September 8, 2011

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Voice professor returning to opera stage in New York (page 6) The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

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coNfereNce reALigNmeNt

Lecture

sooners pressured to save Big 12 Agent Other schools want OU to make up its mind about future

Conference extended an invitation to Texas A&M on Wednesday, Baylor was the first school to step out in opposition to the move. JAMES CORLEY The Bears refused to sign Sports Editor a waiver of legal rights, esThe fate of the Big 12 sentially meaning Baylor Conference may have been wished to retain the ability to sue Texas A&M or the thrust into OU’s hands. After the Southeastern SEC.

Shortly after, Iowa State followed, also saying it would retain its legal rights. Two hours later, four more schools — Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Missouri — announced they would not sign the waiver after a meeting of Big 12 presidents Wednesday afternoon, according to the

Waco Tribune-Herald. Texas Tech denied its participation in any potential litigation. “Texas Tech is not involved in any legal action aga i n st t h e S E C o r a ny other parties,” Tech athletic spokesman Blayne Beal told USA Today. According to the Waco

Tribune-Herald, the six schools said they would sign off on Texas A&M’s departure for the SEC on one condition: OU reaffirms its commitment to the Big 12 and stops pursuing opportunities with other conferences. see BIG 12 paGe 2

of gay rights to visit Lecturer to speak at Copeland Hall about marriage

reseArcHiNg NAturAL DisAsters

HOLLY DAVIS WALKER Staff Reporter

A nationally recognized lecturer will be on campus Friday to address the topic of same-sex marriage. Professor John Corvino from Wayne State University in Michigan will deliver a lecture on his paper, “The Definition of Marriage” at 3:30 p.m. Friday in Copeland Hall, Room 246. The paper devolved from Corvino’s work for see LECTURE paGe 2

NAtioN

Obama to pitch new jobs plan Speech to outline strategy against dismal economy CHris seWard/tHe neWs & oBserVer

Spc. Caleb Lowery helps clean out a homeowners hot tub after it flooded in the wake of Hurricane Irene on Aug. 28 in the Kennels Beach section of Arapahoe, Pamlico County, N.C.

VICTORIA GARTEN and KATHLEEN EVANS Campus Reporters

Professors gather new weather data Specialized gear allows fresh look at hurricane formation KATHLEEN EVANS

Senior Campus Reporter

OU professors are using data collected from Hurricane Irene to learn how to forecast weather more accurately. A team of OU research professors left Norman two weeks ago for Beaufort, N.C., where they set up new types of radar machines to gather information about the storm, researcher and meteorology professor Michael Biggerstaff said. One of the things the

team observed were formations of miniature thunderstorms at the beginning of the storm, which is typically seen in Oklahoma, not North Carolina, Biggerstaff said. This was the first time researchers were equipped with the proper tools to understand how these storms form. “We should be able to study the mechanisms that created these tornado-scale circulations,” Biggerstaff said. “These types of tornadoes have been observed but never with the temporal resolution needed to study their formation and demise.” The new radar making this

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NOw ON

A jobs plan everyone can agree on?

Friday, Sept. 2, after Hurricane Irene move through the area last week. Irene has been blamed for at least 46 deaths in 13 states and see RADAR paGe 3 knocked out power to millions.

Great things come in small packages

More about plans to create jobs, point-bypoint. (Page 4)

campus corner has another new face

sPorts

Wildfire safety

football’s kicking problems persist OU benches Jimmy Stevens after missed PAT against Tulsa. (Page 9)

Students, staff treated with songs JALISA GREEN

vintage fashion boutique the latest clothing store on the block. (Page 7)

Staff Reporter

meLodie LettKeman/tHe daiLy

Sophomore defensive specialist Eden Williams bumps the ball against Arkansas on Tuesday. She and sophomore defensive specialist Mindy Gowen are 5-foot-3-inches, short for volleyball players. (Page 9)

see JOBS paGe 3

ALumNi

OU graduate puts his own spin on popular songs

Life & Arts

muLtimeDiA Norman’s fire chief offers advice on how to stay safe in dry weather. (OUDaily.com)

possible is called a rapidscanning X-band dual-polarimetric radar (RaXPOL), according to a press release. This is the first time this technology has been used during a storm. The technology works by scanning the atmosphere in 30 seconds at a certain frequency, Biggerstaff said. Because of the speed of the radar, which was about five to six times faster than other technologies they use, the team collected valuable data about how these storms formed. Jim r. Bounds/tHe assoCiated press The team also used the The debris of a storm-ravaged home is piled up in Columbia, N.C., Shared Mobile Atmospheric

National unemployment has stalled at 9.1 percent, and Americans will look for answers when President Barack Obama unveils his jobs plan Thursday evening. The president is expected to introduce a $300 million plan to address unemployment during his prime time speech. Elements of the package could include extending tax cuts and jobless benefits and increasing spending for public projects. A payroll tax deduction, in place since December, is one thing Obama is considering, OU economics professor Cynthia Rogers said. This tax deduction comes in the form of a two-percent reduction in

The sounds in the food court of the Oklahoma Memorial Union Wednesday aren’t the ordinary elevator music, but rather the relaxing sounds of a guitarist and recent OU graduate. Kyle Reid plays for the bustling lunch crowd that

swarms the food court a few days out of the week. A poster five years ago asking for players caught his attention, so he auditioned, Reid said. Reid’s sounds are a combination of jazz, blues and instrumental renditions of pop songs, with occasional guitar cigar-box mixes. One of his favorites is the song “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from “Mary Poppins.” “It’s a great song. I have see MUSIC paGe 3


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