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SPIKING TO VICTORY
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Sports: Sooners sweep tournament (Page 7)
CAC
UOSA
Howdy Week turnout less than expected
Student leaders run for health
CAC welcomes freshmen with free food and Olympics-themed events LINDSAY BODWIN Campus Reporter
How d y We e k d i d n o t draw the crowds coordinators were hoping for, according to the Howdy Week chairwoman. “It was a smaller crowd then we would have liked,” said Dennise Arzola, chairwoman of Howdy Week.
Despite the smaller numbers, Arzola still thinks the welcome week was beneficial to student, she said. Arzola said the overall goal of Howdy Week each year is to welcome students to campus and make them feel comfortable in their transition. This year’s theme was
Sooner Olympics in an effort show the diversity and encourage students to branch, Arzola said. Smaller crowds allowed students to get to know the organization better and focus on the diverse participation, she said. One of the challenges in planning Howdy Week is that much of the preparation is done over the summer, when coordinators are all in different places, she said.
“The biggest struggle in organizing Howdy Week was getting everyone on the same schedule,” Arzola said. “So many different people are involved in CAC, and being able to work with people on different schedules and time and keep things in control [is challenging].” They have to work together to make sure the welcome week is successful even though they may not be in the same place while
planning, she said. Pa r t o f H o w d y We e k events included Sooner Olympics each afternoon — which consisted of playing games in order to take a break from classes, according to the welcome week handout. Along with the games, this year’s Howdy Week gave students free food from Jamba Juice, Raising Cane’s
SEE DREAM PAGE 3
SEE JOGGING PAGE 3
Breakthrough may treat pneumonia ELYSSA SZKIRPAN Campus Reporter
SEE HSC PAGE 2
KINGSLEY BURNS/THE DAILY
Tracey Medina, public relations junior, checks on a textbook Aug. 20 in the Bizzell Library. Medina, a transfer student from Tulsa Community College, hopes to start an OU chapter of the DREAM Act organization she founded in Tulsa.
DREAM Act Norman arrives Activist organization to help raise awareness of immigration legislation ARIANNA PICKARD Campus Reporter
A student is looking to build an alliance of student organizations to help undocumented students work toward citizenship. Public relations junior Tracey Medina — who cofounde d DRE AM Act
Oklahoma while attending Tulsa Community College — is bringing a DREAM Act chapter to Norman this fall. The national act — which was first introduced in the U.S. Senate in 2001 — is immigration reform that would allow undocumented students to qualify for
state residency higher education purposes and ultimately provide them a path to citizenship. Medina, who transferred to OU from Tulsa Community College this fall, hopes DREAM Act Norman will help encourage undocumented students at OU to be open about their status, she said. “The goal is to expand and to recruit members and
Campus Editor
to be able to find those students here who are in the shadows and undocumented,” Medina said. “I know there are two undocumented students here who are seniors, so I think them coming out as undocumented will make a huge difference, because no one knows.” DRE AM Act Norman will collaborate with OU’s
OU HSC makes vaccine discovery
OU researchers have made breakthroughs in the study of a vaccine that may be able to treat a common illness that still kills Oklahomans each year. In late July, the OU He a l t h a n d S c i e n c e s Center announced researchers discovered an effective vaccine that may be able to treat multiple strands of pneumonia. There are over 90 known variations of the bacteria, but available vaccines don’t necessarily prevent all strands, Dr. Rodney Tweten said. Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumonia — as it is more commonly known — is caused by bacteria attacking the body and damaging the blood vessels, according to the press release. “ The most effective current vaccines only cover 13 to 26 types,” said Tweten, a George Lynn Cross Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the C o l l e g e o f Me d i c i n e. “This would make a much less expensive, but much more effective vaccine in terms of broad coverage.” Tweten’s vaccine differs from other vaccines on the market, because preexisting vaccines target carbohydrate capsules, so they cannot attach to cholesterol on cells to release their toxin, whereas
LINDSEY RUTA
The UOSA president and vice president are starting a health initiative today to help encourage students to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “Jogging with Joe and Running with Rainey” is a fitness program where students can go running every morning with their student government leadership, said UOSA president Joe Sangirardi. The program will meet weekdays over the next three weeks to prepare for a 5K hosted by the Huston Huffman Center on Sept. 15, Sangirardi said. The idea for the program came out of their campaign platform to start initiatives to improve student lifestyles, vice president Rainey Sewell said. “ We [ c a m p a i g n e d ] on lifestyle change, and one of those is wellness,” Sewell said. The student leaders also campaigned on civic engagement, so they are always looking for ways to interact with students, Sangirardi said. After talking to coordinators at the Huston Huffman Center, they realized the running program would be a great way to engage with students, as well as help promote the center’s “Shifting Gears” initiative — which promotes students to shift to healthier habits, Sewell said. “This was a joint effort between us and the Huff to promote healthy living,” she said. The program will start off slowly and help runners work up to the 5K. “We’ll start off the first week with a 1K, and then over the next few weeks, we’ll work up to a 4K — that’ll be a few days before the actual 5K,” Sangirardi said. He admitted that he is not a regular runner himself, so the program will be challenging for him as well. “I’m actually not [a runner], so I’m terrified,” Sangirardi said. “But you know, I thought if we want to set an example for a
SEE CAC PAGE 2
NEW SOONER
RESEARCH
New initiative promotes fitness
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Graduate Student Senate leaders resign Nominations for secretary, chair to be accepted in light of resignations CHASE COOK
Assistant Campus Editor
Graduate Student Senate will be looking for two new leaders after its secretary announced Sunday she would be leaving the Senate less than a week after the body’s chair resigned. Meteorology doctoral student and former-secretary resigned from her position due to “unforseen circumstances.” Esther White’s
oud-2012-8-27-a-001,002.indd 1
resignation comes less than a week after Psychology graduate student Kiersten Baughman resigned to work in her department. Senate will be accepting nominations for the chair position starting Monday through 5 p.m. Friday, but will be waiting on the secretary position because of pending legislation that would change the emergency election process, vice
chairman James Cook said. When the legislation for emergency elections was passed only the word “chair” was used, so the plan is to change the bylaws, he said. Cook is the acting Senate chairman. “It would behoove us to do so,” Cook said. The legislation in planning will make both the vice chairman and secretary emergency election processes like the chair emergency election process, Cook said. The chair emergency election process requires
a weeklong nomination process and then a vote during a Graduate Student Senate meeting, according to Senate’s bylaws. Cook said he hopes the Senate will elect new leaders during the Sept. 9 meeting. Nominated senators must have served at least one fall or spring term in the Senate, according to the Senate’s bylaws. Apart from the Senate losing two leaders, SEE GSS PAGE 2
This year’s extreme Republican platform must be stopped Editorial: The platform the GOP will likely ratify soon is full of radical views. Your vote can tell them it doesn’t represent you. (Page 4)
State runoff primary elections to be held Tuesday. Voting: The runoff primaries for Oklahoma take place Tuesday, Aug. 28. 60 of the 77 counties are holding elections. (oudaily.com/news)
VOL. 98, NO. 9 © 2012 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25¢
INSIDE TODAY Campus......................2 Clas si f ie ds................6 L i f e & A r t s .................. 5 O p inio n.....................4 Spor ts........................7 Visit OUDaily.com for more
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