News: Norman voters approve water rate increase (Page 2)
Sports: Goodbye Bobby Jack: longtime coach retires after 16 years with Sooners (Page 3) The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
W W W.O U DA I LY.C O M
2 015 C R O W N F I N A L I S T
W E D N E S D A Y , J A N U A R Y 14 , 2 0 1 5
TECHNOLOGY
Sooner Cards gain tap-and-go ability OU celebrates 125th anniversary by creating new swipeless ID cards PAGE JONES News Reporter @pageousm
Sooner Cards look a bit different this semester, and they work differently too. The new cards feature a design to commemorate OU’s 125th anniversary as well as new technology to make them easier to use. The cards, which are printed on a primarily white
background and have a smaller photo, allow students to tap and pay at OU dining facilities instead of swiping, said Ryan Trevino, Sooner Card office director. New card scanners are expected at all campus food services by the end of the week. Doors across campus will also feature the new tap-and-go technology, Trevino said. Instead of swiping to enter the residence halls or other campus locations, students can tap their card on a sensor. The new card was designed by the Sooner Card office, University Development, Public Affairs and the president’s office, Trevino said. The card, designed to celebrate OU and its history, has been in the works for several years, but OU officials decided
CAMPUS DINING
to release it in time for the university’s anniversary, Trevino said. The design features Evans Hall as well as the brick archways on Asp Avenue near Campus Corner, Trevino said. The 125th anniversary card design will only be available to students for the 2015 calendar year, Trevino said. In 2016, students can get an updated design without the 125th branding. The cards will still have tap-and-go technology. The card is available for students to purchase at the Sooner Card office, located on the lowest level of the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Cards cost $20. Page Jones, page.c.jones1@ou.edu
PRODUCTIVITY
D2L receives makeover for spring semester New version includes better interface, update alerts and a file-sharing tool AMBER FRIEND News Reporter @amberthefriend
TONY RAGLE/THE DAILY
Norman resident Sydney Hulme eats at Qdoba on 24th Ave. Tuesday afternoon. Headington Hall has announced it will soon open a Qdoba restaurant.
Qdoba is coming Burrito chain to open in Headington Hall PAIGHTEN HARKINS Digital Managing Editor @PaightenHarkins
Students with a hankering for giant made-to-order burritos are in luck. One burrito chain is moving closer to campus than ever before — and it has queso. Qdoba Mexican Grill will open its 19th Oklahoma location inside Headington Hall on OU’s campus in either late February or early March, said Eric Renegar, Qdoba partner. The restaurant will be located in the southwest corner of the residence hall facing Jenkins Avenue, Renegar said. The restaurant has street-side doors to accommodate
non-residents. The location will have a full menu, including queso, nachos, tacos and burritos, among other items. Students will be able to use meal exchanges and points at the restaurant in addition to other payment options such as cash or credit card. The restaurant will join Einstein Bros. Bagels and the Wagner Dining Hall as food options in Headington Hall. Einstein Bros. Bagels opened in Headington Hall in February 2014. The university contacted Renegar about opening a Qdoba location in the residence hall roughly a year ago, and he agreed, acknowledging student’s penchant for big burritos.
Students checking Desire2Learn for class information may notice a few changes from last semester. The updates are a result of a Learning Management System pilot testing program held last spring. For the testing, several classes ran under an updated D2L as well as another Learning Management System called Canvas, said Becky Weintz, OU Information Technology communications manager. After much discussion and feedback from the pilot testing, IT decided to stick with the updated D2L option, Weintz said. From these pilot tests, as well as feedback from AT A GLANCE professors and students, D2L Feedback IT pinpointed certain upgrades to implement. Send questions or These specifically regardconcerns to @OUD2L ed interface usability, on Twitter or email itfeedback@ou.edu. valerts when content items are updated and more activities professors can use within courses, said Kevin Buck, OU IT Solution Center lead. Aesthetic changes, such as a textured background, were added after receiving positive reactions from students in pilot tests, Buck said. The biggest addition to D2L this semester is Wiggio, a tool meant to help students share files and communicate with each other more easily. The tool can now be found in the top right corner of the D2L home page. The “wig,” standing for “working in groups,” tool gives students more control over their online communication by allowing them to create and manage their own groups, rather than working through an instructor, Buck said. Students can also invite external users so that colleagues or contacts outside of D2L — such as a student from a different school or company collaborator — can have the same access and information as those inside it, Buck said. The tool also includes a calendar and event-managing feature for groups working together. SEE D2LPAGE 2
SEE BURRITOS PAGE 2
UNITY
Student organization to march to promote blacks at OU After Ferguson, Sooners fight for representation of blacks on campus ANDREW CLARK News Reporter @A_Clark_OUDaily
A group of students will march across the South Oval Wednesday to raise awareness for issues related to black students at OU. The student march is set to start at 2 p.m. in front of Dale Hall. Unheard, an alliance of black students at OU who want to promote change at the university, planned the event to raise awareness about the lack of black representation and culture on campus, said Chelsea Davis, health and exercise science and pre-med sophomore.
Davis is one of the nine undergraduate executives for Unheard. Davis said Unheard was formed after news broke that a grand jury didn’t indict Darren Wilson, a white police officer, for the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man. After the decision, Davis said she and others looked at OU’s campus and felt like they weren’t included in OU’s community. The group compiled a list of seven grievances against the university, ranging from a lack of black faculty outside certain departments to retention rates for black students. At the event, speakers will discuss Unheard’s grievances. Despite these issues, Davis said she does not believe the university deliberately caters to non-minority races on campus. “I wouldn’t say anything is done purposely,” she said. “I don’t blame anybody. I think it’s just a lack of knowledge.” Davis hopes the march promotes unity among Sooners
and awareness of issues at the university. Unheard members encourage those attending the march to dress in all black to show solidarity.
Andrew Clark, Andrew.T.Clark-1@ou.edu
PHOTO PROVIDED
WEATHER Cloudy today with a high of 41, low of 25. Follow @AndrewGortonWX on Twitter for weather updates.
INDEX
CONTACT US
News......................2 Classifieds................3 Spor ts........................3 Opinion.....................4
@OUDaily
theoklahomadaily
OUDaily
VOL. 101, NO. 3 © 2014 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25¢