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The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

Monday, September 20, 2010

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Union wing expected to reopen in 8 to 10 weeks Student leaders discuss replacement carpet after offices closed due to flood KATHLEEN EVANS The Oklahoma Daily

UOSA and Oklahoma Memorial Union officials are working together to restore the ConocoPhillips Leadership Wing after an electrical fire Sept. 9. A lamp in the foyer of the wing started the fire and was put out by sprinklers, but standing water from the sprinklers — which ran for over an hour — created water damage in

the wing. “The main damage was as a result of the water running down the steps, leaking under the foyer doors,” said UOSA Vice President Cory Lloyd who has an office in the closed part of the wing. “By the time the system was turned off, the water had reached the far south end of the wing and was standing in each office, meaning that all the carpet had to be removed.” Lloyd said they estimate the first floor and basement will be closed for eight to 10 weeks, but other student organizations on the second and third floors can still access

ONLINE AT OUDAILY.COM » Video: View damage caused by the Sept. 9 electrical fire in the foyer of the ConocoPhillips Leader Wing at the Union

offices. No one was injured in the fire, but all carpet was removed the next day. UOSA executive directors met with Vice President of Student Affairs Clarke Stroud on Friday to discuss remodeling the wing. Lloyd said they chose carpet and other furniture that will replace damaged

furnishings. “We are not quite sure what budget this comes out of,” UOSA adviser Brynn Daves said. “It depends on what all is done and how long it takes.” Union Director Laura Pontz said it was a confusing situation because the union is not really in charge of the wing, the student leaders are. The union found carpet samples, but the choices are up to UOSA. Until the new carpet and furniture arrives and the bills are paid, UOSA is trying to figure out how to conduct business as usual. “It has definitely been difficult to

get everything rolling again,” Lloyd said. “With no computers, printers, phones, etc., there is a lot of e-mailing documents to yourself so you can print them somewhere.” Though the closure of the wing makes communication difficult, Lloyd said he and UOSA President Franz Zenteno are still able to perform their jobs and work for the student body. “Whether we have an office space or not, we still have plenty of projects to be working on,” Lloyd said. — Megan Deaton contributed to this report

Panel discusses immigrants’ motivations Damaged Mexican economy, lack of farming subsidies drive immigrants to cross U.S. border in search of jobs despite risks SYDNEY MCFERRON The Oklahoma Daily

movement, a non-religious punk derivative that preaches abstinence from alcohol, drugs and promiscuous sex. He also has a half-sleeve of his favorite album, Have Heart’s “The Things We Carry.” Despite his tattoos’ positive symbolism, the permanent body art initially caused a rift between Beard and his family. He moved out of his home and supported himself during his first year of college. The differences have now been settled, but Beard, despite being proud of his ink, is still conscious of their social implications. “It’s not something I want my superiors ... Who are hiring me now and still have that old-school mind set to focus on,” Beard said. “It’s not so much the opinions of my peers who will matter, but my superiors. At my internship this summer I basically wore a suit every day. I wasn’t lying or trying to hide them, but it was a professional setting and I didn’t want them to affect it.” This is where some conflict lies: the convergence of older generations, which might view tattoos as signs of

Rather than condemn illegal immigration, a panel at the First Presbyterian Church in Norman explained to more than 20 members of the community Sunday why immigrants come in to the United States. The forum was made up of Mark Adams, a religious leader involved in the Presbyterian bi-national border ministr y, Frontera de Cristo, mixed media artist Deborah McCullough and Oklahomans Against Trafficking Humans Executive Director Mark Elam. Immigrants, especially illegal ones, are at risk of being sold into modern-day slavery because they are afraid of going to the police, Adams said. Because of this and his work on several human-trafficking cases in Norman, Elam was invited to participate in the panel. If the immigrants manage to cross the border, they are still vulnerable to being sold into human trafficking or indentured servitude. Elam started a task force in Oklahoma City with Oklahomans Against Trafficking Humans and was “overwhelmed with the magnitude of [human trafficking].” Elam said his wish is to “stop criminalizing the individual and go after the organziations [who are trafficking].” While some Americans condemn illegal immigration, many do not think of who is behind the workforce producing products for everyday life, Adams said. “Do you support illegal immigration? ... If I go to the grocery store and buy oranges, chances are I’m supporting illegal immigration,” he said. Adams said due to an economic shift caused by Mexico’s joining with NAFTA in 1994, many Mexican farms cannot compete with the mechanized and organized farms of America. Adams said the agricultural sector of Mexico has been severely damaged because the Mexican government’s focus is on the industrial sector and will not pay farmers subsidies, while the U.S. government pays farmers billions in subsidies, Adams said. Immigrants travel across the desert in 104-degree heat, the 7,000 miles of wall and the 20,000 patrol agents separating Mexico from the United States to America seeking jobs to feed their families, he said.

SEE TATTOO PAGE 2

SEE BORDER PAGE 2

KATHARINE BAIN/THE DAILY

Tattoo artist Jonathan Cagle adds detail to customer Robert Erfourth’s collection of tattoos Thursday afternoon at Skinsations Tattoo and Piercing, 1428 24th Ave. SW. Erfourth has 15 tattoos, and his latest represents the “810” area code of his hometown in Michigan.

Tattoos seen as artistic expression among younger generation TREVOR SHOFNER The Oklahoma Daily

A

shirtless man sits on a chair; smeared across his back is a bloody composition of red and black. It’s obvious he’s in pain, though he tries to hide it as a needled device throttles his back.

ASHLEY WEST/ THE DAILY

Tattoo artist Ken Burns works on an outline for a customer Wednesday afternoon at Hall of Tattoos, 328 E. Main St. in Norman.

ONLINE AT OUDAILY.COM » Video: Blue Koi, 320 E. Main St., tattoo artists discuss the changing culture of tattoos in Oklahoma » Slideshow: View photos of local tattoo artists at work » Link: Guidelines for getting a safe tattoo and for aftercare » Link: Read Senate Bill No. 806, which made tattooing legal in Oklahoma on Nov. 1, 2006.

A LOOK AT WHAT’S NEW AT Visit the multimedia section to watch a video of Saturday’s tailgater of the week

This is what it takes to get a tattoo — permanent body art that’s been legal in Oklahoma since 2006 when Senate Bill 806 repealed its prohibition. For 43 years, it was illegal to get tattoos in the state of Oklahoma. The bill’s major components include legalizing licensed tattoo artists and operators and establishing state licensing criteria for those artists. The bill also allowed those 18 years old and older to get tattoos. On Nov. 1, Oklahoma parlors will have been open legally for four years. However, tattoos are still controversial and create a generational divide among those who accept them as body art and those who see them as social taboos. For Flint Beard, petroleum engineering junior, tattoos are a form of personal expression that often carry a negative social connotation. “With our generation, if you don’t have a tattoo, it’s kind of weird. The majority of college students have them now, even just a small one,” said Beard, who considers there to be a generational gap. Beard has several tattoos — two large, athletic font x’s on the backs of his arms which symbolize the “Straight Edge”

THE OKLAHOMA DAILY VOL. 96, NO. 23 © 2010 OU Publications Board www.facebook.com/OUDaily www.twitter.com/OUDaily

INDEX Campus .............. 2 Classifieds .......... 4 Life & Arts ........... 6 Opinion .............. 3 Sports ................ 5

TODAY’S WEATHER 91°| 68° Tuesday: Partly cloudy, high of 90 degrees Visit the Oklahoma Weather Lab at owl.ou.edu


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