The Oklahoma Daily

Page 1

The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

www.OUDaily.com

Free — additional copies 25¢

Mental-health department denied additional funding Committee allocates entire amount from student-activity fees to student government

Affairs and a member of the Student Activity Fee Committee, recommended UOSA should receive the entire $12,470.20 from student-activity fees. The other committee members — UOSA JARED RADER and RENEÉ SELANDERS The Oklahoma Daily President Franz Zenteno, Student Congress Chair Brett Stidham and Graduate Student he university’s mental-health de- Senate Chair Derrell Cox — approved the recpartment did not receive the extra ommendation, making UOSA the only organifunding it requested from student- zation to receive a budget increase for the next activity fee revenues this semester academic year, according to the OU Board of even though the money was available. Regents March meeting agenda. UOSA’s budget increased by $12,470.20 for Because UOSA officials requested $3,458, the the 2011-2012 academic year after the Student student association received $9,012.20 more Activity Fee Committee allocated than it requested — money that the entire projected increase in could have funded Counseling student-activity fee revenues to and Testing’s proposed salaries Allotting student government. and benefits increase for departstudent funds T h e S t u d e n t A c t i v i t y Fe e ment interns. Committee reviewed applications Members of the committee derequesting increased funding cided to allocate the money to Requesting from UOSA and the university’s UOSA, which is funded entirely more funding primary mental-health agency — by student-activity fees, because Counseling and Testing Services Counseling and Testing has fund— on March 4. ing sources other than student Distributing UOSA requested an additional activity fees, said Brett Stidham, UOSA’s money $3,458, with $2,465 budgeted for Undergraduate Student Congress hourly and student wages and chair, in an email. The addition of $993 budgeted for adjustments a UOSA webmaster position to in benefits for UOSA’s two full-time staffers, ac- maintain and update student government webcording to UOSA’s funding request. sites and an increase in student organizations Counseling and Testing’s request included using most of their allocated funds influenced two proposals: an extra $41,250 to promote its the committee’s decision to grant the additional lone psychiatrist from part-time to full-time and revenue to UOSA, Stidham said in an email. $7,980 to increase the salaries of its interns from The mental-health department receives addi$19,000 to $21,000 per intern. tional funding from the state and makes revenue While Counseling and Testing didn’t re- off of sales and services. ceive the additional requested funding from “I personally believe that the mental health student-activity fees, recent turnover in experi- of our community is important, yet the quesenced staff freed up the funds necessary to ful- tion still remains: how to finance the endeavfill the proposed salary increase for interns, said or,” Stidham said in an email. “The committee’s William Wayne, Counseling and Testing Services director. Clarke Stroud, vice president of Student SEE FUNDS PAGE 2

T

1

2

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MEREDITH MORIAK/THE DAILY

3

UOSA

Regents to hold hearing on academic costs A public hearing will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the State Regents’ Conference Room, 655 Research Parkway, Suite 200 in Oklahoma City to discuss academic service fees. Members of the public may address the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education during the meeting. Legislative peer limits for tuition and fees will be open for discussion during the hearing. This includes tuition and fees for all institutions in the Oklahoma State System for Higher Education. Resident and nonresident tuition and credit-hour rates for fiscal year 2011-2012 will be discussed. Tuition and mandatory fee limits for professional programs will also be discussed for College of Law and OU Health Sciences Center programs. Academic service fee proposals will be presented among the tuition and mandatory fees. This includes both the addition and deletion of lab, program and service fees for main campuses and the OU Health Sciences Center. Students interested in voicing their opinion must call the Chancellor’s Office of State Regents at 405-2259100 before the hearing, said Ben Hardcastle, regents communications director. “This is an opportunity for students to express their views and their opinion is important to the Board of Regents,” Hardcastle said. — Hillary McLain/The Daily

Counseling and Testing

Superior Court hears runoff-election case Decision about petition to invalidate CAC election results will be decided soon KATHLEEN EVANS The Oklahoma Daily

T h e U O S A Su p e r i o r C o u r t heard arguments Monday night about whether the Campus Activities Council chair runoff election should be invalidated. Philosophy senior Matt Bruenig filed a petition asking the court to invalidate the election results because of mass emails allegedly sent by CAC chairwoman-elect Melissa Mock’s campaign team, according to Daily archives. B r u e n i g ’s re p re s e nt at i o n , Matthew Zellner, law student and associate General Counsel, argued that Bruenig was justified in bringing the case to the court despite direct injury to him. Because every student is part of UOSA and because CAC creates campuswide events in which any student can participate, Bruenig was harmed by these emails and election violations, Zellner said. “Because of the nature of the office in question and because

Greg Emde

Melissa Mock

all students in UOSA are able to participate and be appointed and run within CAC, by the fact that the chairperson is elected in possibly an invalid election is a harm,” Zellner said before the court. He also said that the UOSA Superior Court has bent the rules in the past about an injury being

necessary to ensure that the court is accessible to all students. Amber Siddiqui, law student and G eneral Counsel chairwoman, represented Mock in the hearing and said Bruenig could not show more harm done to him than to any other student and was not able to bring the case to court.

“To bring a lawsuit in any court you need palpable injury. Why should this court be any different just because it is a student court?” Siddiqui said. Students wanting to bring a case to the court can do so by petitioning the General Counsel, rather than petitioning the court directly, Siddiqui said. This would get around the need to confirm an injury, but Bruenig chose to file the case himself. The court then heard arguments about whether there was enough evidence to call for an invalidation of the election results. More than 1,000 unsolicited emails were allegedly sent out on Mock’s behalf by friends and volunteers, Zellner said. She only won the election by 57 votes, meaning the number of emails sent was 17 times the margin and about half of the entire number of voters, Zellner said. Because of the large number of students receiving this email and because of the personal nature of the emails, it is safe to say they SEE CAC PAGE 2

CIA to recruit students from campus this week General information, internship opportunities will be presented at sessions RICHARD IMMEL The Oklahoma Daily

A CIA recruiter will be on campus this week to discuss employment opportunities within the organization with OU students. CIA recruiter Nancy Hunt will host two recruitment sessions this week, both of which are open to

A LOOK AT WHAT’S ON Visit the news section to read about an alumnus who had a Sarkeys Energy Center plaza dedicated to him Monday morning

students. The first will be a general information session that takes place at 4 p.m. today, and the second session will focus primarily on internship opportunities for freshmen and will take place noon Wednesday. Both sessions will be held in Hester Hall, Room 160. Students also may schedule individual appointments with Hunt to delve deeper into the CIA’s application process. “In international and area

THE OKLAHOMA DAILY VOL. 96, NO. 135 © 2011 OU Publications Board www.OUDaily.com www.facebook.com/OUDaily www.twitter.com/OUDaily

studies we have a lot of students that are interested in this line of work, particularly our international security majors,” said Suzette Grillot, event coordinator and College of International Studies associate dean. “It benefits them because students can have questions answered regarding everything from how to apply, where you find application materials, how the application process works, what are they to expect throughout that

WHAT’S INSIDE Campus ................. Classifieds ............. Life & Arts .............. Opinion ................. Sports ...................

2 4 6 3 5

process to just general information about what it’s like to work for the CIA,” Grillot said. There is often misunderstanding regarding the lifestyle of people employed by the CIA, she said. “It can clarify a lot of their own ideas about working for the CIA.” Grillot said. “I think a number of [students], when following up on the application process, will be more successful because they have had that one-on-one contact.”

TODAY’S WEATHER

94°| 50° Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, high of 77 degrees


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.