JAN. 19, 2012
Football Opinion
Internet Censorship
Will UCO have a prosperous future under the new leadership of coach Nick Bobeck? Page 8
Laws working their way through Congress have users and companies blacking out webpages to promote awareness. Page 5
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THE VISTA
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.
Volunteering
VSLC DAY OF SERVICE HONORS MLK By Trevor Hultner / Staff Writer UCO students gathered at the Regional Food Bank in south Oklahoma City Monday to help pack several tons of food for families in need. The event was part of the Volunteer and Service Learning Center’s observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. “We’re still counting our numbers, but we had at least 50 people sign up for this volunteer site,” Commuter Student Services Coordinator Rachel Parks said. “I know there were 15 over at Infant Crisis Services.” According to Jamie Treadaway from the Food Bank, UCO, along with Americorps, packed 30,774 pounds of food. That amount is equivalent to 23,672 meals. Students were divided up into several groups. Some helped sort and pack snack foods, others loaded canned goods into boxes and still others stuffed hundreds of pounds of spinach into plastic bags for distribution. They were responsible for making sure the towers of Chips Ahoy boxes and pallets of canned corn left the facility safely. Catherine Horton, a freshman English major, was assigned to the spinach-packing section. She packed hundreds of two-pound bags of spinach during her stint. “I don’t know for sure but I think they’re just keeping it for families and I think they send it off to different food banks across the state,” she said. Some students were in attendance to fulfill obligations with their fraternities and sororities. “I’m in Gamma Beta Phi, and we, you know, we have to get so many hours a semester for community
Jeremy Avelar Jr., 10 of Oklahoma City, helps weight bags of spinach at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Jan. 16, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista service,” Emily Weeks, senior dance major, said. “Just ever since I was a freshman, I’ve just been doing community service on Martin Luther King service day, and I just try to help out as much as I can for people who are less fortunate.” Weeks was part of the group packing boxed food.
“I think we did three pallets in the first half, and then when we switched over after the break, we did about two or three pallets of crackers,” she said. Beth Adele, director of Career Services at UCO, was also present, packing food alongside students. “This is a day I always look for-
ward to, to be able to give to those who can’t currently help themselves,” Adele said. “It’s wonderful to see UCO exemplify the spirit of Martin Luther King on the national day of service.” The event was put on by the VSLC in conjunction with Commuter Student Services.
According to Parks, the next volunteer opportunity will be the Big Event around the first week of March, and Commuter Student Services will be hosting a two-day alternative spring break at the Infant Crisis Services center in Oklahoma City.
More photos on page 4
Elections
POLITICS STILL A PRIORITY FOR STUDENTS With the Republican presidential primaries and caucuses in full gear, it seems you cannot go half an hour without being deluged with political slogans and spin. Some might say this brings about the age-old idea that the youth vote doesn’t care or young voters would rather stare at their iPhones and waste time on Facebook than speak the word “politics.” But does this theory hold any water? Dr. Loren Gatch, professor of political science, disagrees with the supposed complete apathy of the youth vote. “The care about politics when they have to,” Gatch said. Reasons a young potential voter would “have to” pay attention would be due to issues like student loans and other financial aid. Gatch attributes the lower turnout of young voters compared to older voters more to the development of the young adult’s mind, rather than entertainment and technological distractions. “Young people go through a maturation process and tend to become more engaged in politics as they get older,” he said. The young adults of today are not perfect; Gatch believes there are some areas where improvement could be made. “Many of my students know more names of the Kardashians than justices of the Supreme Court,” he said. As for youth voter turnouts continually declining, Gatch disagrees with this idea as well, and there are numbers to prove it. According to civicyouth.org, a website for information and research on civic learning and engagement, the percentage rates for voters aged 18-24 show very little difference between the presidential elections of 1972 -the first year 18-year-olds were allowed to vote- and
2008. In 1972 they percentage was approximately 51 percent, compared to 48.5 percent in 2008. Anna Wilson, a public relations major, says her political interest began in her junior year of high school, during the 2008 election.
cuss. They also hope to hold conferences on leftist views in the future. Corpolongo does have stern words for those young people who do not care for politics. “You may not care about politics, but politics care about you. It can screw you over
“The people I know have been more interested in politics,” she said. “People who are in college tend to be more interested in politics than those who aren’t.” Wilson is right about the influence of education level and the tendency to vote. In 2008, 62.1 percent of 18-to-29 year-olds with some college voted, compared to 35.9 percent with no college experience. Multiple organizations exist on campus to help increase awareness of politics. Two of these are Democratic Socialists and Young Democrats. Matt Corpolongo, president of the Democratic Socialists, likes the use of speakers to spread the word. “We try to hold a lecture series. Professors from the history department,” he said. Tax policy and disparity of wealth are examples the Democratic Socialists like to dis-
if you aren’t paying attention,” Corpolongo said. “You have to advocate for yourself.” Annastacia Langthorn, a sociology and economics double major, is the president of the Young Democrats. Though very young at 19, Langthorn is a prime example of what a single person can accomplish in politics. Since becoming active in politics in 2008, Langthorn has been a staffer or intern for the campaigns of Brittany Novotny, Ed Shadid and Kenneth
WEATHER
By Adam Holt / Contributing Writer
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Meador. She is also an intern for Organizing for America and the Oklahoma Democratic Party. When asked of the mindset of the college youth, Langthorn puts forth a different view than others. “I think they have become more aware, but less interested,” she said. The reason she puts forth for the loss of interest is the amount of spun political advertisements Americans are bombarded with. “I think it’s hard to see what’s going on and how it affects their lives,” she said. One of the most important reasons to be involved, according to Langthorn, is the fact that not voting allows others to create laws that will affect individuals in the future. It is easier, she said, to keep unneeded laws off the books in the first place than to try to fix it later. Though the idea that the young people of America today continue to care less and less about politics have been exaggerated, it does not mean things cannot improve. There are many ways to become involved, including UCO organizations, volunteering for campaigns and especially voting. For more information on political organizations on campus, visit www.uco.edu/studentlife.
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DID YOU KNOW? That thing you use to dot your lowercase “i” is called a tittle.
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