“[In the] middle of the season against winless East Central, we had to go to overtime to win,” Fitzgerald said. “Close call against a bad team.

We had a players-only meeting after the game on Sunday night and talked it over. We never looked back.”

They won the next three games, setting up a season finale against 9-1 Northeastern State University with an undefeated regular season and Lone Star Conference championship on the line.

“We were right under the student section and they had T-shirts that said ‘Kick the “H” out of the Bronchos,’” Fitzgerald said. “[During] the opening kickoff they were chanting ‘overrated.’ Alton Lusk took it back 97 yards for a touchdown and we never looked back. That was a really fun game.”

The Bronchos won 36-10. With the undefeated season accomplished, they turned their attention to the playoffs. They got past Chadron State University in the first round 21-19, setting up a rematch with Kingsville. UCO would lose for the first time 24-21 in overtime,

ending their season.

“That was pretty bad,” Fitzgerald said. “We had chances to win that game. We missed a 37-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation. It sucked, there’s no other way to put it.”

Several months later, the NCAA declared 23 of Kingsville’s players ineligible, causing them to forfeit their whole season, which gave UCO an undefeated 13-0 record.

“On paper, we’re 13-0, but didn’t get to play Northwest Missouri State the next week,” Fitzgerald. “By the time the announcement came to us, we were probably focused on offseason football. It was the kind of stuff you go ‘oh really that’s great’ and then you just move on.”

Despite how it ended, Fitzgerald is glad to be a part of the 1998 team.

“It’s special,” Fitzgerald said.

“Going undefeated in the regular season is hard to do. You have to be good and you have to be lucky.

Sharing that time with those guys was fun. It’s something I will always cherish.”

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