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Men’s basketball starts season with a landslide victory (Page 7) The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

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election

Designated smoking areas added to ballot Smoking ban issue two of five questions added Jake Morgan Staff Reporter

UOSA Undergraduate Student Congress will be forced to reintroduce a set of November ballot questions after the Graduate Student Senate failed to address the questions in its own meeting. “[The GSS] dropped the ball, and we’ll have to readdress it in our next

meeting,” UOSA representative Shayna Daitch said. The proposed questions, which were approved on Oct. 18 during the Student Congress meeting, address issues that range from the creation of a new district to students’ opinions regarding the smoking ban. Students can expect to see the ballot questions during the elections Nov. 15 and 16. Polling stations will be located in the Oklahoma Memorial Union and in f ro n t o f D a l e Ha l l , b u t

students also will have the opportunity to vote online at elections.ou.edu. One of the questions will seek to remove the congressional districts from the U O SA Constitution and place them under the bylaws, Daitch said. At the moment, the constitutional amendments needed to create and modify districts must be approved by OU’s Board of Regents. The change will make the process easier because colleges grow and change

so frequently, Daitch said. Once the districts are placed under the bylaws, changes will be completed like any other piece of legislation, Daitch said. Any proposed change will receive a recommendation from the committee, appear on the agenda and undergo voting in the next meeting. The question regarding the creation of an International Studies district will act as a safeguard in case the districting change doesn’t go through,

Daitch said. “Since the districts match the colleges, the College of International Studies deserves its own district,” she said. The international studies majors are lumped in a district that includes AfricanAmerican studies and Native American studies. The list of questions also includes a proposal to change the name of the women’s studies degree program to women’s and gender studies. This is to reflect a change that already

Sooner Startups

has occurred, Daitch said. The last two proposed questions on the ballot address the smoking ban, but Daitch said these might not be reintroduced at the next meeting. These questions will not do much to change President David Boren’s mind over the smoking ban, and it wouldn’t be a necessity to reintroduce them, Daitch said. Some students, however, would be willing to vote on see vote page 2

Aviation

FAST planes save money Private aircrafts provide cheaper alternatives Uny Chan

Campus Reporter

DERRICK ADAMS/THE DAILY

Leroy Kirk, advertising senior, left, and Taylor Jackson, entreprenuership and marketing junior and CEO of Jackson Paint, laugh and discuss their business model on the South Oval on Wednesday. The two businessmen have attended various OU events and local festivals to promote their fashion line within the community.

Students paint on screen-printed fashion line Sooners saved job money before launching line Caitlin Ruemping Campus Reporter

Entrepreneurship and marketing junior Taylor Jackson has a dream — to make it big in the fashion industry with the company he and his partner, Leroy Kirk, created last year. As CEO of Jackson Paint, Jackson approached Kirk,

advertising senior, with the idea to start a clothing line while they were both employed at the Alumni Outreach center. After deciding on a name, the idea became an obsession, and the two spent an entire shift formulating a business plan. “We were supposed to be like calling alumni. ... We were not,” Kirk said. ”We we’re hanging up the phones like, ‘So, how about this clothing line?’”

and he was like, ‘No, let’s wait,’” Kirk said. The company finally was able to start production, and they began creating the colorful designs that characterize their products today. “It’s a street brand but with higher quality,” Kirk said. “It’s a lot of screen printing right now, but we hope to move into making cardigans and more embroidery.” The line is available only through Kirk and Jackson directly, but the two attend

Eventgoers can punch cards for prizes with UPB

Upcoming elections give students opportunity to fight apathy. (Page 4)

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opinion Costumes viewed as offensive, tasteless Students weigh in on Holocaust- and Mexicanthemed outfits. (Page 4)

Prevent catching a cold this season Rest and a nutritious diet can help prevent getting sick this winter. (Page 5)

OU tries to reach a second straight Big 12 championship. (Page 8)

see Business page 2

OU’s political groups find common ground

Managing Editor

photo illustration by melodie lettkeman/the daily

The Union Programming Board is offering a promotional card, called a UCard, to students who attend UPB events, where the card will be punched and traded for prizes. (OUDaily.com)

see PLanes page 3

student life

Chase Cook

sports Soccer aiming for conference title

various events to spread their name throughout the community and make sales. They recently attended a hip-hop festival where they created a pop-up shop, a makeshift shop-front at events. Kirk and Jackson take credit cards through the mobile application, Square, which allows them not only to take credit cards but also send receipts and track

Reform discussion important to both student groups

life & arts

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Student votes important to UOSA

Like any business, money had to be invested in the company before they could start production, and both Jackson and Kirk picked up summer jobs to pay for startup costs. In order to keep the partnership equal, they didn’t start the company until both parties had their share of the money. “ There was one time when I had the money, and [Jackson] hadn’t had the money yet, and I was like, ‘Let’s go ahead and do it,’

Those who fancy jetting around on a private aircraft have the option to do so with the OU Department of Aviation. Approved student groups, faculty and staff can charter a plane at rates competitive to buying plane tickets separately on a commercial airline. The Faculty and Staff Transportation (FAST) program allows OU authorized personnel to f l y o n t h e i r f i v e -s e a t Beechcraft BE58 Baron or a seven-seat King Air C90B to any part of the nation. The planes are first and foremost used for the training of student pilots, but they also can be used as a charter during downtime. Currently, Baron users are charged $1.91 per mile and King Air users are charged $2.95 per mile. The service is charged on a per plane basis rather than per passenger so travelers could achieve maximum savings by filling a plane to capacity. The service fees include a $30 pilot prep fee as well as a $30 per hour wait fee at the destination. The

Politicians in Washington, D.C., can’t agree on anything, but OU’s political dent groups are finding common ground — education reform. The Young Conservatives of Oklahoma and the OU Young Democrats are co-

sponsoring a education discussion, which will feature Bob Bowdon, director of the documentary “The Cartel,” and Larr y Sand, former director of the California Teacher’s Empowerment Network. The forum will take place at 6:30 tonight in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Associates Room. The event is free. This is the first time the two groups have worked see Forum page 3