MONDAY SEPTEMBER BER 14, 20 2009 009
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news Need some help dealing with those upcoming exams? Check out some stress management tips. PAGE 3
Miss out on the game Saturday? Read the recap of OU’s stomping of Idaho State. PAGE 11
The Daily’s Lundenn England reviews eviews theater classic assic “Bye Byee Birdie.” PAGE 8
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Cars vandalized on campus, in surrounding apartments
Tuesday’s Weather
77°/63°
Twenty-one reports made since beginning of month RICKY MARANON The Oklahoma Daily
owl.ou.edu
CAMPUS BRIEFS DEDICATION CEREMONY SET FOR WAGNER HALL Lissa and Cy Wagner Hall will be dedicated in a public ceremony Thursday. The ceremony to dedicate the academic services building will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will feature several OU speakers, including President David Boren. “The dedication of this building, which will bring together under one roof many of the academic services available to students, is an important milestone for the university and a building block for excellence,” Boren said. The 35,000-square-foot center includes an advising center for all student advisers in University College, student writing and computer labs, learning services and tutoring, the Graduation Office and several study areas. The building is named in honor of the Wagners’ scholarship endowment and is located northeast of the business college Price Hall.
Twelve cars have been vandalized and another nine have been broken into both around campus and in off-campus student apartment complexes since Sept. 1, according to Norman and OU police department reports. Both police departments are
estimating the damage to vehicles combined with the value of the items stolen to be almost $3,000. “The acts of vandalism we’ve seen on campus appear to be random acts,” OUPD spokesman Lt. Bruce Chan said. “The reason we’ve seen most cars being broken into is because thieves either see that the car has valuables in it, or the car is unlocked and sometimes the owner has even left the keys inside.” According to OUPD reports, incidents of vandalism on campus have ranged from cars having their paint
scratched by keys to one car having all four tires slashed in the Elm Avenue parking garage. Owners of the vehicles that were robbed at Campus Lodge reported a wallet, CDs, DVDs and credit cards among the stolen items, according to Norman police reports. Other off-campus student apartment complexes have also seen acts of vandalism and robbery. According to Norman police, a black Nissan 350Z convertible’s soft top was cut open Sept. 3 at The Edge apartment complex. Damage is
valued at more than $500. Saturday, a student reported to police that personal items were stolen from the back of his truck at the Commons on Oak Tree. Students said safety to their cars is not the first thing they think about when they park their cars. “I lock my car and that is it,” said Rebecca Garcia, University College freshman. “I just park in whichever spot is open and closest to the building and not worry about my car.” CARS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
FIRST-TIME ATTENDEES BASK IN GLORY OF GAME DAY
-Daily Staff Reports
MUSEUM DIRECTOR TO DISCUSS PHENOMENA A visiting lecturer, Liba Chaia Taub, will discuss historical views of natural phenomena in a free session at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Associates Room of the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Taub, director and curator of the University of Cambridge’s Whipple Museum, will lecture on “The Living Body and the Earth: Analogy or Metaphor in Ancient Physical Explanations?” The event is sponsored by the History of Science Department in the College of Arts and Sciences. For more information, e-mail Steve Livesey at slivesey@ou.edu or call 325-2213. -Daily Staff Reports
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR BLOOD DRIVE The Oklahoma Blood Institute is looking for volunteers to help recruit and register bone marrow donors before all home football games this season. The drives are held outside of the Oklahoma Memorial Union and volunteers can call OBI Volunteer Services at 419-1328 or e-mail Julie Davis at jdavis@obi.org. -Daily Staff Reports
OKLAHOMA FOUNDATION HONORS STAFF MEMBER OU staff member Les Risser received the 2009 Distinguished Service Award from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and was honored for her commitment to public education and contributions to the foundation. Risser works as a development director for the university and oversees the Women in Philanthropy initiative. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Risser also serves as a board member of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and previously served as director of Academic Outreach. -Daily Staff Reports
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Fans stick out the rain to cheer on players at OU’s first home game Saturday. The Sooners finished the game with a 64-0 win over Idaho State.
New and returning students enjoy the first game of the season NATASHA GOODELL The Oklahoma Daily
The constant downpour of rain didn’t stop the OU Sooners from winning against Idaho State Saturday, 64-0, nor did it prevent some OU students from enjoying their first live OU football game. “Even though it was raining at this game, it seemed more intense than any other college football game I have been to,” said Simone Saldanha, University College freshman.
Saldanha said it was really great to be a part of the crowd and the school spirit. “The excitement was catching,” University College freshman Amanda Niedzwiecki said. “The school spirit here is absolutely amazing.” Niedzwiecki said the rain made the game more interesting as the crowd cheered despite it. “It was enough excitement to make me want to get season tickets next year,” she said. OU’s incoming class of National Merit Scholars, including Saldanha and Niedzwiecki, was honored before the football game, which allowed Saldanha and Niedzwiecki to attend the game for free. “I’ve never seen people crazy about football,” said Boram Kim, exchange student from South
Korea, about Saturday’s game. Kim said soccer is very popular in her country, but it isn’t as crazy as football at OU. “Every time we scored, my friends and I crowded around each other and high-fived each other and [were] yelling OU chants,” she said. Kim said she doesn’t really understand the rules of football yet, but had some help from a friend Saturday at the game and said she feels she is getting used to the game now. “I didn’t understand the game at first, but one of my friends helped explain it to me,” said Emma Gale, an exchange student from England. “My friend had watched the Super Bowl on television GLORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
Living life on the leash Exams allow students to earn Contestants chained to doghouse for animal rights awareness KATHLEEN EVANS The Oklahoma Daily
Eight contestants are competing to see who can stay chained to a doghouse the longest in an effort to win the My Life as a Dog Challenge, which began Saturday in Bricktown, hosted by the Central Oklahoma Humane Society. “We drove by a chained dog one day that looked miserable and decided to do something to advocate for these poor creatures,” said Christy Counts, president and executive director of the Humane Society. Katie Hodges, public relations junior, was asked to be a part of the planning committee after she met Counts while lobbying against an animal-related bill at the Oklahoma City Capitol, Hodges said. Hodges is also president of the Animal Volunteers Alliance at OU. She used this position to encourage club members to volunteer at the event. “Volunteers are there to talk
to the public about dog chaining,” Hodges said. “They mainly watch the contestants for rule infractions and make sure nothing goes awry.” Contestants are only provided food, water and shelter because current laws say that owners must only provide those things, no matter the conditions, Hodges said. The ultimate goal of the event is to raise awareness and support to change this legislation, she said.
A DOG’S LIFE ON A LEASH • Eight contestants • Seven days • Three basics: food, water and shelter. Nothing else is allowed, except for personal items received in challenges or by donation. • One car, which runs on compressed natural gas, to the winner For more information, visit http:// www.okhumane.org/chainoff. Other rules include only removing the chain to use the bathroom for a reasonable amount of time, no use of personal items unless they are earned through competitions or donations, and LEASH CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
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credit hours for cheaper costs Several examinations cut costs with passing grades CLAIRE BRANDON The Oklahoma Daily
In light of an economic downturn, students at the University of Oklahoma can take advantage of cheaper options to gain course credit. The Center for Independent and Distance Learning at OU offers Departmental Advanced Standing Examinations and the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), allowing students enrolled at the university to acquire class credit by passing an exam. “Pretty much you get credit hours for stuff you already know,” testing administrator Rob Voci said. Stephanie Nelson, an energy management and finance junior, passed two Advanced Standing Examinations in marketing and management, gaining three hours of credit for each course. “I am from Texas so usually a three-hour class is around $1,200,” Nelson said. “Taking these two classes also allowed me to take other classes this semester, which put me ahead in my specific major
classes.” It cost Nelson roughly $350 to gain six credit hours, including the exam fees and price of books to study for the two exams. Melanie Adams, academic adviser for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, said she has seen a recent growth in perspective students and parents’ interests in taking these exams. “This year the numbers are up about 30 percent from last year, but it’s hard to say if it’s economic or not,” Voci said. “We’ve not really ever noticed that the economy has much to do with it. It seems that some students have the knowledge to take advantage of it.” Although there are benefits to taking the exams, Nelson said, she also encountered a disadvantage. “The downside is that it was hard to actually sit down and study,” Nelson said. “The material was not hard, but there was just so much to learn. I barely passed both tests, but since it is pass/fail, that is all that matters.” Adams and Chris Borthick, also an academic adviser for the Gaylord College, attended a training workshop last spring to learn more about EXAMS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
VOL. 95, NO. 18