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UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2002
Bush needs U.N. resolution before taking action, Betz says by Mark Schlachtenhaufen
Iraq. United Nations-authorized weapons began searching for chemical, biological and nuclear material that could be used to make weapons. Since then, Iraq has been less than cooperative with the U.N. and the inspectors. In 1998, the U.N. recalled the last group inspectors from Iraq. They have not returned since. "The United States right now is trying to build a coalition against Iraq, a country which we consider to be a pernicious element in a very delicate region, a potentially explosive, dominant political-military government in an area in which we have great interest," Betz said. The U.S. has long had deep economic and strategic interests in the Middle East. In the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with a Saudi king, opening the door for U.S. companies to look for oil in Saudi Arabia. Egypt's Suez Canal is a key international waterway. Israel contains the city of
ms@thevistaonline.com President Bush should ask the United Nations today for new resolutions that would give him the authority to take military action against Iraq, said Don Betz, provost and vice president for academic affairs. Betz was a journalist in Lebanon, where he attended the American University of Beirut. For some 20 years, he has worked with the U.N., helping non-government organizations in the Middle East. "Make the public case and make it clear," Betz said. "The current President Bush doesn't have the 'smoking gun.' Iraq is dangerous. It is harboring terrorists. It is creating weapons of mass destruction. However, more than a majority of the world's population is not convinced that Iraq is a serious threat. And I think they're not convinced because they haven't seen any [Iraqi] aggression." After the Gulf War, the U.N. imposed sanctions on
Jerusalem, religiously significant to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Millions of Christians, Jews and Muslims reside in the U.S. Some Arabs, like Osama bin Laden, believe that Israel was forced upon them, Betz said. The creation of Israel in 1948, a federal-colonial state in the midst of Muslim-Arab nations, did much to destabilize the region, he said. "Part of the Middle East quagmire is the quagmire created by our own misunderstanding," Betz said. "If we want to reduce this simply to a religious issue, we rob ourselves of the ability to truly understand all the variables. It may give us some comfort to say that it's a religious issue. But in fact it's much more than that." Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. has been at war, fighting bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network. President Bush has said the U.S. would pursue threats wherever they arose. "Most public opinion polls
tell us that most people feel like the United States is preparing for war with Iraq," Betz said. "Almost a year ago, the president said that we were at war and that war would take different forms. That war would be overt and that war would be covert. There's a great deal of shrouded secrecy in fighting an enemy that is so elusive." President Bush is receiving mixed opinions from advisers, Betz said. "I don't think there's a person who doubts that Saddam Hussein is a political leader the world would be better without," Betz said. "And no one doubts that Iraq is a country that holds potential for danger in the region. But why that country? Why now? Why not six months ago? The president is taking a very clear diplomatic offensive to create the environment for the next step." Lt. Col. Martin Flowers, chairman of UCO's Military Science Department, said if the phone rings, the military would
UCO soccer players surge in invitational tournament. - Page 6
Provost Don Betz be ready to answer the call. "We as a force are here to protect and defend what we consider to be our national interests and our values of democracy," Flowers said. "And as those things are challenged, they present opportunities for our leadership to make decisions. I think that our commander-in-chief, with the guidance of those who are on his staff that advise him, will make wise decisions."
UCO students wake up at the crack of dawn, not for class, but to drive other students.
Sept. 11 remembered
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National Panhellenic Council begins their membership process this month. - Page 3
Phot by Rebecca Martin
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Math and Science Associate Secretary, Sherry Clements showed her support at the Sept. 11 memorial Wednesday at Evans Field.
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Workshop offers grant wisdom by Michael Larson ml@thevistaonline.corn Governments and organizations have a torrent of free money, dispensable to individuals and groups for any array of reasons in the form of grants. To better understand how the grant system works, students and faculty can attend a sixhour seminar Oct. 3. The Center for
Learning and Professional Development has arranged for experienced grant writers from Oklahoma Career Tech Center to lead the seminar, which is open to members of the public with a reservation. "There's all kinds of money out there if you can find it, and we're going to learn how," said Linda Smith, assistant director for the Center for
Learning and Professional Development. The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 110 of the Education Building. The first segment of the course will teach attendees the basics of writing a grant. The second segment will show them how to search the Internet for grants. In the final segment, attendees will learn how to fill out
grant applications. "These grants can be used for different purposes, such as financial aid and extra money for school," said Veronica Pena, coordinator for UCO's Volunteer Center. She serves as supervisor for the Americore Vista grant, a grant she recently applied for and won. As a result she now supervises three new full-time government-paid employees.
"It's really hard to find money to do your program with the economy the way it is, and it seems to be getting harder and harder to get donations in kind," Pena said. In attending the seminar, she hopes to gain a tactical advantage needed for securing more grants for the Volunteer Center. "Grants are something other universities have been taking advantage of
for a long time, and now we're tapping into them," she said. The Volunteer Center, which was created Dec. 2001, is a non-profit organization, and must compete with non-profit agencies for grants on a state and nation-wide level. To sign up for the seminar, call Linda Smith at 974-2543.
UCO alumnus features original artwork at unique show on Saturday. - Page 4