The Oklahoma Daily

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MONDAY AUGUST 24, 2009

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FINANCIAL AID WEB SITE CAUSE OF PROBLEMS OU’s new oZone leaves students searching for answers in ambiguity RICKY MARANON The Oklahoma Daily

A glitch in a new Web site and an increase in students seeking help are the causes of long lines and delays with early loan disbursement in the OU financial aid office. “I need my loans to get books. Without books, I can’t start class,” said Nathan Cockrum, liberal studies graduate student. Cockrum said even though he was offered book vouchers, he would not be able to pick them up in time for class to start, especially since he was taking some classes online. “I’ve been told that when the financial aid office moved to the new Web site oZone is when all the problems began, but why

anyone would implement a new system in the financial aid office during the time of highest demand is a huge question to me,” Cockrum said. “The new Web site is the only answer I have gotten as to why I am having so many problems this year.” He said the only hope something would get done was because of the attitudes of the employees. “Don’t get me wrong, I am upset about the way some things have taken place, but everyone has been professional, cordial and respectful,” Cockrum said. Officials in Financial Aid Services did not respond to questions asking when students would receive their loan disbursement and instead submitted a letter to the editor. “I would be the first to acknowledge that this year’s process has not been as smooth as it should be for two reasons: we are serving

a record high number of students this year (3,000 more than is typical), and we are making progress in integrating a new electronic system that will ultimately streamline our processes to benefit students,” Matt Hamilton, registrar and associate vice president of Enrollment and Student Financial Services, stated in that letter to the editor. “Unfortunately, until the next oZone module implementation goes live on Sept. 28, our Financial Aid staff must work concurrently in both oZone and our old Financial Aid system,” Hamilton said. “This has caused some unforeseen challenges that will be eliminated when all facets of the new system have been incorporated.” Jamie Birdwell, former Daily staff writer and professional writing junior, is in the process of taking out student loans for the first time.

“[The process] is very ambiguous, you know,” Birdwell said. “I’ve never taken out a loan before and I feel like I kind of picked a bad time to learn to do it.” Birdwell said she was on “pins and needles” due to the financial aid situation. “My biggest nightmare is that I’m going to owe the school money and its not going to be there,” she said. “I feel like I’m doing something wrong. I’m sure in my mind that I’m not, but who really knows?” Students qualifying for early loan disbursement have still not received a specific time as to when their loans will be available. “I have gone to the Bursar’s office to see if my loans were available, but I get vague estimates and nothing concrete,” said Grant Spencer, first-year law student. “They said within a week or so.” PROBLEMS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

Student bikes across country for charity Senior takes cross-country bike trip to raise money for Habitat for Humanity LUKE ATKINSON The Oklahoma Daily

Imagine finishing finals one day, and the next road-tripping to another state to begin a 72-day cross-country bicycle journey. This is precisely how Brian Phillips, psychology senior, spent most of his summer while participating in Bike and Build, a nonprofit organization that coordinates crosscountry bicycle trips to benefit affordable housing programs. Rosemary DiRita, executive director for Bike and Build, said the program originated on a smaller scale at Yale University. At that time, students rode their bikes to local areas to help build affordable housing. Bike and Build was created in 2002 to expand the idea of biking and constructing homes. “It’s a really unique experience to see,” DiRita said. “You ride and live with 30 other peers for two months, which is just extraordinary. This year, we’re hoping to donate $500,000 through our grant system. We’ve given $1.6 million to affordable housing so far.” Bike and Build has also directly involved over 750 young adults, according to its Web

site. “I heard about Bike and Build through a friend of a friend, and saw an ad on Facebook,” Phillips said. “I liked the idea of combining biking for adventure and helping people and Habitat for Humanity. I raised $4,000 to donate to housing associations and was sent a bike.” Phillips’ adventure took him and 29 other riders from Virginia Beach, Va. to Cannon Beach, Ore., on a route that rode through mountains, plains and forests. “I have already seen Oklahoma, so I wanted to see something else,” Phillips said. “I think my favorite place was Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachian Mountains. Really challenging, but very cool. My legs hurt, I was at a breaking point, pushing as hard as I can on a bike in the lowest gear, going four miles per hour and I couldn’t see the top. We were climbing an 11 percent grade for about four miles, and then rode a 10 percent downgrade for about three miles. At one point, I hit 52 miles per hour. Only slightly dangerous.” Apart from the biking journey, Phillips said a large part of the ride involved building homes with housing organizations. “Every six or seven days, we’d stop and build a home,” Phillips said. “We impacted those lives and others, like a little old lady in Virginia had fallen and couldn’t get up. We

also helped someone hurt on the side of the road. “For the riders, you really make life-long friends. You meet 30 new people, and after 10 weeks of spending every moment with these people, you have a lot of new friends. And the biking is cool, too.” One person Phillips grew to know over the 72 days on the road, was Barbara Joseph, George Washington University graduate and Phillips’ team leader, who has ridden with Bike and Build for three years and is familiar with the situations the bikers face. “I got involved as a rider two years ago,” Joseph said. “I was one of four leaders in charge of programming the entire summer; where to eat, sleep, shower. We normally chose churches, public facilities, community centers and scouted out communities that can help and host 30 bikers.” Over the course of the ride, Joseph said she got to know more about Phillips and even shared a unique experience with him. “With the trip comes risks,” she said. “One rider was injured and we had to check them into the hospital. We then got lost in Virginia, and we didn’t know the area. I told Brian, ‘Lets knock and ask them for directions.’ We knocked and were not only given directions, but they gave us lemonade and a whole bowl of Oreos.” Phillips said he knew the ride would have

Brian Phillips rode his bicycle across the country this summer from 1) Virginia Beach, Va., to 7) Cannon Beach, Ore., as a part of Bike to Build, a non-profit organization that coordinates bicycle trips to benefit affordable housing programs. Here are Phillips’ five favorite stops along the way: 2) Blue Ridge Parkway, Va. – Phillips climbed an 11 percent grade for four miles, then flew down the same grade for the same distance. 3) Estes Park, Colo. – On Peak-to-Peak Highway, Phillips rode a 12-mile descent, slowly gaining speed and watching trees fly by. 4) Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo. – Phillips rode more than 5,000 feet up a mountain, to an elevation beyond 12,000 feet beyond sea level. 5) Teton, Wyo. – Phillips tore downhill at 52.9 mph. 6) Boise, Ida. – Phillips said it was a cool city he enjoyed during a day off. While there, he watched a professional bike race.

LAUREN HARNED/THE DAILY

Brian Phillips celebrates his 72 day bike ride across the United States on Tuesday afternoon in front of the notorious Sower in the South Oval. challenges, but they shouldn’t deter anyone from attempting the journey. “My personal philosophy is anyone can do it, but you have to want to do it,” he said. “It was a mind over matter thing for me, I thought, ‘there is no way I’m not making it.’ Generally no one drops out. Whether you are a novice or expert, you’ll make it. You ride at your own pace and get the breaks you want.” After the journey is complete, Phillips said the experience becomes unbelievable. “It was completely surreal,” Phillips said. “It was foggy. We hit the beach and ran towards the ocean. You finally hit it and it’s like 40 degrees. Everyone is happy and everyone is hugging, and you don’t notice it is over yet.” Phillips said he will participate in Bike and Build again, to re-live the experience and to CHARITY CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

RELATIONSHIPS FORM BETWEEN STUDENTS AND FACULTY The Graduation Office launched the Sooner Success Program Saturday. Becky Heeney, Graduation Office director, stated in an e-mail that the program is founded in research that suggests students stay in school and graduate at higher rates when they establish a relationship with a member of the university faculty or staff, which is how the idea for the program came about. Four new graduation counselors joined the Graduation Office to meet with students in the program on a regular basis to discuss academic services on campus, goal setting, career and major choices, getting involved on campus and leadership skills training, Heeney said. The counselors are not

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academic advisers, but rather they will mentor the students and help with any decisions or questions the students might have throughout their time at OU. The program does not require an application process, nor does it target a particular demographic. Instead, the students are asked to participate based on their high school academic performance. While Heeney declined to provide specific information about selection criteria, she said that high school grade-point averages and standardized test scores are considered to find students that might benefit from the program to reach their full potential at OU. “[Since] graduation and retention rates are a pressing issue in all of higher

COLLEGE OF LAW DEAN RETIRES education across the country, OU President David L. Boren formed a university-wide task force which has met bi-weekly over the past few months to discuss ideas for the new program,” Heeney said. Casey Partridge, director of the Sooner Success Program, said one of the main things the new program tries to teach students is how important it is to balance the number of hours they work while in school. Heeney said the program will start off with a group of close to 200 students and may expand in the future. “I’m very optimistic that the Sooner Success Program will help us increase student success at OU and thus increase our graduation rate even further,” she said. -Kali Carter/The Daily

© 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD

CHELSEA GARZA/THE DAILY

Andrew M. Coats, Dean of the College of Law, stands in one of the courts in the law building Wednesday afternoon. Coats will be resigning at the end of the year after serving as dean for 14 years. Coats received his undergraduate degree in 1957 and his law degree in 1963, both from OU. He went on to serve as district attorney of Oklahoma County and mayor of Oklahoma City. However, Coats is perhaps best known for successfully arguing in 1984 before the U.S. Supreme Court for OU and the University of Georgia in a case against the NCAA, which ended the NCAA’s monopoly on televising college football games. VOL. 95, NO. 4


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