Monday, May 4, 2015

Page 1

presents

YEAR IN REVIEW 1. SAE VIDEO 2. UNHEARD 3. ALAN HRUBY 4. PARKING 5. FACULTY

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6. SAFE RIDE 7. BORENS 8. PRIDE OF OKLA. 9. MARRIAGE 10. FRACKING

OF THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF 2014-2015

SEE IN THE NEWS PAGE A5

‘We’ve got to keep going’ Black leaders reflect on outcome of SAE event, how to move forward

Spring semester sees major faculty changes New hirings include diversity VP, provost

ANDREW CLARK

MIKE BRESTOVANSKY

The spring 2015 semester has been a learning curve for students and faculty on how to create a more inclusive campus for minorities. From the formation of OU Unheard, to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident, to the demonstrations that followed it, it has been a semester in OU’s history that will live forever. Chelsea Davis, one of the leaders of Unheard, said it has been a stressful time for her. “It really was a very tough semester on us both socially, academically and emotionally,” Davis said. “It was truly a struggle for us to keep up with our classes and keep up with the activism and things like that.” Black Student Association president Isaac Hill said this semester has taught him to be prepared for the unexpected and how to be a

With the approach of summer, the semester closes on a campus very different from the one on which it began. Several high-profile changes in OU’s faculty took place this semester. Here are some of the university’s leaders who took — and, in some cases, left — office this semester.

News Reporter @Clarky_Tweets

Assistant News Editor @BrestovanskyM

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Hundreds of students walk through the Oklahoma Memorial Union during a peaceful protest on March 9, following the viral SAE video.

better leader. “It’s taught me how I can handle situations and … it’s allowed me to learn how to bring people together,” Hill said. Hill said that the SAE incident has done more good for the university than bad and that he thinks the students involved have learned

a valuable lesson. “A lot of good things have happened,” he said. “Our university and our community has learned how this stuff is still affecting us today and how we can all learn SEE GROWTH PAGE 2

Mary Margaret Holt Formerly the director of the School of Dance, Mar y Margaret Holt stepped into the position of dean of Fine Arts, following the resignation of forMARY HOLT mer dean Rich Taylor in January.

Taylor had served as dean for eight years before retiring to spend more time working at an entertainment company he started with his wife, according to The Daily archives. OU president David Boren appointed Holt, who had served as interim dean for the College of Fine Arts in 1997, to fill his position. Holt worked for the School of Dance since 1980 and continues to be highly involved with the program, most recently helping to choreograph the Oklahoma Festival Ballet’s production of “La Bayadère.” Although Holt is currently dean in temporary capacity only, she is eligible to permanently assume the role in the future. Kyle Harper Much like Holt, Kyle Harper was initially appointed in an interim capacity before being officially appointed to the position of senior vice president and provost in March. SEE STAFFING PAGE 3

Residence halls to receive tech upgrades Couch, Adams Centers to house study spaces AMBER FRIEND News Reporter @amberthefriend

The residence halls are getting an upgrade next semester with two new technologically enhanced engagement centers in Couch and Adams centers. The two areas will hold largely different functions: the Couch area is intended for primarily academic purposes, while the Adams area is designed for social usage, said John Verbick, learning spaces lead

WEATHER Cloudy with a high of 79, low of 57. Updates: @AndrewGortonWX

for OU Information Technology. The Couch lab will replace the tower’s first floor computer lab in the northwest wing, transforming the rows of desktops and IT service center into a spacious, technology-centered study area with several different features, Verbick said. The Couch renovations, a longplanned collaboration between Housing and Food Services and OU IT, will begin directly after the semester ends, said Kevin Blake, assistant to the associate vice president of Housing and Food Services. The new lab will be built to accommodate flexibility, Verbick said. All interior walls, carpeting

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and power lines will be temporary, allowing cheaper and simpler redesign options in the future, should the plans or needs for the lab change. “As technology progresses, you kind of have an idea of what’s coming down the line but you don’t fully understand. So this gives us all an opportunity to prepare for the future, and to be able to reconfigure the room if we need to,” Blake said. The finished lab will be mostly open study space, but will also feature rooms for independent study, video conferencing, public desktop computer access and a smaller IT service center, Blake said.

Other upgrades to the lab include area-specific WI-FI access and WEPA printing stations, as well as aesthetic updates like dimmable lights, both rolling and tabletop white boards and partitioned furniture that allows more private study options in the open areas, Verbick said. The area may also feature technology not normally seen in college study lounges. Either desks with pedal-powered access ports by the Belgian company WeWatt, treadmill desks, or both will allow students to stay active while working on school work, Verbick said. If the WeWatt stations are added, they will be among the first to be

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used in American universities. “The only two [WeWatt stations] that I’m aware of that are in the U.S. right now are the two that are in the lounge of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston University,” Verbick said. “And then potentially two more in central Oklahoma from Belgium.” Both project managers based their decisions on the labs’ components from a university-wide survey considering the area. The survey garnered about 2,000 responses, 600 of which were from current freshmen, Verbick said. SEE UPGRADE PAGE 2

OU YAK OF THE DAY “Desire2leave the country and start an alpaca farm”

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