The Oklahoma Daily

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WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

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FRESHMEN MUST EXCHANGE INCORRECT PERMITS Upperclassmen in residence halls displaced by sales error RICKY MARANON The Oklahoma Daily

Freshmen with Priority Housing permits have until 5 p.m. Friday to exchange their current parking permits for a regular Housing parking permit before they face a $125 fine. Some freshmen were given the ability to purchase Priority Housing parking permits even though they did not qualify for them, due to a malfunctioning computer program that sells permits online. “We were in the process of implementing a new computer program when the mix-up happened, and we regret what has

taken place,” said Kris Glenn, spokesperson for OU Parking and Transit Services. Priority Housing spots are reserved for upperclassmen and located in close proximity to the residence halls. “When we found out that there was a problem, we notified the students who had the wrong permit that they needed to come in and make an exchange for the right one,” Glenn said. Glenn said in order to qualify for a Priority Housing permit, a student must have lived in the residence halls for two semesters and completed 24 credit hours. According to an open records request, 481 Priority Housing permits were issued, and 147 of them were accidentally given to freshmen. Of those, Glenn said 40 of them have willingly exchanged their

permits. But students who do not make the exchange soon could face consequences. “Students who have been notified they have the wrong permit ... have until Friday Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. to go to the parking office to be issued the correct permit,” Glenn said. “If they do not get the correct permit, they can be cited for unauthorized use of a parking permit.” According to the Parking and Transit Services Web site, a citation for using a stolen, forged, altered or unauthorized permit includes a $125 fine. Glenn said students can be cited multiple times until they pick up the proper RICKY MARANON/THE DAILY permit. The OU parking office is asking 174 freshman to return Upperclassmen who qualified for a the priority parking passes they were assigned in place of PERMITS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

freshman passes by this Friday, or face the possibility of a $125 parking ticket.

Lecture held in support of health care bills

COFFEE STICKS CAUSING A STIR

Director stresses prevention as key to health care reform JARED RADER The Oklahoma Daily

OKLAHOMA CITY — Preventive care must be at the forefront of health care reform if the U.S. wants a sustainable new health care system, Tulsa County Health Director Gary Cox told an audience of students and citizens Tuesday during a lecture at the OU College of Public Health. Cox, who will become the director of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department on Oct. 1, according to the Oklahoma City-County Health Department Web site, said citizens should contact local congressmen to support the health care bills currently going through the U.S. Congress. “It’s time to put wellness back into health care reform,” Cox said. “If you’re really going to save money for the health care system here in the United States, you’re going to have to focus on wellness and prevention and keeping people from getting sick in the first place.” He said the bill going through the House of Representatives includes a funding mechanism similar to the bill going through the Senate, but within the fund is a distinct prevention and wellness trust fund, which would benefit local health departments. “Local health departments are the backbone of public health,” Cox said. “Local health departments are critical because they have partnerships in place and they know the community, they know the data, they have elected representatives on their boards of health and they have a wide variety of expertise.” Cox said the bills would also create jobs. Using the example of the millions of dollars the federal government is putting into Oklahoma to combat the possibility of an H1N1 outbreak, he said local health departments would need to provide jobs for epidemiologists, nurses, vaccinators, IT people and specialists. Cox said he thinks Congress will approve some form of health care because of American interest in preventive health care. He cited a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation poll released in June that showed 76 percent of Americans ranked prevention as the most important aspect of health care reform and that the level of funding for prevention should be increased. “Americans from coast to coast believe in prevention and they want prevention in health care reform,” Cox said.

BETH NALEWAJK/THE DAILY

Jonathan David Brilliant’s installation, “Goldsworthy of the Coffee Shop,” is a masterpiece composed using only coffee stirrers. The piece can be seen at Lightwell Gallery through Sept. 25. CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 6.

ARTIST TO PRESENT LECTURE

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A Pixar animation artist who has worked on films such as “Cars” and “WALL-E” will speak with students at 3 p.m. Thursday. Jay Shuster will present a lecture at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art on the design story behind the company Pixar and his career as an animation artist. According to a news release, Shuster worked as a sketch artist on “Cars” in 2006 and “WALL-E” in 2008. He is currently the art director for Disney-Pixar’s sequel to “Cars,” scheduled to release in 2011. He lives in San Francisco and also worked on the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy.

The Cleveland Area Rapid Transit system launched a new route Monday that will connect the east Norman community to Oklahoma City. The new route, the Little Axe Link, is used to connect to Norman’s bus routes and Sooner Express buses to Oklahoma City. It will run Monday through Friday, as a link to expand the Little Axe route that began last year. The bus will leave the South Oval beginning at 5:50 a.m. and return by 6:50 a.m. The last run of the day will leave campus at 6:10 p.m. -Hillary Atkinson/The Daily

Organizers invite students to have a taste of Norman More than 40 local restaurants to offer food for donations TROY WEATHERFORD The Oklahoma Daily

Organizers of the seventh annual Taste of Norman event said that the community is invited to sample food from more than 40 area restaurants. The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at McCasland Field House, Sherry Isom, volunteer coordinator for the Taste of Norman, said. The Norman and Norman North high school music programs will provide entertainment, Isom said. “It’s a great chance to partake in restaurants around Norman and the money goes directly to the kids,” said Brad Benson, director

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of fine arts at Norman Public Schools. organizations in Norman and we’re happy The money from general admission will be to participate,” he said. divided evenly between the music programs In addition to long-standing Norman resat both high schools. taurants, this year feaIt will be used to pay FINDING THE FOOD tures a number of new for student transporparticipants, including tation, sheet music When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday at McCasland Field the Pink Elephant, “O” a n d e q u i p m e n t House. Asian Fusion, Embassy for the programs, Suites Restaurant, How much: $15 in advance (tasteofnorman.com W i n g s t o p a n d Benson said. “Being a former or at Norman Republic Bank locations) or $18 Interurban Restaurant, band student my- at the door. Isom said. self, I understand the “It’s a wonderful need for fundraisers For more information, visit tasteofnorman.com social event, and this like this,” said Dustin year we have several Van Voast, general manager of Coach’s new restaurants participating,” Isom said. Restaurant. In addition to the area eateries and their Skay McCall, general manager of The staffs, more than 100 parent volunteers will Mont, said his restaurant has been participat- help out with the event, which is expected to ing in the Taste of Norman for many years. bring about 2,000 people and earn the music “It’s a great event for all the music programs around $30,000, Isom said.

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Sponsors for the event include Republic Bank and Trust and Marc Heitz Auto Family, Isom said. “It’s very generous of [the restaurants and sponsors] because it’s quite a donation,” Isom said. The Norman-Norman North football game will follow the Taste of Norman at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, according to tasteofnorman.com. Tickets to the Taste of Norman are $15 in advance or $18 at the door, and that price does not include admission to the football game. Advance tickets may be purchased online at tasteofnorman.com. Advance tickets are also available at the three Norman Republic Bank locations, said Scott Martin, business resource specialist at Republic Bank said. TASTE CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

VOL. 95, NO. 11


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