Thursday, August 30, 2012

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The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

T H u R s DaY, auG u s T 3 0 , 2 012

W W W.O U DA I LY.C O M

Sports: Sooner soccer player’s drive takes her from UK to US (Page 7)

2 011 S I LV E R C R O W N W I N N E R

l&A: Fall into new styles (Page 8)

OUDaily.com: Read coverage of local Syrian expert’s discussion of conflict

Fall fashion trends

UniVERSiTy pOlicy

GOVERnMEnT

Sexual misconduct training mandatory

UOSA plans big changes

Sept. 14 deadline for students, staff and faculty to finish online training MikE WOrMLEY Campus Reporter

Students this semester must complete mandatory online sexual misconduct training by Sept. 14 to avoid enrollment holds. The training, required of all students, faculty and staff, is part of the Sexual

Misconduct, Discrimination and Harassment Policy that went into effect in May. The policy defines concepts ranging from sexual coercion to the details of sexual consent and outlines the responsibility of University members to report misconduct, according to OU’s

Equal Opportunity Office website. “The goals of the training are to educate the University community on what activities are considered gender-based harassment,” said Laura Palk, OU Institutional Equity and Title 9 Coordinator. “Most individuals assume that sexual assault is the only topic covered by the Sexual Misconduct Policy. Although it is an important

area covered by the Policy, gender-based harassment can take many forms.” Palk said this training was the direct result of actions put into motion by President David Boren in April 2011 and the influence of a sexual violence fact sheet released on April 4, 2011 through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. St u d e n t s a l s o s t a g e d

several on-campus protests encouraging the policy change during spring 2011, according to Daily archives. The report addressed specific problems and suggested solutions relating to sexual impropriety on university campuses that were given light by the Clery Act. The Clery Act requires all higher education institutions see POLICY page 2

ALiSOn HAUSnEr Campus Reporter

Kingsley Burns/tHe daily

A new administration has brought new events and new changes to the UOSA executive branch’s structure. One of the new events put together by UOSA president Joe Sangirardi and UOSA vice president Rainey Sewell was a summer retreat. Applicants for positions in UOSA were put together, and student leaders got to know them before placing them in positions, Sewell said. “The retreat went great, students were more productive and came up with broader ideas since they didn’t know where they would be going. We got to see more personalities beforehand,” Sewell said. U O S A’s e x e c u t i v e b ra n c h a l s o i s w o r king with the Houston Huffman Center and will be training for the 5K coming up on Sept. 15, Sewell said. Interested students can wake up early and go jogging with either Sangirardi or Sewell and work to build up to the 5K running event. Sangirardi’s administration also made big changes to the structu re o f t h e e xe c u t i ve branch last s emester with the Departmental Consolidation and Efficiency Act of 2012. The act targeted specific and redundant offices in the executive branch, cutting them and rolling their responsibilities into other

Junior defensive specialist Mindy Gowen (left) and senior defensive specialist Maria Fernanda stand on the court Tuesday in the Mccasland Field House.

see UOSA page 2

ciTy OF nORMAn

VOllEyBAll

Voters pass bond motion Improved sidewalks, bike paths in works MELOdiE LETTkEMAn Campus Reporter

Suppor t for a bikefriendly Norman gained more ground Tuesday after nearly 62 percent of Norman voters voted in favor of a $42 million bond to improve transportation in the city. Funded by the bond and preexisting federal highway grants, the project will improve or add continuous sidewalks to W Lindsey Street, W Main Street, 24th Avenue SE and Cedar Lane, according to a NewsOK article. The transportation project also will improve road conditions in areas prone to flooding and will widen W Lindsey Street from three lanes to five. In 2 0 1 1 , t h e c i t y o f Norman earned a bronze designation as a bikefriendly community from the League of American Bicyclists, and the league credits the designation t o N o r m a n ’s B i c y c l e Advisory Committee, according to the league’s website. The committee’s projects have spanned across Norman, but Lindsey Street has not been included in BAC plans since 1996. Biking infrastructure, including continuous sidewalks and bike paths and lanes, is a large part of the league’s basis for rankings, meaning the additions could have an affect on Norman’s

Executive branch restructured for greater efficiency

Libero has team’s back on court Players with special position have big task on volleyball court cHriS TYndALL Sports Reporter

The first thing most people notice when they watch a volleyball game is that on each team, there’s one player wearing a differentcolored jersey than the rest of her teammates. Well, this might not be the first thing they notice, but if not, it’s

definitely the second thing they notice. These two lucky players who stand out, not only because of the color of their jerseys, but also because they are some of the smallest players on the courts, are called liberos. So what is a libero (or a defensive specialist, as some might call it because they can’t pronounce the word correctly)? According to about.com, a libero is a “defensive specialist position in indoor volleyball. The position was added to

the game in 1999 along with special rules for play in order to foster more digs and rallies and to make the game more exciting.” Senior libero Maria Fernanda has a more simplified definition. “It’s more concentrated on defense and passing,” Fernanda said. “You’re the one in control in the back row who makes everyone aware of where they have to be when they are receiving or passing the ball.” see LIBERO page 5

OU’s new sexual misconduct policy protects students Opinion: these are the right changes to make ou’s sexual misconduct policy effective, accessible and strong enough to keep students safe. (Page 4)

Actors should choose quality films over money L&A: Brent stenstrom argues that actors should focus their careers on making quality films. (oudaily.com/l&a)

see BOND page 3

STUDEnT inVOlVEMEnT

OU political organizations see rise in membership Young Democrats had 126 students sign up for club SAM HiGGinS

Campus Reporter

Student political organizations on campus are experiencing a rise in membership this year because of mostly to the upcoming U.S. Presidential election in November, said Sam Peyton, president of Young Democrats. These are the highest numbers he’s seen since his

oud-2012-8-30-a-001,002.indd 1

Sam Camp, chairman of the OU College Republicans, WHAT’S NEXT said the group has about 500 college people signed up, with about Republicans 25-30 members showing up regularly to meetings. College republicans P e y t o n s a i d Yo u n g will hold their first Democrats does not have a meeting on thursday, set membership. However, sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in 10 to 75 members typically the Boomer room in show up at regular meetings oklahoma memorial and 545 members are on the union. email list. Source: Sam Camp, OU College One hundred and twenRepublicans chair ty-six students signed up to be part of Young Democrats freshman year in August at the Sooner Orientation 2009, Peyton said. Weekend Involvement Fair

on Sunday, and the organization has registered 60 new voters. Both groups receive funding from the University of Oklahoma Student Association, as well as from private donations. As of now, Young Democrats has received $550. College Republicans still is getting calculating its total. The organization has been using Facebook and Twitter to reach out to their members and encourage recruitment, Peyton said. Leaders of both

organizations said they want to engage students and discuss important issues that affect the country. “I know many people are apathetic toward politics, but for me, public service and informing citizens about various issues is extremely selfgratifying,” Peyton said.

VOL. 98, NO. 12 © 2012 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25¢

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8/29/12 10:30:34 PM


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Thursday, August 30, 2012 by OU Daily - Issuu