The Oklahoma Daily

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The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

Thursday, November 4, 2010

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Ethics concerns about OU budget ad alleviated Advertisement does not advocate for either side of State Question 744, Ethics Commission director says CHASE COOK The Oklahoma Daily

An ad paid for by OU President David Boren and designed by OU’s Public Affairs department is not in violation of the state ethics laws, the director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission said. Marilyn Hughes, director of the commission, received the ad Tuesday and, after closer examination, determined there was no issue. “I can’t speak for the whole Ethics

Commission,” Hughes said. “After reading it closer, I see no evidence of advocating on [President Boren’s] part.” The ad appeared in The Daily on Oct. 21 and was a statement from Boren regarding OU’s budget issues and recent wage increases on campus. The ad also discussed State Question 744. Because the ad was created using public university facilities, it could have been in violation of state ethics laws if it had advocated for or against the measure, according to rule 257:10-1-3. The ad wasn’t in violation because Boren did not attempt to advocate for or against the measure, Hughes said. University spokesman Chris Shilling

ONLINE AT OUDAILY.COM » Link: Read rule 257:10-1-3.

confirmed the Public Affairs department did design the ad. He defended its intentions. “The goal of the ad was to release facts regarding budget issues on campus,” Shilling said. Catherine Bishop, director of public affairs, said in an e-mail that her office prepares all annual budget ads. This particular ad was paid for by Boren personally because it was prepared at an unusual time, she said.

The Daily discovered the connection between the ad and the Public Affairs department and ran a column that raised concerns about using state-funded departments to produce partisan ads. Concerns about ethics violations began when Yes on 744 released a press release Friday, claiming that Boren and OSU President Burns Hargis may have broken Oklahoma Statute title 26, section 16-119 and rule 257:10-1-3 of the state ethics laws. They cited appearances at press conferences and advertisements in The Tulsa World and The Oklahoman as

SEE ETHICS PAGE 2

International students experience Career traditional American Thanksgiving coach ADVISING

Over 150 students attended the OU Cousins 15th annual feast geared towards cultural expansion JOSEPH TRUESDELL The Oklahoma Daily

NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY

Law graduate student Chih-ming Wang and electrical engineering graduate student Chuyung Peng enjoy pumpkin and pecan pies during the OU Cousins Thanksgiving Dinner Wednesday evening in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Regents Room.

Over 150 OU Cousins attended the 15th annual Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday evening, many experiencing the holiday for the first time. “It’s cool to show [international students] our culture,” international studies senior Jesse Emanuel said. “As Americans, we sometimes take our culture for granted, so it’s cool that we get to teach them and at the same time be reminded of our own culture.” The event aims to demonstrate a traditional Thanksgiving occasion. “You see these things in movies back home, but it’s really different to actually live them,” said Javier Reyes, an international student from Chile. Throughout the evening, international students were served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, courtesy of Union Catering Services. The meal consisted of a tossed salad, green beans, oldfashioned roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and butter. Dessert of pumpkin or pecan pie with whipped cream topped off the meal. The dinner was formal, but the evening served as a casual event spent with friends, learning about the common elements of Thanksgiving in America. “The event is a great exposure to a traditional Thanksgiving,” OU Cousins student director Michael Nash said. Aside from the traditional meal, students were taught other customary Thanksgiving activities, such as making hand-shaped paper turkeys. The idea for the turkeys was that students would trace their hand, add a beak and talons, then cut out the diagram and draw the flag of their home nation. After the turkeys were finished, the group planned to put them together on a card, but many students preferred to keep their turkey instead. “The American traditions are interesting,” Reyes said. Reyes and Karina Mery, an international student also from Chile, compared their Thanksgiving experience to other American customs, such as pumpkin carving and football games. There was also a contest between students for who could make the best-looking turkey from an apple, 10 toothpicks and 10 gumdrops.

LANGUAGE

Student passes difficult language test Studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test is a time-consuming process

ONLINE AT OUDAILY.COM

» Link: Summary of the linguistic competence required for reach level of MEGAN DEATON the Japanese Language Proficiency Test The Oklahoma Daily » Link: The Department of Modern Becoming fluent in a foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics language can sometimes seem at OU impossible. Zack Kaplan, international area studies senior, is proof it isn’t. After starting at OU in the beginner level of Japanese, he passed the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. The test is administered by the Ministry of Education in Japan and is the most prestigious exam for non-native speakers. “During the two or so months before I took the test it wasn’t unusual for me to study and review Japanese on my own for upwards

of five hours every day in order to increase my vocabulary and reading comprehension,” Kaplan said. Jap a n e s e p ro f e s s o r Ju n k o Fujimoto said the test requires at least 900 hours of preparation. The exam has two sections, language knowledge and listening. The Level 1 test requires the use of 2,000 Kanji (Chinese characters) and 10,000 vocabulary. “It is extremely difficult to pass Level 1 JLPT,” said Japanese

A LOOK AT WHAT’S NEW AT Watch a video about the gymnastics team’s new season and their recruiting process

professor Shizuka Tatsuzawa. Kaplan took the exam while in the OU exchange program at Ritsumeikan University in Japan and believes the study abroad experience will be the highlight of his college experience. “I learned a lot about American culture and Japanese culture,” Kaplan said. “I also learned a lot about myself and people in general.” In the future, Kaplan plans to go into the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program to work as a translator who helps to plan the international programs in Japan. Later, he hopes to enter the State Department or to earn a doctorate degree in Japanese. “I strongly believe that it was [Kaplan] that raised the bar so high and worked so hard to achieve his own dream,” Fujimoto said.

THE OKLAHOMA DAILY VOL. 96, NO. 55 © 2010 OU Publications Board www.facebook.com/OUDaily www.twitter.com/OUDaily

NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY

Zack Kaplan, international area studies senior, passed the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. For the test, he had to know 2,000 Chinese characters and 10,000 words.

INDEX Campus .............. 2 Classifieds .......... 7 Life & Arts ........... 5 Opinion .............. 4 Sports ................ 9

guides students Stephen Crynes uses inventory tests, conversation to find a major fitting students’ interests EMILY HOPKINS The Oklahoma Daily

The integral goal of attending college is supposed to be prepping for a future career, but many students walk into OU with no idea where to start. That’s where Stephen Crynes, assessment center assistant director, comes in. His job description involves consulting with students to help them discover majors that fit their interests. This is the first semester for OU to have a centralized person for students to come to with major and career concerns. Crynes begins each new appointment in the same fashion, later diverging into personally specific needs with each subsequent meeting. “I start off just having a conversation with the students, which is a big part of learning about them,” Crynes said. “We talk about things like their background, interests and favorite subjects. Then I’ll have them take an inventory test.” The inventory test asks questions about such areas as daily activities, values, skills and hobbies. “It can give them a good understanding of who they are,” Crynes said. “Their values and interests might change as they grow up, but the core of who they are and how they like to operate won’t change.” After following these first steps, he also encourages students to take advantage of OU’s vast resources by digging deeper into possible majors and career fields. He encourages getting involved in pertinent campus clubs and organizations. “They have to do a bit of exploration,” Crynes said. “I suggest talking to faculty members in related departments and further talking with advisers.” Another good idea, he said, is going online and reading the descriptions of required courses for the major. “A lot of students don’t think about this, but it can really give them a good idea of what they’ll exactly be doing in that major and if it’s even what they thought it was going to be,” he said. Freshman Taylor Trevino has met with Crynes several times over the course of the semester, and says he has been a tremendous asset in helping her shape her future. SEE CONSULTANT PAGE 2

TODAY’S WEATHER 65°| 34° Friday: Sunny, high of 66 degrees Visit the Oklahoma Weather Lab at owl.ou.edu


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