The Oklahoma Daily

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THURSDAY MA MARCH ARCH 25, 2010

THE UNIVERSITY UNIVEERSIT Y OF OKLAHOMA’S INDEPENDENT IN STUDENT EN NT VOICE VOICE

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Official announcements about several Sooners’ departures have been made, see page 5A.

A group gr of 37 OU students spent stud spring break on a spri volunteering aboutt volu their travels, see thei page 3A. pag

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Long running student art show has opened again this week, see page 1B.

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owl.ou.edu

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President, VP candidates square off in debate Student involvement touted by four pairs of candidates TROY WEATHERFORD Daily Staff Writer

UOSA president and vice president candidates discussed campus issues Wednesday night at a debate hosted by Student Media. The four pairs of candidates attended the debate moderated by OU Daily Editor-in-Chief, Jamie Hughes, in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Candidates were restricted to one minute per answer. All of the candidates agreed on one point: No one thought UOSA was sufficiently relevant to students. Jess Eddy, presidential candidate, said UOSA must set up programs that encourage student participation. “Students are not in touch with UOSA, and UOSA does not make any substantial steps to bridge this gap,” said Eddy, religious studies and political science sophomore. Many people join UOSA in

order to improve their resume instead of the university, said Nicholas Harrison, presidential candidate. “There’s a belief out there ... that student government is really just about people trying to improve themselves,” said Harrison, law and business graduate student. Presidential Candidate Frank Zenteno, international and area studies and French senior, said he wants to advocate for all OU students. Ally Glavas, political science sophomore, said her platform

is based around trying to make UOSA relevant to students by improving advising and other issues. The presidential candidate said the OU administration does a lot for OU but could provide more. “We’re not asking enough ... I don’t think UOSA is challenging the administration enough,” Glavas said. Glavas said if she was not elected president, she would still work to improve campus. None of the candidates said they would support an increase in stipends for the president.

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MARCIN RUTKOWSKI/THE DAILY

SOONERS LEARN SELF-DEFENSE AUDREY HARRIS Daily Staff Writer

Students interested in learning self-defense can look to OU’s Student Martial Arts Association for a unique form of exercise. The SMAA is a student-led organization that meets for two hours every Sunday night at the Huston Huffman Center to review and practice multiple forms of martial arts. Martial Arts is a broad category that includes many different styles of fighting, including kick-boxing, karate, taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Krav-Maga or

CHARLES WARD Daily Staff Writer

curriculums, one for beginners and one for experienced fighters. Sometimes instructors may even choose to talk about the culture of martial arts or an important figure in martial arts history. Windham said he likes to bring in readings about the material. “Our organization isn’t just about us getting in a room and beating a punching bag, or beating each other up. As a student organization, we’re supposed to be promoting a love of martial arts,” Windham said. “Without stories, we can’t appreciate the styles.” Golnoosh Kamali, electrical engineering junior, received martial arts training for nine years prior to joining the group. Kamali enjoys learning all of the different styles of martial arts

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Muay Thai. Muay Thai is one of the deadliest forms of kick-boxing, said Kevin Windham, SMAA president. Windham, computer engineering junior, said the organization focuses on promoting good exercise, health and self-defense practices as well as a love of martial arts. Windham has studied martial arts for about 16 years, and attends classes when he can at Conan’s Academy in Norman. Windham said several of the club’s active members are certified to teach in their particular styles, but any group member who wants to lead a session can. Before teaching, instructors must submit their routine for the executive board to review. Windham said the instructors must include two

Declining cash on hand, high debt burden hurt university’s credit outlook

A major bond and credit rating agency downgraded its outlook of OU’s ability to repay bonds the university sold Wednesday. Fitch Ratings changed its two-to-three year outlook from stable to negative, said Douglas Kilcommons, a senior director at Fitch. The change “reflects the consistently negative operating performance of OU coupled with an aggressive, largely debt financed capital plan that has not been met with a corresponding rise in resources available for its repayment,” a release from Fitch stated. OU also is challenged by low growth in the number of high school graduates in the state and the small number of those adults who attend college, Kilcommons said. The U.S. Census Bureau for 2006-2008 estimates state 22.4 percent of Oklahomans have a college degree, compared with 27.4 percent of the nation as a whole. OU’s negative operating margins in four of the last five fiscal years also hurt OU’s credit outlook, along with declining cash on hand and a high debt burden, Kilcommons and the release said. OU finishes each year with positive cash, said OU spokesman Jay Doyle. However, non-cash transactions, such as depreciation of capital assets and long-term health care liabilities “have a negative impact on the overall financial margin,” Doyle said. While OU President David Boren has said tuition hikes are likely for the next school year, according to Daily archives. Future tuition or fee hikes can’t be so high that they drive away students, Kilcommons said. Increases in student spending at OU need to be covered by federal and other forms of financial aid, and some of that increase needs to be focused on reducing OU’s debt load. OU’s enrollment has not been affected by previous tuition increases in the last 10 years, Doyle said, remaining “basically flat.” O U ’s o n - c a m p u s f a l l

Andrew Farha, an employee in the IT department, practices martial arts techniques during a practice session during the Student Martial Arts Association on Sunday evening in the Huston Huffman Center. The program is open to all OU students.

OU’s Student Martial Arts Association challenges all levels of fighting experience

Credit agency knocks OU’s financial status

OU Medical Center doctor builds cancer survivor a new face Dr. Ivan Wayne used cosmetic surgery procedures to repair girl’s face that was damaged from surgery, therapy RICKY MARANON

Assignment Editor An Altus family is thanking OU surgeons for a beautiful face and bright future. Laura Bacon, 16, was diagnosed with a rapidly growing tumor behind her right eye when she was a 4 years old. The tumor was removed, and surgery, followed by chemotherapy and proton therapy, destroyed the cancer. But because of the treatment, part of her face did not develop with the rest of her body. The right side of her face was left with a cavernous deformity . “Growing up, I thought I’d never be normal,” Bacon said. Leslie Bacon, Laura’s mom, said when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer and underwent treatment, she knew her daughter would have a hard time with her appearance. “Kids would look at her, and I’d have to explain to her that many people have never seen a bald girl,” Leslie Bacon said. “Some men would assume that she was a boy ... We just looked at her and told her ‘this might be your badge of courage, and let’s see what God has in store’.”

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But as Laura became older and her hair grew back, the right side of her face remained the same because the chemotherapy and proton therapy inhibited bone growth. As Laura became older, the right side of her face failed to grow and form with the rest of her body. Many people were not able to see the deformities on the side of her face because her hair successfully covered up the right side of her face, Laura said. Leslie said she and her family had hope a day would come when Laura would have access to the proper treatment. Laura had to wait for the rest of her body to finish growing before any surgeries could begin to repair the damage, Leslie said. The family considered one Texas doctor’s treatment, but found his procedures too drastic and risky for the family’s comfort. “He wanted to take a nerve from her arm, and turn it into a blood vessel on the side of her face that had been damaged,” Leslie said. It was then Leslie met with Dr. Ivan Wayne, Laura’s future surgeon, at the OU Medical Center where a multiple part procedure to reconstruct Laura’s face was planned. The surgeries began in December 2008. “She had lost a lot of fat in her face,” Wayne said. “Fat is CANCER CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

© 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD

PHOTO PROVIDED

Laura Bacon and one of her surgeons, Dr. Scott Sigler, pose for a photo before her surgery at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Bacon’s right eye and a portion of her face was damaged when she fought cancer as a child, but after 15 months of surgery, Bacon was officially released Wednesday from the OU Medical Center. VOL. 95, NO. 120


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