The Vista Jan. 31, 2012

JAN. 31, 2012

Women’s Basketball

Oscars

The UCO Bronchos faced a steep challenge against sixth-ranked NSU in a renewal of the heated rivalry.

Page 7

The Academy of Motion Picture Sciences have announced the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards.

Page 5

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THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.

State

STATE BILL WOULD BAN FETUSES IN FOOD

By Trevor Hultner / Staff Writer The next legislative session in Oklahoma is set to begin on Feb. 6, and among the new crop of Senate bills to be considered is one aimed at a seldom-reported problem that pro-life groups say is rampant.

Ralph Shortey, a Republican from Oklahoma City District 44, wrote the legislation, Senate Bill 1418, as a response to a 2011 boycott of Pep-

siCo and other brands by over 30 pro-life groups.

The bill in its introduced form would “[prohibit] the manufacture or sale of food or products which use aborted human fetuses.”

From the text of the bill as it was introduced on Jan. 19: “No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human con-

sumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients.”

NPR and the Atlantic Wire picked up the story from the Associated Press and Oklahoma State University’s Daily O’Collegian, and soon the Internet was abuzz with news of the proposed legislation.

“1) is this real; and 2) is there any reason the bill might be needed?”

Bill Chappell, writing for NPR’s Two-Way blog, said last week.

There is a very good reason this bill might be needed, according to Sen. Shortey.

“Basically what they’re doing is, they’re using embryonic stem cells and these fetal kidney cells to gauge the chemical reaction that their ar-

tificial flavors induce,” Shortey said in a phone interview with The Vista last week. “So, obviously I don’t like that; I’m a staunch pro-life advocate. I don’t even believe in embryonic stem cell research for medical research, let alone for food, you know, for making food taste better.”

Shortey said he discovered the impetus for writing SB 1418 while

Continued on page 4

Campus

SEALING THE SKY

An worker from Alva Roofing Company seals the roof of the Mass Communications building, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

College of Fine Arts

VITAL SIGNS SERIES CONTINUES AT JAZZ LAB “Vital Signs V”, a multimedia art collaborative piece, will be performed by the College of Fine Arts and Design at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the UCO Jazz Lab. “Vital Signs” is the fifth piece in a series

by Dr. Keith White, director of the UCO School of Music. The purpose behind the performance is to demonstrate what art is.

White feels people who do not have anything to do with the creation of art have too much clout in the determination of what is art.

“As a creative artist myself, I’m a little outraged that critics and philosophers decide what is in the arts today,” White said.

“If you want to see what’s art, go see the artists.”

“Vital Signs” aims to do just that. The piece will include acting, music, painting and jewelry making, all in real time, throughout the entire performance.

White likened the collaboration to a three-ring circus. The stage will be filled with artists creating or playing art, giving the audience the chance to watch and focus on what they want, when they want.

“There will be more than you can take in,”

White said.

White also wants the audience to see the creative process of an artist.

“It’s very unusual for anyone to see an artist working,” he said.

One of the artists to perform is Charleen Weidell, chair of the art department.

Weidell teaches jewelry and metalsmithing. Weidell, a studio artist, has worked with White before in a live performance.

The experience of performance art along with the collaboration of arts is what intrigues her with “Vital Signs.”

“What’s really cool about this is getting faculty from different departments to make one piece,” she said. “The face that a work of art can be considered performance art is interesting.”

Another twist to the extraordinary experience is the face that the pieces the artists create during the performance will be auctioned off during the performance.

Stagehands will attend to audience members who want to bid on a piece by waving their program.

All proceeds will go toward scholarships for the schools of music, art and theatre.

The performance is free for UCO students, $10 for the general public.

What: Vital Signs V When: Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: UCO Jazz Lab How Much: Free for UCO Students

Daisy Nystul, chair of the Theatre Arts Department, and Donald Bristow, professor of Theatre Arts, perform during the Vital Signs V rehearsal at the UCO Jazz Lab in Edmond, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

WEATHER

By Adam Holt / Contributing Writer

TODAY H 66° L 39°

TOMORROW H 63° L 39°

DID YOU KNOW? In 1977, a tree branch that fell to the ground during Elvis Presley’s funeral sold at auction for $748.

More weather at www.uco360.com

OPINION

2

JAN. 31, 2012

THE VISTA 100 North University Drive Edmond, OK 73034 (405)974-5549 vistauco@gmail.com

Have you followed through with your new year’s resolution?

The Vista is published as a newspaper and public forum by UCO students, semi-weekly during the academic year except exam and holiday periods, and only on Wednesdays during the summer, at the University of Central Oklahoma. The issue price is free for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy obtained.

BRAD MARTIN

AMANDA TIPTON

ABDUL ALYAMI

Sophomore-Public Relations

Freshman-Nursing

Freshman-Engineering

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. LETTERS The Vista encourages letters to the editor. Letters should address issues and ideas, not personalities. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, with a maximum of 150 words, and must include the author’s printed name, title, major, classification and phone number. 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 730345209, or deliver in person to the editor in the Communications Building, Room 131. Letters can be emailed to vistauco@gmail.com.

STAFF

Management

Adviser

“Not yet. To see at least one person that I know come to Christ.”

“I didn’t set one. I’m not really one for traditional things.”

“No, I didn’t have one.”

NATALIE HOUTZ

WEI WANG

JAMES DIXON

Senior-Sociology

Sophomore-Nursing

Senior-Engineering

Cody Bromley, Editor-In-Chief Mr. Teddy Burch Christie Southern, Managing Editor Brittany Dalton, Copy Editor Editorial Bryan Trude, Sports Editor Ben Luschen, Staff Writer Garett Fisbeck, Photo Editor Josh Hutton, Staff Writer Mervyn Chua, Staff Writer Trevor Hultner, Staff Writer Graphic Design Michael McMillian

Advertising Kylee Turner Brittany Eddins

Circulation Joseph Choi

Photography Kathleen Wells Cyn Cheng Ling

Editorial Comic Evan Oldham

Editorial

NOT THE FUTURE WE EXPECTED

“I didn’t make one actually.

I never follow through with them so I figured it’s better to have a continuous lifestyle.”

“Yes, just to study throughout the school semester.”

“No, not really.”

In a recent speech given along Florida’s “Space Coast,” Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich announced his intention to establish a human colony on the moon.

“By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon, and it will be American,” Gingrich said.

In 2012, a moon colony sounds about as ridiculous as a landing did in the 1960s - yet we accomplished it then. Former Speaker Gingrich is onto something with the moon colony; in fact, in the last year Obama had to choose not to approve the funding for NASA to move forward on it due to budget cuts and prioritized spending.

Whether there is money for it or not, a moon colony is a good idea, if not for just the technological advances that will come from striving for it. The only unfortunate part of this equation is that Gingrich wants these wonderful advances to fall into the hands of private companies, instead of benefitting the public sector in a more open fashion.

But a lot has changed since the space race. Russia exists in a far more derelict version of itself and the threat of “the Reds” is practically nonexistent. In the United States, any funds not allocated to defense are constantly on the chopping block, including the things that would push forward the ability to create a moon base.

Look at movies from the 1950s and 1960s and it is plain enough. This is not the future we were promised. Flying cars and jetpacks aside, housewives were supposed to be able to clean their entire homes with the press of a button and the work week was supposed to shrink to just 15 hours a week.

Instead we live in a society where in 11 hours the average worker earns as much as an average worker from the 1950s would in 40 hours. Why then does it take overtime and multiple jobs to sustain the same standard of living people enjoyed 60 years ago?

It is clear that the recession has hit truly every nook and cranny of government spending, but in the race for cash the “space race” was forgotten.

Spending public money on space technology is not just a good investment now, it was a good investment we should have made four years ago when the economy began to fall.

By Evan Oldham / Cartoonist

NEWS

JAN. 31, 2012 Smoking

3

Opinion

SMOKING BAN STILL AFFECTING STUDENTS OVER A YEAR LATER

By Josh Hutton Perry’s Last Words

Photo illustration by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

By Shannon Moham / Contributing Writer UCO now approaches the year and a half mark of being a tobacco-free campus. The scenery on campus is much different than it was prior to July of 2010: students are no longer seen smoking outside of buildings and tobaccofree signage replaces signs that once asked cigarette smokers to do so at least 25 feet away from doorways.

So what else has changed since the policy has been in place?

Danielle Dill, assistant director at the Wellness Center, said the changes have mostly been for the better.

“The main thing that the policy promotes is healthy living,” Dill said. “The fact that students are leading these efforts speaks volumes for UCO.” Visitors to the campus have taken notice and complimented the university’s smoking free environment. Dill says that

the policy has created a more healthy, clean and safe environment. It has reduced fire danger, secondhand smoke and the amount of litter.

“Honestly, I have only heard a handful of complaints. The majority of the response has been positive and supportive,” Dill said.

Several students have emailed Dill to give thanks for the policy and asking for help with quitting smoking. The Wellness Center has provided information for students who want to give up cigarettes by providing counseling services and access to the Oklahoma Tobacco Quitline.

Sean Rose, a senior sociology major, said the policy has made him want to quit smoking.

“I think the tobacco policy was actually a good idea. I completely understand why it was implemented,” Rose said. “It

has affected me but not in a negative way.”

UCO is one of many universities in the state that are joining the tobacco-free movement. The trend is rapidly spreading throughout the state. Other universities who have adopted the policy include Cameron University, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma Christian University and the University of Oklahoma.

Dill wants all students and employees of the university to work together to enforce the policy.

“We should all take ownership of this policy and realize that we are all role models,” Dill said.

For more information about the tobacco-free policy and the services provided by the Wellness Center, visit www. uco.edu/wellness/tobaccofree.

LGBTQ

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES TO FILM “IT GETS BETTER” VIDEO NEXT MONTH

By Treva Yarbrough / Contributing Writer “As I laid there all I could do was cry. The pain was unbearable, and I was defeated once again. As a child I couldn’t grasp the idea that I made a grown man do something that terrible to me; I was at a point in my life where I wanted to die. Now, 12 years later, I am a lesbian. Because of my partner I have learned to trust again,” said a source who wishes to remain anonymous.

It is stories like this that have motivated the Student Programming Board and GATE to collaborate on an “It Gets Better” video.

The idea is part of a nationwide project called the It Gets Better Project, created by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller.

“The project was created in response to a number of young students taking their own lives and being bullied in school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” GATE President Brandon White said. “People all around the world create videos in order to show the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity that the lives of lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, queer and questioning youth can reach.”

Courtney James, assistant director of Campus Activities and Events, said the organization is trying to use all the resources available in this project.

“We want it to be a constant resource for the UCO community because we don’t have a GLBT Center yet, but hopefully this will maybe be one of those first steps for us to move forward towards that,” she said. “But I know one of the things we’re really excited about is that we are going to be the first school in Ok to produce an ‘It Gets Better’ video.”

The plan for the video is to showcase four main stories from students and alumni.

“We have a lot of other students that are either stepping up as members of the GLBT community or as allies that want to participate in the film,” James said.

White added that there has been an outpouring of support for the project.

“We have had an unbelievable turnout of support for the project from students, faculty and staff, and members of the

wider community,” he said.

Filming will begin on Feb. 15 and 17. Story submissions will be accepted up until the time of filming, as long as they can fit into the filming schedule.

“One of the biggest struggles I had was finding within myself that it is okay to be gay. Growing up, I was an avid Christian, and I grew up in a religious household. I was always taught, and I had always read, that being gay meant you were going to go to Hell. To me, there was nothing worse than going to Hell,” White said. “I basically felt like the only way for me to go to Heaven was to pretend to be straight. But then, how would I ever be happy living a lie? It felt like no matter what I did (be gay and go to Hell, or pretend to be straight), I would live a life of unhappiness. I couldn’t help but wonder... when would it get better?”

James has faith that the project can change lives.

“I truly believe that our students feel that they can change the world, and they are doing little things like this to make that happen so I think that they are very much empowered to make any part of the Central experience better for all members of it regardless of sexual orientation, or race, or socioeconomic status,” she said.

When asked what would be the one thing in the world he [White] would change if he could his response was: “I would make it where everyone has equal opportunity.”

When asked what saddens him the most about the world, White responded, “The lack of compassion in others.”

James said everyone’s story is different, though.

“I think that’s the point: you can’t necessarily pick and hold people into one particular thing to have the same results and I think that’s one thing we are hoping to showcase through this video,” James said. “Whether you’re gay, or straight, or transgendered, or bisexual it doesn’t matter because you don’t deserve any less sense of feeling or acceptance because of where you came from.”

As James and White believe, it is essential for students to become involved and speak out. In the words of orator and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

When Rick Perry rode out of South Carolina, headed to his Texas home facing the setting sun of his presidential run – it felt overdue. Yet since the governor joined the ranks of failed presidential hopefuls like Donald Trump, Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain, the race no longer feels fun.

We’re back to the drab contest of what lie on which candidate will stick in the minds of the American people.

When Perry was in the fray, every day news stories were brimming with Perry’s Old Faithful geyser mouth of misinformation.

He placed the American Revolution in the 16th century, forgot how many justices the Supreme Court has, claimed the voting age was 21 (it has been 18 for decades), accused the chair of the Federal Reserve was a traitor, that Turkey (a NATO member) was ran by Islamic terrorists, and that social security was a criminal enterprise. “As a former Air Force pilot, I don’t get confused,” said Perry in his final speech. Good try, Rick.

But Perry did have one good idea. It pains me to say it, but one gem did lie in the dense pile of crippled neuron muck that resides in Perry’s head.

This proposal comes verbatim from his now daisypushing campaign website: “A Constitutional Amendment creating 18-year terms staggered every two years, so that each of the nine Justices would be replaced in order of seniority every other year.”

The beauty of this idea lies in preventing aged political ideals from presiding over multiple generations. This also levels the political playing field. Each president would have the ability to appoint two justices during his term.

From 1789-1970, the average occupation of a justice stood at 15 years. Since that time, the average tenure has been 26 years. As the courts have become increasingly more powerful and political, justices have put a stranglehold on their positions. They hang on well past their time if a current president is of an opposing ideological persuasion.

Now, there’s also a growing threat for a president to appoint a younger judge who could have a half-century place amongst the Supreme Court. This would extend a president’s vision well beyond his term.

Richard Nixon appointed four justices during his presidency. Jimmy Carter did not get to appoint a single justice. The “Perry Plan” would finally level the playing field.

Every citizen would know that every President, every two years would have the opportunity to appoint a new justice.

Hopefully, the victor of the 2012 campaign will borrow from Perry’s moment of clarity.

4

NEWS

JAN. 31, 2012

State

FETUS BILL researching artificial flavoring and preservatives in food and their effects on the human body.

“I just really want to know whether or not it’s actually that bad for you, you know, so I’ve done a lot of research about this stuff for the better part of a year,” he said. “But I stumbled across some information about how artificial flavors are developed, and I actually stumbled across an article corresponding to a boycott of PepsiCo back this last November.”

The November PepsiCo boycott was organized by Florida group Children of God for Life. They were joined by over 30 separate pro-life organizations, including Operation Rescue and the American Life League.

Debi Vinnedge is the Executive Director for Children of God for Life. She explained that the boycott had been going on since March 2011, and that it was directed at the clients of Senomyx, a research and development company that the group alleged utilized aborted fetal cells in their production tools.

“We had written to Senomyx to request that they stop using aborted fetal cell lines in the research and development for developing these flavor enhancers for food companies,” Vinnedge said. “We told them, ‘look, we’ve read your patents, we know that there are moral options you could be using; please take the moral consideration of the number of people in the country who object to this and use the moral sources.’”

According to Vinnedge, Senomyx ignored the letter, so COG for Life wrote to each of the company’s clients: PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Campbell’s Soup, Nestlé, Kraft Foods.

“As we wrote to each of these companies, we found out really quick that, first of all, Pepsi had just signed an agreement, Coke had severed their contract after we wrote to them,” she said. “We don’t know why, though. They never responded to us.”

Additionally, Campbell’s Soup dropped their contract with the company because, according to Vinnedge, “the relationship they had with their customers was not worth compromising for bottom-line or profit.”

After a receiving letter from PepsiCo outlining the corporation’s relationship with Senomyx, COG for Life launched the boycott in May 2011.

“Since then, when we first did it, there were around 27 of us originally, now we’ve had about six or seven more that have come forward and joined it as well,” she said.

Vinnedge said that the boycott has gone international, with organizations in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland and others participating.

The group went back and forth with PepsiCo for a number of months, until several stockholders from the corporation that were sympathetic with the boycott’s cause filed a shareholder resolution with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in October. The SEC has not responded to that yet.

“What the shareholder’s resolution would do is it would force PepsiCo to adopt a human rights policy that would not allow them to collaborate with, or to conduct any aborted fetal research,” she said.

The boycott itself garnered renewed attention following the announcement of Shortey’s bill’s inclusion in the upcoming legislative session.

“So basically I’ve decided to take an idea and start a conversation with this bill,” Shortey said. “I think we can have an intellectual, or even ethical discussion about whether or not embryonic stem cells should be used for medical research, but I just don’t even think that the discussion should exist or should even be an option that these cells are used to make a company better profits, to make their food taste better.”

Vinnedge and COG for Life lauded Shortey for introducing the bill, but not without some criticism of it.

“Now, the wording in this bill needs work,” Vinnedge said. “Because it’s not a fetus that’s being used, it’s the cells from an aborted fetus, and so you have to be careful when you write your language that it’s written properly.”

Shortey said that his intention wasn’t to suggest that companies were using human fe-

tuses in their ingredients.

“I’m not suggesting in any way that somebody’s chopping up fetuses or that the cells are actual ingredients in their products, what I’m saying is that, through the development of their artificial flavors, they use – and I don’t know if they do this or not, all I’m saying is that, they have the patents – not PepsiCo, but the people that do the research for them – they have the patent, they have the patents with the federal government to do this type of research, which makes me think that they do it,” he said.

Shortey said that it would be a “public relations nightmare” if the general population found out about Senomyx’s alleged practices.

Senomyx was not available to comment, but Jeff Dahnke, a spokesman from PepsiCo, did send an email response to queries made

by The Vista.

“PepsiCo’s research processes and those of our partners are confidential for competitive reasons; however, we can confirm that PepsiCo does not conduct or fund research that utilizes any human tissue or cell lines derived from embryos,” he said.

Shortey has made it clear that the legislation is meant to be largely symbolic, and not tied to any sort of regulation.

“The committee version of this bill will look tremendously different than what it does now,” he said. “It will be a lot more specific. I doubt very seriously that I will put any kind of penalties in the bill, because you’re right, it’s very difficult to enforce something like this, and I don’t hold any illusions that the state will want to acquire the research papers of all these companies.”

Not everyone is as excited about the bill as Shortey or Vinnedge.

“It seems like a big unnecessary trap,” sophomore biology education major Jess Luna said. “Like, ‘cannibalism’ is already against the law. If they’re just using this for stem cell research, people aren’t going to say no to it, because then they [Shortey, etc.] can say, ‘well, you support eating children?’”

The satire site Foolocracy.com named

State Senator Ralph Shortey (R) wrote SB 1418 as a result of a boycott headed by Florida based pro-life group Children of God for Life. Photo provided

Shortey the “fool of the week,” saying, “The real goal behind this legislation by Shortey is to continue the war against science and put an end to any embryonic cell research. He is simply trying to rile up people’s fears and disgust with an utterly ridiculous claim that there needs to be a ban on eating fetuses.”

Shortey maintained his position with regards to the bill.

“This bill was written to start a discussion, you know, on an ethical – on a foundational principles basis, as most of us in the legislature are pro-life,” he said. “As pro-life people, do we really believe that life begins at conception, secondly, do we really believe that we should protect that life, and then thirdly, if we’re unable to protect that life, should we protect the dignity of that death? […] Those are the questions that this bill is going to ask the legislators and the entire state.”

The second session of the 53rd legislature will reconvene on Monday, Feb. 6.

State

STUDENT VOLUNTEER RATES ON THE DECLINE

By Mervyn Chua / Staff Writer The percentage of college students who volunteer is on the decline, according to an article in USA Today last week.

According to the article, 26.1 percent of college students around the United States volunteered in 2010, about on par with the overall percentage of Americans who volunteered that year.

How does this reflect on our generation if this is true? Brandt Smith, the assistant director of the Volunteer and Service Learning Center (VSLC) does not agree, at least from a UCO perspective.

“UCO has made it a concentration of the university and try to make it as part of the community aspect of this university that service for students is important,” Smith said. “UCO found value in service so they created an office that was the entire purpose was to provide information about volunteer work and service. I see a good number of students are utilizing our office to find opportunities.”

USA Today argues that service learning programs are tied to students’ majors and most offer credit towards a degree. However, students often start out “forced” to do volunteer class to earn credit for a class; they later end up having a relationship with the

organization they volunteer at. They realize the importance of volunteering and have fun in the process.

John Bolay, a senior majoring in Interpersonal Communication, says the importance lies in helping those less fortunate.

“I think the importance of volunteering is to help those that are less fortunate, to give back because we have all been blessed at different levels and should help those less fortunate than us,” he said. “I got a lot of satisfaction knowing that I was part of that group, or the satisfaction of improving someone’s quality of life.”

Jerrah Dee, a sophomore also majoring in interpersonal communica-

tion, says UCO does a good job at encouraging and assisting volunteers.

“I love volunteering and service in general; it’s one of my passions. I think UCO has a great reputation for encouraging volunteer work and service,” Dee said. “Since students know what’s expected of them, based off of the values taught here on campus, they really shine when they get chances to serve. I’ve really enjoyed all the projects that I’ve helped out with and am looking forward to a lot more, like Big Event in March.”

The VSLC is aimed at being a center of information and guidance, serving as a liason between the university and different community agencies with

UCO students. Organizations will contact the VSLC if they need help.

“We are a part of a transformative learning transcript program that UCO is undertaking, where when students graduate they won’t only have an academic transcript,” Smith said. “Alongside it you will be a part of something else, beyond studies, a student taking responsibilities in other fashions including service opportunities.”

UCO students can go to orgsync. com, sign in with their UCONNECT username and password and view postings containing information and opportunities for volunteer work.

NEWS

JAN. 31, 2012

5

HERE COMES AWARD SEASON

By Kyle Schwab / Contributing Writer On the morning of Jan. 24, actress Jennifer Lawrence and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak announced the 84th-annual Academy Award nominations.

Across all 24 categories “Hugo,” Martin Scorsese’s first family feature, dominated with a total of 11 nominations, including Best Picture.

The other Best Picture nominees include “The Artist,” “Moneyball,” “The Tree of Life,” “War Horse,” “The Help,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” and “The Descendants. This year there are nine Best Picture nominees, compared to ten in the past, due to changes concerning a few categories.

In the Best Picture category, there now can be anywhere from five to 10 nominated films, depending on how many films receive at least 5 percent of number-one votes.

Concerning the changes to the Best Picture category, Academy executive director Bruce Davis explains, “In studying the data, what stood out was the Academy members had regularly shown a strong admiration for more than five movies. A Best Picture nomination should be an indication of extraordinary merit. If there are only eight

Jennifer Lawrence, left, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak announce the best motion picture of the year nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The 84th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

pictures that truly earn that honor in a given year, we shouldn’t feel an obligation to round out the number.”

The categories for Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Visual Effects received some modification as well.

The Best Animated Feature cat-

egory is now a permanent competitive category as long as there are at least eight animated features released in the year. Also, depending on how many animated feature films are released will determine how many nominees there will be for the Best Animated Feature category.

Careers

REPORT DETAILS JOBLESS RATES BY DEGREE PATH

By Josh Wallace / Contributing Writer Most students in college wonder what the future holds for them, what their chances of employment straight out of school are, or the amount of money they might make. A report released in January by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce may shine some light on what students can expect after graduation.

The report, titled Hard Times, provides unemployment rates and salary information based on differing degree programs. The information is broken down by recent graduates, graduates with experience and graduates who have completed graduate school.

Recent graduates, as expected, have a higher unemployment rate and lower salaries than those who have gained experience in their field or pursued a graduate program. According to the study, graduates who participate in internships and gain experience working in the field associated with their degree, stand to make a considerably larger salary.

For example, a chemistry major post-graduation with no experience can expect to make around $32,000 a year, while an experienced chemistry graduate can expect around $62,000 a year, according to the report. Employment rates follow the trend as well, with a chemistry major facing a 6.6 percent unemployment rate after graduating and a 4.9 percent rate for an experienced degree holder.

The report also states that majors associated with certain industries might have lower unemployment rates, but not necessarily high paying salaries. Education, psychology, and social work majors may enjoy higher employment prospects, but have lower earnings than other degrees.

Internships can make a large difference for those wanting to make more money upon graduation. “Students who have more experience, or do at least one internship are going to make about $9,000 more, or they can ask for about $9,000 more, because it’s experience in that field,” Stephanie Scott, coordinator of internships in Career Services, said.

Internships are not only important for the possibility of attaining a higher salary, but depending on the degree, can impact your chances of employment.

“For example in public relations, or communications, if you don’t have an internship you probably aren’t going to work in the field you went to school for,” she said.

For students looking to maximize their opportunities after graduation, going back to school to attain a graduate degree may be a worthwhile option. According to the report, “Graduate degrees tend to outperform BA’s on employment in part because advanced degrees represent higher levels of human capital development and because those degrees are more closely aligned with career pathways in particular occupations and industries.”

Scott said when thinking about pursuing a graduate degree, there’s not just one road to go down. Students can forego trying to get a job after graduation and dive head on into graduate school, or if they need to work, attending graduate school part-time is an option.

Choosing a minor can also affect a student’s career opportunities after graduation. By choosing a minor related to the career field pursued, for example a business major minoring in accounting, students will be more desirable to employers post-graduation.

While the report was just released recently, Scott cautioned, “This is a good source, but the data is from 2006-2009 and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics data is at least a year and a half behind, we can only get this data to us so quickly.”

Scott said it is important for students to watch what is happening in their chosen career field and research employment data and other resources, so they can be better prepared when entering the job market.

For more information about the Georgetown “Hard Times” report, scan this barcode:

For example, eight to 12 animated features released in the year equals two or three nominees; 13 to 15 equals no more than four nominees; and 16 or more equals a maximum of five nominees.

The categories for Best Documentary Feature and Best Visual Effects did not receive such dramatic

changes, but were revised nonetheless.

The Best Documentary Feature category’s eligibility period has now been changed from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, to Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

This change basically means that now documentary films will be eligible for nomination if they were screened theatrically between the normal calendar year.

The last change in the Best Visual Effects category had to do with announcing contenders for the nomination. Instead of seven, 10 films will now be announced prior to the official nominations announcement, due to the expansion from three to five film nominees in the actual category.

The awards show, airing on ABC, will be held as usual at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 26.

Hosting the awards show for the ninth time will be Billy Crystal.

He replaces Eddie Murphy, who dropped out.

Last year more than one billion viewers worldwide tuned in to watch the Oscars. Only time will tell if the world stops once again for the biggest night in Hollywood.

For a complete list of all the categories and their nominees go online to oscar.go.com.

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CLASSIFIED

JAN. 31, 2012 CROSSWORDS

EMPLOYMENT

11. Someone who receives something on the promise to return it

Camelot Child Development Center 3 Locations now hiring bus drivers and FT/PT teachers.

We promote a very positive and fun atmosphere!

Please call for specific openings: Edmond-749-2262 Quail-254-5222 Deer Creek- 562-1315

12. Knowledgeable about literature 13. “Star Trek” rank: Abbr.

21. Hindu queen

Now Hiring

22. Toni Morrison’s “___ Baby”

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26. #13 28. “Do ___ others as...”

Advertise with The Vista Contact Kylie at 405-974-5913 or email your questions to vistamedia@yahoo.com for rates.

29. Merchandise 30. “Cogito ___ sum” 31. Stage in

JAN. 26 CROSSWORD ANSWERS 32. “No ___!”

1. Lockup

33. Recently born

62. Goat-like antelope of central Eurasia

35. Cantab, for one

5. Picket line crossers

36. “Father” in French

63. Carbon compound

36. Duck’s home

10. Accomplished

37. Formal systematic questioning

64. Strengthen, with “up”

37. Bug

40. Sundae topper, perhaps

65. Back, in a way

14. Small buffalo of the Celebes 15. Dejected 16. A little lamb 17. Independent federal agency that provides mail processing 18. Association of nations dedicated to economic and political cooperation in southeastern Asia

SUDOKU Puzzle 1 (Easy, difficulty rating 0.39)

1

7 7

9

8 6

9 6

3

3

19. Crumbs 1

4

5

4

8

5

7

1 8

3

2

3

9 9

5

2

5 8

3 6

34. Small songbird

Across

20. Structure consisting of the part of a ship above the main†deck

41. Apparition 42. Ace 43. Aardvark fare 44. Accommodate 48. Inclined to heel over easily under sail 50. Criticize, slangily 52. “Fantasy Island” prop

23. “... ___ he drove out of sight”

53. Turning a vehicle around in a limited space by moving†in a series of back and forward arcs

24. “Bingo!”

58. ___ Clinic

25. Dig, so to speak

59. Carpenter’s tool

27. Any “Seinfeld,” now

60. Trans-Siberian Railroad city

29. Reverse, e.g.

66. All there

In a survey of 5,000 singles conducted by Match.com, 43% said fresh breath mattered the most before a date, 17% said stylish clothes, 15% said sexy fragrance, 14% said good skin, and 10% said great hair.

Mars is home to the highest peak in the solar system: Olympus

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 20 inch tongue.

Dog nose prints are as unique as human finger prints and can be used to identify them.

Cats spend nearly 1/3 of their waking hours cleaning themselves.

LAST WEEKS ANSWER We are a stove, fire and smoke.

40. Decide to leave, with “out” 43. Affirmative vote

1. That which causes

45. Person who has received a degree from a school

2. Check 3. Used to prune small trees 4. Beam intensely 5. #1 song 6. ___ del Sol 7. Little, e.g.

8. Bridges of Los Angeles County 9. Harmony 10. For all to hear

46. Being 47. Emit a high sound 49. 86 is a high one 50. San ___, Calif.

51. Acquired relative 54. “... or ___!”

55. Formal expression of praise 56. “Ars amatoria” poet 57. “Little piggies” 58. Kind of rule

61. “Beetle Bailey” dog

RANDOM FACTS

Mons. This towering peak is 15 miles high (three times higher than Mt. Everest) and has a diameter of 375 miles (the size of Arizona). It is called a shield volcano because it has such a wide base and rises very gradually.

39. A goner

Down

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Mon Jan 30 17:57:44 2012 GMT. Enjoy!

During the pre-Halloween celebration of Samhain, bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return after the long, hard winter. Often Druid priests would throw the bones of cattle into the flames and, hence, “bone fire” became “bonfire.”

38. Apprentice

RANDOM QUOTE The highest tsunami caused by an earthquake happened in Japan in 1771. A tsunami 278 feet (85 meters) high struck Ishigaki Island.

The greatest verified age for any living organism

is from a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine tree in Nevada called Prometheus that was measured by a ring count to be about 4,900 years old when it was cut down in 1964.

Thousands of birds stop in Greece’s wetlands on their migrations. As many as 100,000 birds from northern Europe and Asia spend their winters there.

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Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society.

Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change - Ernest Hemingway

Check us out on the web!

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SPORTS

JAN. 31, 2012

7

Women’s Basketball

BRONCHOS OVERCOME DEFICIT, INJURY IN UPSET WIN OVER RIVAL RIVERHAWKS

By Chris Brannick / Contributing Writer The UCO women’s basketball team collected their biggest win of the season on Saturday, in an overtime thriller against their sixthranked rival Northeastern State.

Freshmen Chelsea Robinson missed a shot with five seconds left, but NSU didn’t get their shot off in time, which left the score tied at 65 heading to the five-minute overtime period.

Sarah Green made a layup for the first basket and Carrington Fox would sink two free throws to put NSU up by four points, but then began a run by the Bronchos. The Bronchos snatched a 72-69 lead after scoring 11 straight points, including a huge three-pointer

by Chelsea Harper. They would not trail again and finished victorious, 77-71.

“We were due to win one like this,” head coach Guy Hardaker said regarding the close games. UCO had fallen victim to these thrilling finishes on more than one recent occasion.

Hardaker was proud of the way the girls fought, saying, “They battled hard.”

NSU came to Edmond with a 17-1 record and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Hardaker.

“If they’re not the top team in the region, they’re second best,” he said.

The game got off to a start reminiscent of the last meeting between these old rivals - two weeks ago, NSU routed the Bronchos by 19.

Harper did score the first five points for the Bronchos, including one of her two threepointers. But fouls came early and often, five in the first four minutes, and the Riverhawks took advantage. They built a 12-point lead at the 13:20 mark after Jasmine Wright converted a three-point play with a layup and a foul.

Sophomore guard Jill Bryan answered with a three-pointer of her own and began a run by the Bronchos. Within five minutes of their biggest deficit, the game was tied at 24, when Autumn Huffman converted a layup while being fouled. Her free throw tied the game.

The teams went back and forth before UCO Jill Bryant (1) during a game between UCO and Northeastern State at Hamilton Field got a boost. Rachel New and Chelsi Dennis House, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

Opinion

THE BEN ZONE

By Ben Luschen Vista Columnist

PRO BOWL PROBLEMS A MATTER OF BAD DESIGN Every year I hear the same thing; this year was no different.

‘The Pro Bowl sucks!’ ‘Are these guys even trying?’ ‘What happened to the Pro Bowl?’

‘The Pro Bowl is broken.’ ‘How do we fix the Pro Bowl?’ Wah, wah, wah.

Do you want to know how to fix the Pro Bowl? Well, you can’t. Not in its current state, anyway. The NFL’s All-Star Game cannot be fixed because it is inherently terrible.

The game of football itself isn’t designed to be All-Star friendly. All-Star games are supposed to be fun for the players and the fans.

It’s a time to take it easy, goof off and most importantly, not get injured.

The effort in the NBA’s All-Star Game is equally as lousy, but at least there’s the occasional highlight dunk or a one-on-one matchup that gets a little intense. Football, however, isn’t a game that’s easy to water down.

Have you even looked at the rules for the Pro Bowl? No blitzing. No press coverage. No offensive shifts. Intentional grounding is legal.

The rules have been altered to the point where the game is no longer identifiable as football. It’s like an advanced version of Monkey in the Middle at best.

Fans want to see a more entertaining onfield product, yet at the same time would be up in arms if one of their favorite athletes was injured in a game that bears not even a single ounce of significance. So because the league can’t risk losing one of its prized moneymakers, we’re stuck with a yearly yawner.

I’ve heard a lot of people suggest playing a flag or touch football game in lieu of a fullcontact Pro Bowl. That would be interesting to watch, but I would argue the injury risk would be greater in these contests than in the

Pro Bowl’s current form.

No one really hits in the Pro Bowl’s current incarnation. If all of a sudden, however, you have guys running at full speed under the pretense that injury is no longer a possibility, eventually instinct is going to take over for these defensive players, and some padless receiver or back is going to pay the price.

The Pro Bowl actually used to include a flag football event. They discontinued the game, however, after New England Patriots running back Robert Johnson suffered a serious knee injury during play. Johnson was voted into the 1999 Pro Bowl after rushing for over 1,000 yards as a rookie. After his flag football injury, Johnson missed four seasons of football and was never able to perform at the same level he did his first season.

I’ve also heard people say that the league shouldn’t even play a game. Why disgrace the competitive spirit of the game, they say. Just name honorary Pro Bowl teams and be done with it.

That’s an interesting take, but one I completely disagree with. We already have these honorary, non-competing squads, it’s called the All-Pro teams. A non-competing Pro Bowl team would be redundant. Also, the Pro Bowl, which is almost always held in Hawaii, serves as a reward to players who have had a good season. Players like taking their families on the trip and meeting with other stars from around the league. We can’t take that away from them.

The Pro Bowl, my friends, isn’t broken.

Your expectations for it are. No one is making you watch the game. I’m pretty sure “That 70’s Show” is rerunning somewhere.

each hit a three-pointer to give the Bronchos a five point lead, 33-28. With 48 seconds left, Cristy Nitz sank a three for the Riverhawks to pull them within two at halftime.

The second half seemed to be identical to the first with NSU opening up on a run and UCO answering back.

“It’s a game of runs,” Hardaker said.

At the 11:49 mark, a Taylor Lewis layup gave the Riverhawks a seven-point lead. Bryan sank a three again to spark the run for the Bronchos.

Nitz led the way for the Riverhawks scoring 23 points, and grabbing nine rebounds. Also scoring in double figures was Wright, with 15 points and Lewis, who scored 11.

Harper was the leading scorer for the Bronchos at 18. Heather Davis added 16 and Bryan added 12. Robinson scored nine off the bench with six rebounds and five assists, and reigning Independent Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) Player of the Week Savannah Hamilton also scored nine, but fouled out during the overtime period.

The Bronchos will stay home this week and host Newman University at 2:00 p.m. Saturday. After they travel to Tahlequah for a rematch with the Riverhawks Feb. 11, they finish the season with their final three games at home.

For more sports coverage, visit

UCO360.COM

8

SPORTS

JAN. 31, 2012

Behind the Scenes

BEHIND THE SCENES: TADD AUSTIN

By Blake Colston / Contributing Writer Have you ever wondered if UCO biology students make good Zamboni drivers? Probably not, but it turns out at least one of them does.

Tadd Austin has driven the Zamboni at Arctic Edge Ice Arena for the past four years.

He’s in charge of prepping the ice for a multitude of events at Arctic Edge, including UCO hockey games. Arctic Edge stays busy during the winter season, which means Austin and his Zamboni are well acquainted.

“It depends on the day, but the least you’ll run it is probably six or seven times,” Austin said. “The most is during a tournament, you’ll run it about once every hour.”

Zamboni driver isn’t likely to make the list of jobs commonly held by college students, but the 2011 UCO grad explained how a biology major from Oklahoma City winds up behind the wheel of a Zamboni.

“My dad moved to St. Louis after Vietnam right about the time the St. Louis Blues moved into town so he was a big hockey fan,” Austin said. “We moved down here and we always grew up big hockey fans but we never really played. Then my sister married a guy from

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Pittsburgh and he asked why the heck I didn’t play. At that point I was 19 but he got me out on the ice and a little while after I got the job here to get some more ice time and now here I am.”

Although he admits he didn’t spend his childhood dreaming of manicuring ice, and has only worked at Arctic Edge for a few years, Austin explained the many intricacies of his job like a savvy veteran. Even detailing the mechanics of the “zam” over the hum of the machine as it glided along over the ice.

Austin began to recall some funny moments provided by the bulky machine as he finished his last pass down the center of the freshlyglazed ice.

“It’s really a practice makes perfect kind of thing but even then I’ve seen just about everything that could happen, happen,” he said, chuckling. “I wasn’t here for this but someone dug up a pipe below the ice one time. Somebody knocked off the swinging door at the side of the rink once too.”

After pausing for a moment to think about his own worst experience behind the wheel of the $50,000 dollar machine, he recalled an infamous run-in with a Gatorade bottle.

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“I ran over a Gatorade bottle and it got jammed. So I had to take the whole thing apart and reach my hand down in there to get it out,” he said. “People think it can take up everything but it’s pretty fragile actually.”

The hazards of the job don’t stop once you’re off the ice. Dumping the excess snow from the Zamboni into the pit can be tricky.

“The pit,” as Austin referred to it, is a ninefoot hole that looks like a tiny sliver of the Arctic Ocean.

“Someone lost a wedding ring in there, his name will remain anonymous though. There have been people that have fallen in, I’ve never fallen in but I have gone down there willingly, that doesn’t count though,” he said matter-offactly. “It was about 90 percent drained one time and there was just sludge on the bottom, I don’t know what it was actually, but it was gray and it smelled like the pachyderm house.

I tried to find his wedding ring while I was down there but it is so ice cold down there your hands freeze in seconds.”

Although things don’t always go smoothly, Austin says he genuinely enjoys his job.

“Obviously being around hockey this much is fun. But I’ve told a lot of people and they

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don’t believe me, it’s very cathartic to be out on that thing, it’s kind of Zen-like to fill in the cracks on the ice,” he said. “Sometimes if it gets busy up front you have an excuse to come back here to zam and you have 15 minutes to just slow down, you can think a lot of thoughts on that thing, you know?”

Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista

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BOWLING NIGHT Friday, Feb. 10, 7-9pm Heritage Lanes www.heritagelanesokc.com/location.asp free transportation for the first 10 students to sign up. free bowling for the first 40 students to sign up.

Reserve your place with a $5 refundable deposit in the International Office, NUC 137. for more information, contact Brandon at blehman@uco.edu or 405.974.2448.

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