Thursday, October 1, 2009
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Sinking concrete causing gaps in wall in energy center KATHLEEN EVANS Daily Staff Writer
People working in OU’s Sarkeys Energy Center said the building’s basement, located on the southeast corner of Jenkins Avenue and Boyd Street, might be sinking. “The sinking issue here at Sarkeys has been going on for a long time, as far as I know,” said Neil Suneson, employee for the Oklahoma Geological Survey. “Throughout the basement, I think there are places that are subsiding.” Spaces are visible between the wall and the floor of Sarkeys’ basement. At one point within the basement’s “C” corridor, one can feel how uneven the ground is, as well as see a gap about 1 1/2 inches-wide. “I guarantee you if you had a marble, it would roll right downhill,” Suneson said. The dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, Larry Grillot, said he was aware of the problem but said it was mainly cosmetic, not structural. The spaces between the wall and the floor make the situation look bad, but, overall, the building is structurally sound, he said. “The building itself is not shifting, just locally where the concrete is poured over the ground and isn’t anchored into the building foundation,” Grillot said. “You will see a little shifting. And sometimes it’s a big deal, but it’s not going to sink out from under
LILLY CHAPA/THE DAILY
A quarter for comparison rests against a separated wall in the basement of Sarkeys Energy Center. In some areas, the floor is over two inches lower than the wall. you.” Sarkeys is located on soft ground, Grillot said. To keep water from leaking into the basement, there are underground pumps to remove excess water. Suneson said he thought a major cause of the sinking was sediment removed
during the pumping process, compromising the ground the basement floor rests on. He also said OU went with the lowest bidder when deciding which company to use for the construction of the building, which may contribute to the building’s problems.
However, the pumps have filters, so they may remove a little bit of land, but nothing significant, Grillot said. Shifting is more likely from natural swelling and shrinking of the soil. Currently, Grillot has no plans to do anything about the shifting of the basement floor. “Things will be done if [they need] to, if it’s making something dangerous, if a piece of equipment needs to be absolutely level,” Grillot said. “[The process to fix the floor] is fairly expensive. It’s probably more prudent to do it when you need to.” Grillot said a four-inch gap in the student services area on the second floor of the building was repaired previously. To fix it, they had to rip up the old concrete and repour the floor to make it level again. Sarkeys was constructed in a series of phases and completed in 1991, according to the college’s Web site. The basement houses several offices, classrooms and lab areas. Sarkeys also recently repaired one atrium and is the process of fixing another by installing new windows and caulking leak sites, Grillot said. The atria leaked during rainstorms and exposed the library and lower levels to rain water. All of this work is to be expected in a building with such frequent use and open access, Grillot said.
Program designed to familiarize foreigners with US culture “When a university is located in the heartland such as Oklahoma students don’t have as many opportunities to meet people from different cultures. This is one small way in which our students have an opportunity to meet and interact with these journalists to see how media differs from over here to over there.”
KAITLYN BIVIN Daily Staff Writer
When students converge on campus Friday, an interesting sight may attract attention. Norman is set to receive 18 journalists from 14 different Latin nations such as Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela. Sanctioned by the State Department in connection with the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the program started four years ago as a way to introduce foreign journalists to the United States’ government and culture, said journalism professor Charles Self. It has featured media personnel from eastern Europe, Asia and Africa among others, he said. “[The program] brings about 200 journalists from all over the world to Washington D.C., where they have briefings on U.S. government, media and culture,” Self said. “Then the State Department divides them into groups, where they go out into the country and are hosted by 11 different universities around the country.” Self said the idea for the program is to identify the top journalists in their respective countries, and better inform them about the U.S. in order to improve the accuracy of their reporting pertaining to subjects involving the United States. The journalists will arrive in Norman, where they will receive an introduction to government media and culture in Oklahoma spanning six days. Many of the events taking place provide a unique opportunity for students.
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TODAY CAREER SERVICES Career Services will be open to students needing help with resumes or job search strategies from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Union’s Career Services Lobby. “How to Write a Resume
CHARLES SELF, JOURNALISM PROFESSOR “When a university is located in the heartland such as Oklahoma students don’t have as many opportunities to meet people from different cultures,” Self said. “This is one small way in which our students have an opportunity to meet and interact with these journalists to see how media differs from over here to over there.” For students involved in the program it can provide lasting memories. Journalism senior Bianca Lopez helped greet last year’s visitors and attend sessions with them. “Getting to know the journalist group was one of the most memorable events I have ever encountered in my college years,” Lopez said in an e-mail. “It was nice showing them the city I know and having some personal stories to share with them.”
POLICE REPORTS for a Federal Government Job,” will be offered from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Regents Room of the Union.
FRIDAY CAREER SERVICES Career Services will be open to students needing help with resumes or job-searching strategies from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Union’s Career Services Lobby. GERMAN CLUB German club will meet for “Ein Abend bei Royal Bavaria” at 7 p.m. at Royal Bavaria, 3401 S. Sooner Road.
The following is a list of arrests and citations, not convictions. The information is compiled from the Norman Police Department and OU Police Department. All those listed are presumed innocent until proven guilty. DRIVING WITH A REVOKED DRIVER’S LICENSE Anthony Montoya, 21, 900 Asp Ave., Tuesday MUNICIPAL WARRANT Abigail Ann Bonnell, 29, 500 W. Gray St., Tuesday Levi Cody Drake, 22, 2605 Ga Zump Drive, Monday, also county warrant Loyd Keith Morris, 27, 1200 E. Robinson St., also driving under a suspended license
For others like journalism professor Ray Chavez, who is hosting one of the journalists in his home, the program provides a different perspective. “It makes me appreciate how much harder they have to work for information because for some of them they are putting their lives on the line,” Chavez said. “I admire these people.” Chevez said students will have the opportunity to learn new and different things about the differences between Latin America and the United States in terms of benefits such as the freedom of information, which citizens often take for granted. Regardless of the obvious differences, the journalists share a common curiosity about America. “I think for many people the U.S. is still the most influential country in the world,” Self said. “I think people are anxious to come here and find out what America is all about.” The program encourages student involvement by making it possible for students to attend a multitude of luncheons and discussions throughout the course of the event. “Students are welcome to come to the events as long as they let us know,” Self said. “We are trying to get anyone involved, particularly those who speak Spanish, or are interested in Latin America.” While educational, the event is meant to entertain as well. “The last three years we have had the Latin American group,” Self said. “We think they are so much fun; we always have a great time with them. They really are a lively group of people.”
CAMPUS BRIEFS and failure to carry proof of insurance SECOND DEGREE BURGLARY Kyle Patrick Craig, 19, 4506 Green Field Circle, Tuesday PETTY LARCENY Jack Edward Keenan, 52, 601 12th Ave. N.E., Monday, also trespassing PUBLIC INTOXICATION Brandon Shaye Kile, 37, 226 Mimosa Drive, Monday Todd Arthur Prevost, 47, 2313 Crestmont St., Tuesday COUNTY WARRANT Jonathan M. Wilson, 39, 1916 Fillmore Ave., Tuesday
CARPOOLING A POSSIBILITY FOR OU
JIM CRAMER TO VISIT OU
The idea of installing a university-wide ridesharing program is a hot topic among many others related to making OU a “greener” campus. While the plan is not tangible yet, students in the University of Oklahoma Student Association and OU faculty members at the Parking and Transit Office are currently studying programs from other universities and debating whether those plans would be applicable to OU, said Brandon Mikael, director of the UOSA Office of Green Initiatives. Students would enter their names, schedules and preferred arrival and departure times into a database that would then match them with all of the different students whose information is similar, Mikael said. Mikael is one of the primary student voices on the ride-sharing committee. The program would not only allow students to save money on gas, but would also reduce OU’s carbon emissions and pollution while saving resources. As of now, there are no definite plans for the program, but Mikael said the committee members are doing everything they can to make it a reality. For more information on how to get involved contact, Mikael at brandonmikael@ou.edu.
Jim Cramer will bring his own brand of mad financial advice to OU, taping a show on campus Oct. 30, according to a press release from the Price College of Business. Tickets for the taping will be available on a firstcome, first-served basis from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Oct. 13 in Pierce Hall’s Clary Lounge. If tickets remain, they will be distributed in a similar manner from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Oct. 14 in the first-floor lobby of Oklahoma Memorial Union. “Jim Cramer’s visit give OU students an excellent opportunity to hear one of the most prominent personalities on Wall Street,” OU president David Boren said in the release. In addition to his current TV duties, Cramer is the author of five books, including the forthcoming “Jim Cramer’s Getting Back to Even.” He also founded American Lawyer magazine and worked as a reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, The New Republic magazine, and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. Cramer worked as a trader for Goldman Sachs and as a hedge fund manager. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard, according to cnbc.com.
-Clark Foy/The Daily
—Charles Ward/The Daily