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THE OKLAHOMA DAILYA LOOK AT WHAT’S ON

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The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

OU IT makes changes to annual saleBursar charges won’t be accepted Officials stretch

sale to three days

STUDENTS BRAWL IN VIDEO GAME COMPETITION

REINA LYONS/ THE DAILY

University College freshmen Tanner Severson and Tyler Minton play in a “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” tournament Monday night in Couch Restaraunts. Students signed up to play at the event and were put into tournament brackets.

OU law group’s fundingto see decrease

LANEY ELLISORThe Oklahoma Daily

The OU Information Technology Store will not accept charges to stu-dents’ bursar accounts during its up-coming three-day sale to prevent stu-dents from being unable to enroll due to outstanding balances, a spokesman said.

Store administrators did not want to negatively impact students’ educations by affecting their ability to enroll, OU IT spokesman Nick Key said.

First, the store lowered the charge

limit from the one-sale limit of the bur-sar to $3,000. Then, bursar charges were eliminated completely, he said.

This change was implemented to the website Jan. 6 and to the Campus Corner store within the same week, Key said.

The decision was made after working closely with the Office of the Bursar and university administration, Key said.

Key said he does not anticipate the payment policy will hamper revenue during the store’s upcoming three-day sale.

The change in the store’s payment

policy was also intended to ensure stu-dents were making responsible pur-chases within their budgets, Key said. For this reason, the store is also con-sidering providing financial education materials on-site.

Before the change, the store often received phone calls from parents questioning charges on their chil-dren’s bursars, general manager David Goodspeed said. Now students are held accountable to their parents.

SEE CHARGES PAGE 2 SEE STORE PAGE 2

RACHAEL CERVENKAThe Oklahoma Daily

OU Information Technology Store employees are preparing for a three-day sale beginning Wednesday at their Campus Corner location.

The IT Store is having its first three-day sale due to student feedback from previous sales, IT spokeswoman Becky Grant said. The OU IT store had its first one-day

Heavy precipitation can cause � ower beds to be washed away, director says

HILLARY MCLAINThe Oklahoma Daily

This week’s rainfall has provid-ed slight relief to campus ground-skeepers after two months without precipitation.

The recent drought has present-ed problems conserving water on campus, Facilities Management

Director Brian Ellis said. “It’s been a challenge to keep

things green, and we have to limit the amount of water we use,” Ellis said.

Whenever droughts occur and surface water is depleted, commu-nities must turn to using ground water, so Facilities Management tried to conserve water, Ellis said.

Facilities Management employs a series of wells and an aquifer for its water needs instead of surface deposits, Ellis said.

The amount of water available to Facilities Management isn’t re-stricted, but administrators remain cautious about the amount they use, especially during dry periods to help recharge the amount of water borrowed from the aquifer, Ellis said.

Stormy weather does present its own challenges, Ellis said.

Inclement weather can some-times affect power in research areas where cooling or constant power is needed, Ellis said. Electrical

problems did occur on campus during Sunday’s rainstorm.

A few buildings, including Price College, lost power, Ellis said.

Any time it rains, flower beds and areas with mulch also have to be restored, but the benefits of heavy rainfall after a drought far outweigh any negatives, Ellis said.

Restoration of flower beds after rainfall is considered a part of daily operation, and maintenance and doesn’t cost any extra funding, Ellis said.

Rainfall relieves campus groundskeepers

New OU regent recommended by state committee

The State Senate Education Committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend Clayton Bennett’s nomination to the OU Board of Regents.

Bennett was appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin on March 25.

Bennett has served as the head of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise’s ownership group. In 1981, he married Louise Gaylord — the daughter of Edward Gaylord.

He serves as president of the Oklahoma City-based investment firm Dorchester Capital and as chairman of the Oklahoma State Fair and the Oklahoma Industries Authority.

In the past, Bennett has served as chairman of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma Heritage Association, Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. and the Oklahoma Health Center Foundation.

Bennett’s nomination now goes to the full State Senate for confirmation. If it is approved, Bennett will take Larry Wade’s seat, which was vacated March 6 when Wade died just before the expiration of his term. Bennett would serve on the OU Regents for seven years.

— Nicholas Harrison/The Daily

Move to Campus Corner location brings larger crowds to bigger location, owner says

ALEX EWALDThe Oklahoma Daily

For local restaurant O’Connell’s Irish Pub & Grille, the beer really may be greener on the other side of campus.

Since the original Lindsey Street location’s demolition more than a month ago, the Campus Corner location known for its green beer is bringing in more business than ever, owner Jeff Stewart said.

“It’s just bigger; it’s much bigger,” Stewart said. “There’s more late-night kids on the weekend. That’s what it’s all about.”

At the new O’Connell’s, the rooms are larger, the patio is brighter and the marble-topped bar is shinier, but the moose head still hangs on the wall in honor of its original location.

Employee Sabrina Wallace began working at O’Connell’s after she graduated from OU in December, several weeks be-fore the original site closed in January. Things are different now that all business comes to Campus Corner, Wallace said.

“There was a tradition about [the original] that I really en-joyed when working there. The people who come in have been coming in there for years, so it has a homey feel to it,” Wallace said. “It’s interesting to see the two crowds from the old store combine.”

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE AT OUDAILY.COM

Business booming for new O’Connell’s, owner says

Uncontested election may have contributed to funding decrease

LINDSEY RUTAThe Oklahoma Daily

The largest student organi-zation associated with the OU College of Law will experience a funding cut in the fall 2011 and spring 2012 academic year.

The Student Bar Association will receive $8,500 in funding next year, a $500 drop from the previous two years’ funding, ac-cording to the UOSA budget.

The situation is frustrating because the proportion of stu-dent fees paid by law students to UOSA is not comparable to the money they receive in fund-ing, Student Bar Association treasurer Jared Davidson said.

UOSA Representative Aaron White said he was unsure why the Student Bar Association’s funding went dow n, but i t may have been affected by student participation in the

ALEX EWALD/ THE DAILY

Morgan Cronin, an O’Connell’s Irish Pub & Grille bartender, restocks the beer behind the bar Monday afternoon. The Campus Corner O’Connell’s location opened in 2008.

SEE FUNDS PAGE 2

organization’s elections. In this spring’s Student

Bar Association elections, Jeff Riles ran uncontest-ed for the association’s presidency.

“ O n l y 2 4 s t u d e n t s voted in the [Student Bar Association] presidential election even though it was kind of redundant because only one person was run-ning. But it wouldn’t sur-prise me if that is why it went down a little bit, just because there was not as much activism,” White said.

UOSA Ways and Means Chairman Sean Bender con-firmed the Bar Association’s primary allocations had been decreased in the up-coming academic school year.

When reviewing funding proposals from students or-ganizations, UOSA looks at how proposed events serve the mission statement to the OU community, what portion of the community would be affected by the programs, whether the or-ganization has received funding from them in the past and how was it used, and if the application is thorough and detai led, Bender said.

Bender said he would not to discuss budgetary is-sues with people outside of UOSA.

“I will say, however, that all funding applications on file are carefully reviewed each year by the members of the Budgetary Committee,

sale in December 2008.In the past students have complained that it is difficult

to attend the sale when it only occurs on one day, IT Store manager David Goodspeed said. Students have cited hav-ing class, being out of town or having to work as reasons they couldn’t attend the sale, Goodspeed said.

The sale has been extended to three days to reduce long lines, give any potential customers a chance to take part in the sale and provide customers more time to shop around the store, Grant said.

“The biggest feedback we get is that people save a lot of money by waiting and buying things at the sale,” Grant said.

During the IT store’s fall 2010 sale nearly 3,500 people

came to the store in one day, Grant said. “It could be that we get double the number, or it could be

that we get that same number spread out over three days. We’re not really sure what to expect, but we are prepared for whatever happens,” Grant said.

Store staff chose which items will be placed on sale, Grant said. Staff chose the most popular items from past sales along with the items students have expressed interest in.

“We understand that some students don’t have endless amounts of money, so if they need a laptop we try to get it at the best price possible,” Goodspeed said.

The store cannot guarantee stock on any sale items. Therefore, they are anticipating lines on the first day. To re-ceive the discounts, items must be bought in-store, and on-line orders are not considered for the sale.

The sale will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday at the OU IT Store location at 329 West Boyd St.

After the payment policy was amended, IT store staff received more complaints from OU faculty and staff than students, Goodspeed said. Because of this, the store is considering payroll deduction as an option.

If the change were un-successful, the store would

have considered allowing bursar charges in limited amounts for items such as software or headphones, but so far the new payment pol-icy has been well-received, Godspeed said.

Travis Totten, entrepre-neurship sophomore, said he bought a laptop at the IT store using his bursar last December. Totten said he would have been upset had

he been unable to do so be-cause he pays his own bills.

“I was lucky,” Totten said.Psychology junior Joshua

Boydston said paying with his bursar before January was convenient, but he un-derstood the change be-cause students probably abused the option.

Along with bursar charg-es, the IT store also does not accept cash. The reason for

this policy is the security risk posed by large amounts of on-site cash, Key said.

A s ig n on the che ck-out counter says the store only accepts major credit and debit cards from Visa, Ma s t e rc a rd , A m e r i c a n Express and Discover. The store is looking into addi-tional payment options for customers such as check drafting, Key said.

Chase Cook, managing editordailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666

A2 • Tuesday, April 26, 2011 The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com

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Norman Music Festival will have your tunes.

The Daily will have the scoop.

Check the April 28 edition of

The Oklahoma Daily for all the bands, stages and need-to-know info you need to get ready

for NMF.

Today around campus

» The Center for Social Justice will present the Sundance Film Festival selection “Miss Representation” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Gaylord Hall, Room 1140.

» OU Cousins will host its end-of-the-year barbecue at 5:15 to 7 p.m. Transportation to the ranch will be provided from the northeast corner of the Lloyd Noble Center or in front of Couch Restaurants.

» University of California at Davis’ Peter Wainwright will give a lecture entitled “Coral Reef Fishes: Novelties Underlie Ecological Impact in Nature’s Richest Realm” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The lecture is free and open to the public.

» As part of the Sutton Concert Series, the OU Percussion Orchestra will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. in Catlett Music Center’s Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students, faculty, staff and senior adults.

Wednesday, April 27

» OU IT Store’s 3-Day Sale will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 329 West Boyd St.

» Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies will share research on masculinity, human trafficking, sweatshops, women and politics, Disney and gender roles from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. on the South Oval.

» University College’s Mark Walvoord will present final exam tips as a part of the Student Success Series from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Adams Center’s Housing Learning Center.

« Delta Gamma will host DeeGee Diner from 5 to 7 p.m. in the sorority house’s parking lot at 744 Elm Ave. They will serve ’50s diner food and have a classic car show. Tickets are $4 in advance and $5 at the door.

« The OU Civic Orchestra will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. in Catlett Music Center’s Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, April 28

» OU IT Store’s 3-Day Sale will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 329 West Boyd St.

» Wellesley College’s Filomina Steady, African studies professor, will present “Women, the Environment and Climate Change in Africa” at 4 p.m. in Dale Hall, Room 112. Steady is a past president of the Women’s World Summit Foundation (Geneva) and is a founding member of the Association of African Women for Research and Development.

» University College’s Holley Brewer will present “Gearing up for Final Exams” from 3 to 4 p.m. in Wagner Hall, Room 245.

» University College’s Holley Brewer will present “Gearing up for Final Exams” from 3 to 4 p.m. in Wagner Hall, Room 245.

CHANGES: Store only accepts credit, debit cardsContinued from page 1

STORE: 3,500 students attended one-day fall sale

FUNDS: No formal objections to budget cut

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1 as no organization is ever entitled to a specific level of funding,” Bender said.

There were no formal objections to the proposed Student Bar Association budget, Bender said.

“All allocation amounts since I have been budget chair were agreed upon unanimously by the mem-b e r s o f t h e B u d g e t a r y Committee, and all passed without objection in both S t u d e n t C o n g re s s a n d

Graduate Student Senate — in which there are repre-sentatives from the College of Law,” Bender said.

Davidson said ideally the Student Bar Association needs $15,000 each year to support their own activi-ties as well as those of other student law organizations.

He said they have set-tled for $9,000 the past two years, but have always had to cut events at the end of the year due to lack of

funds.“We spend a lot of time

allocating the budget and trying to make everything work out,” Davidson said. “It’s frustrating because I feel like first and fore-most we are students, we shouldn’t have to devote so much time stressing out over a budget, but we have to because we need to bring these experiences to our students with what money we have.”

Student Congress involvement kept student from dropping out after dif� cult freshman year

SARAH MARTINThe Oklahoma Daily

As Undergraduate Student Congress vice chairman, Jonathan Vann occupies

one of the highest-ranking positions within UOSA, but he took an unusual route to get there.

At Vann’s last Congress meeting as vice chairman, he shared his story about how his involvement with the organization saved him from drop-ping out of college.

Vann said it was always his dream as a Norman native to attend OU and study architecture. After one semes-ter on campus, however, Vann said he discovered he did not like archi-tecture and struggled with the transi-tion from high school.

Vann’s grades left him on the verge of academic probation, and by the end of his freshman year Vann said he fully intended to drop out.

“I just hated school, absolutely hated it. I was completely lost and to-tally confused,” Vann said.

Vann’s only connection to the uni-versity outside of classes was his job as a student clerk in the UOSA of-fices, he said. As he struggled aca-demically, his boss at the university, Student Programs Director Brynn Daves, noticed his grades. Daves, along with Clarke Stroud, vice presi-dent of Student Affairs, approached Vann about his performance.

“There were some indicators that Jonathan wasn’t doing well … clear-ly Jonathan is a really sharp guy … we took it as an opportunity to help him,” Stroud said.

Stroud and Daves took Vann aside and told him he had the potential to do better, Stroud said.

“It was a teachable moment, and it was one of those times when the stars aligned, and it was the perfect time for a conversation with him,” Stroud said.

With their encouragement, Vann returned to campus for his sopho-more year, received a 4.0 GPA in his first semester and continued

working as a student clerk at the UOSA offices.

Seeing Vann’s work as a student clerk, fall 2009 and spring 2010 Congress Chairman John Jennings recruited Vann to be a Congress com-mittee chairman, Vann said.

Vann began as Congress’ Problems and Projects Committee chairman his junior year and eventually be-came Congress vice chairman his se-nior year.

“Once I got involved in Student Congress, once I got connected to the university and actually felt like I was a part of the university … I really got to see how awesome this place really is, how great of a community we have here,” Vann said.

Vann said he expects to gradu-ate with an advertising degree in December and hopes to continue his studies in graduate school.

Though Vann was a success story, Stroud said he has had a lot of con-versations with students that have not been successful.

There are a lot of things that im-pact students’ grades, and the uni-versity has many mechanisms to work with students who need help,

Stroud said. Speed reading and study strategies

programs, gateway classes, resident advisers, and graduate services are among these services, Stroud said.

Academic Standing recourses are available to students who might need help, Academic Records Director Richard Skeel said.

Within the universitywide academ-ic standard, there are three levels of academic standing: good standing, probation or notice and suspension, Skeel said.

Academic probation and suspen-sion are not meant as penalties but as warnings, Skeel said.

“If they are continuing to slip, we don’t want them to fall so far behind where they can’t recover,” Skeel said.

Students on academic probation have one semester to raise their GPA to a 2.0 before being suspended or must attain a 2.0 GPA for that semes-ter, Skeel said. Suspended students must sit out the next fall or spring se-mester before they can reapply to the university.

“I encourage students that are out there, if they need help, to reach out,” Stroud said.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 • A3The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com NEWS

Student government gave leader reason to remain enrolled at OU

ASHLEY WEST/THE DAILY

Undergraduate Student Congress vice chairman Jonathan Vann said he nearly dropped out of school after his first semester on campus.

Student organization to hostspeed-networking conference

The OU Public Relations Student Society of America will host a speed-networking event today in Gaylord College.

The event will let students network with eight public relations professionals from 6 to 8 p.m., according to a press release. Professionals will represent various fields, including government and nonprofit organizations.

“We are hoping that students will get comfortable with connecting with professionals and learning how to market themselves for future internships and jobs,” organization vice president Rachel Bradley said.

Groups of students will network with each professional for about 10 minutes, according to the press release. Afterward, participants can choose to talk more in depth with someone over dinner.

Event sponsors include McAlister’s Deli, Interurban, Cookies N Cards and Sandro’s Pizza and Pasta, said Bradley, public relations senior.

Though the event is not a job fair, students are welcome to bring business cards and continue relationships with the professionals after the event, Bradley said.

“This event is going to be a great way for students to really get to know local professionals,” event chairwoman Haley Hoover said. “We’ve organized a great group of speakers who could be very valuable mentors to public relations students.”

— Kathleen Evans/The Daily

For the faithful masses crowding St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict’s Easter homily was a source of inspira-tion and spiritual uplift.

In it, he touched on all the favorite themes — what unites humanity and God’s love for us — while avoiding unpleasant realities — child molestation and persecu-tion of homosexuals.

Still, I managed to be offended by something he said near the halfway mark.

“Here we are faced with the ultimate alternative that is at stake in the dispute between faith and unbelief,” the pope said.

“Are irrationality, lack of freedom and pure chance the origin of everything, or are reason, freedom and love at the origin of being?”

I can only speculate on what he meant, but the pope’s statement struck me with the potential to reinforce the false dichotomy between those who believe in God and those who do not.

The former do not have a monopoly on love or free-dom, and the atheistic or agnostic world view is not in-herently cynical or hopeless.

The Catholic leader took it even further with what he said next: “If man were merely a random product of evolution in some place on the margins of the universe,

then his life would make no sense.”

In this attempt to make a godless universe sound as depressing as possible, the pope managed to get everything wrong.

Evolution is not ran-dom, but driven by natural selection, or in the collo-quial sense, adaptability.

So why is it that without supernatural supervision we’re as good as nothing?

I’ve heard this argu-ment before, from spiritual leaders and some of my reli-gious acquaintances, but it didn’t sound any less hollow coming from a man wearing that silly hat.

If an all-powerful being crafted us from dirt, then we’re the cream of the universe, but if a natural process took billions of years sculpting us, improving on our body and brain, then we’re not worth dirt?

As Charles Darwin wrote in the first edition of “On the Origin of Species,” “there is grandeur in this view of life.”

It was wrong of the Vatican — which has begrudgingly admitted the truth of evolution — to portray unbelief as dark and nihilistic.

But perhaps when religious people imply this, they mean that without an afterlife, our time spent on Earth has no ultimate value or meaning.

When discussing atheism religious people claim we will all end up dead eventually and the universe will not care about it.

I’ve even heard Dr. William Lane Craig, one of today’s leading Christian philosophers, say suicide is the most logical endeavor should it be demonstrated his faith is folly. I respectfully disagree.

If it was concluded there is no father in the sky, I wouldn’t appreciate acts of kindness any less if they were done by a Christian.

Likewise, if there is a God, I still don’t think my life is a waste. We create our own purpose in a way, and subjec-tive meaning is good enough for me, even in the face of objective absurdity.

At the beginning of April, OU hosted a Veritas Forum event where Dr. Ray Barfield spoke about what it means to be human.

In his lecture, he warned against emptying a non-the-istic universe of value with a thought experiment: If two forms of consciousness existed in the void for a short time and loved each other before suddenly ceasing to exist, would that universe be any more valuable than one in which they had never existed?

I don’t think we can consider such a question dispassionately.

I answered yes. And I think if our pursuit of a fulfilling life hinges on the existence of a higher power, then all of humanity — not just the secular community — is in sorry shape.

— Steven Zoeller,University College freshman

Comment on this column at OUDaily.com

Do you know what you’re talking about? With the ad-vent of the Internet more and more people are substituting knowledge for access to information. We no longer have to know what we’re talking about because we can look it up as necessary.

Unfortunately, information does not directly equate to understanding. We make the mistake of thinking that be-cause Wikipedia gives us the information we automatically process that into a working knowledge of the material.

We seek information on an as-need-ed basis, except we narrowly define need.

For us, need is having information in the moment. It’s the same idea be-hind cramming for test. Instead of ac-tually learning material, we wait until the night before an exam and then cram our short-term memory with as many facts as it can hold.

This strategy works great for getting good grades on sim-ple exams that require no analysis, but we never actually learn anything in the process.

This is why whatever we don’t continue to use we lose after a few weeks. In the same way, quick scans of Internet articles allow us to participate in relevant discussions.

However, we don’t understand fully what we’re talking about because all we have are what amounts to sound bytes of facts.

That’s one of the problems with discourse in the country today. We base our arguments on five-second sound and video clips or a quick two-minute scan of the article.

We sift through the great of ocean of information for whatever we deem relevant, and then try to build a dialogue

based on the scrapings of, more often than not, dubious Internet sources.

It’s like trying to build a house with toothpicks instead of the lumber that’s readily available.

We’re in college, so get an educa-tion. Don’t rely on short snippets of reality in order to make pretensions at being well-informed. Go out and research.

We don’t have to know everything about everything, but how much more useful to society will we be if we occa-sionally understand what we’re saying instead of surviving on the dregs of short-term memory in order to make life-altering decisions.

— Joseph Ptomey,letters senior

When I walked by the newspaper stand in Copeland Hall last week, two words jumped off the page. These terms were mental and health. Due to my individual strug-gle with bipolar disorder, I was ecstatic to see our student newspaper was addressing this vital life problem.

I grabbed a copy and headed to my class. When I sat down at my desk to read the piece, my heart sank into my stomach.

The further I delved into the article the more my excitement got replaced with outrage.

I don’t know which hurt worse: the fact that UOSA got an additional $9,000 — which was more than they asked for — or that I shouldn’t have been surprised.

While it was not realistic for the depart-ment to receive all the additional funds, was it really nec-essary to completely deny our counseling division?

Mental disorders are not reserved for the sociopaths found in clown make-up who walk around wondering why we’re so serious. Mental disorders are blind to race, sex and economic wealth.

Chances are you know someone who deals with a men-tal distress. According to the World Health Organization, four mental illnesses are among the top 10 reasons for disability: unipolar major depression, bipolar disorder,

schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention esti-

mates depression alone affects one in every 20 people over the age of 12 in the United States.

Meaning, out of our very own student population, about 1,300 students deal with depression. 80 percent of people

who have to live with depression report it interferes with their ability to work, main-tain a home and be socially active.

It goes without saying this also includes sustaining a successful collegiate career.

In 2006, the National Alliance on Mental Illness gave Oklahoma a grade of D due to its poor infrastructure and lack of spending. In 2009, NAMI upgraded Oklahoma’s grade to a B.

This shows it is not an impossible endeavor to under-take. By ensuring all students have the access to quality therapy and resources, we are showing we are dedicated to guaranteeing our students are successful in all areas of their lives.

— Nancy Gaertner,language arts education senior

OUR VIEW

Bursar charge changes treat us like children

Mental disorders are not reserved for the sociopaths found in clown make up who walk around wondering why we’re so serious.”

Evolution is not random, but driven by natural selection, or in the colloquial sense, adaptability. So why is it that without supernatural supervision we’re as good as nothing?”

Mental health should be top priority

COLUMN

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Information is not knowledge

Easter thought:theism shouldn’t devalue human awareness

The OU IT Store will have it’s annual sale this week and a few things have changed. While The Daily still expects stu-dents to be lined up during the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, trying to get the best deals on computers and accesories, it’s possible they’ll be paying for them with a different methods then they are used to.

Unlike prior sales, students will no longer be allowed to charge their purchases to their bursar account.

Additionally, this year’s sale will last three days instead of the traditional one-day sale.

Today’s page 1 story about the bursar charges said the change has been made because university officials wanted to make sure students wouldn’t rack up a large debt and be unable to register for classes or graduate.

It is unfortunate we are being re-stricted to two ways of paying for our purchases at the IT store.

Students need to take responsibility for their actions. If a student chooses to put themselves $5,000 into debt, then it is their own job to find a way out of it.

If OU wants to teach students about balancing a check-book, then they should require an accounting course for all majors not creating restrictions.

Some students who only have a debit card or do not have the money to purchase an item in cash at the time of the sale use the bursar account as a credit card, which they will pay off at the end of the month, or else they face a fine from the bursars office — as they would if they didn’t pay off their credit card bill.

By removing this option for students, OU has potentially turned away customers solely on the basis students are re-stricted to certain payment methods.

Even if this change was created to satisfy parents who pay their student’s bursar charges, that is a problem be-tween students who attempt to slip a fast one and their

parents. This is not an OU problem; it is a problem with a few in-

dividuals who happen to go to OU.The easy answer is to say just go get a credit card. But

unfortunately it is far too late for students to file for a credit card and have it be active by the first day of the sale. This is a huge inconvenience for students.

Perhaps OU was merely trying to make sure scholar-ship students didn’t use their scholarship money on superfluous items like an Apple TV or Dr. Dre’s Beats

Headphones. But again we are forced to look at the

individual as the root of the problem.OU needs to stop making regulations

where education will easily suffice. If there is a problem with a small group of students abusing their bursar privi-leges, then educate them on what they are doing wrong and the possible con-sequences their actions will have.

If OU is concerned about students not being able to graduate or register for classes, then move the sale forward in the schedule — that way students will have more time to pay off their balance, and have their new technologies to help aid — or distract — them for more of the semester.

We are all entering or already into our adult years, and deserve to be treated as such. These regulations do not allow for any sort of trial and error on our parts.

Students are not going to have a financial safety net when they graduate, so by creating these restrictions we are being groomed for an idealistic future, that will not be there.

It is time for students to take responsibility for their own actions, and for OU to stop holding their hands. This is the real world, and we are not being prepared for it.

Comment on this column at OUDaily.com

We make the mistake of thinking that because Wikipedia gives us the information we automatically process that into a working knowledge of the material.”

A4 • Tuesday, April 26, 2011 The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com

OPINION Tim French, opinion editordailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666

THUMBS UP ›› Rain storms help to prevent campus water restrictions (see page A1)

Columnists’ photos are unavailable at this time. The Daily’s server was damaged during Sunday’s storm and none of the data has been retrieved.

OU needs to stop making regulations where education will easily suffice. If there is a problem with a small group of students abusing their bursar privileges then educate them.”

Meredith Moriak Editor-in-ChiefChase Cook Managing EditorChris Miller News EditorTim French Opinion EditorJames Corley Sports Editor

Autumn Huffman Life & Arts EditorAshley West Photo EditorChris Lusk Online EditorMichael Lloyd Multimedia EditorJudy Gibbs Robinson Editorial Adviser

contact us 160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet OvalNorman, Okla. 73019-0270

phone:405-325-3666

email:dailynews@ou.edu

The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice.

Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s). Letters will be edited for space. Students must list their major and classi� cation. Submit letters Sunday through Thursday in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters also can be emailed to dailyopinion@ou.edu.

Guest columns are accepted and printed at the editor’s discretion.

Our View is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily Editorial Board, which consists of the editorial staff. The board meets at 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday in 160 Copeland Hall.

Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 • A5The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com

SPORTS TOMORROW ›› The Sooners will play the � nal Bedlam softball matchup of the year Wednesday in Stillwater James Corley, sports editor

dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666

It w o u l d a p p e a r v e r y few people in the state of Alabama know how to properly handle the rival-ry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University.

But before I go deeper into this, I’d like to share who I am and where I am coming from when I say this.

I am a football fan. Some would call me a fanatic. You would be hard pressed to find someone who loves football more than I do.

I don’t care about the level of play — high school, college or professional — I love it all.

However, I also know how to keep things in perspec-tive, and I know how to deal with the ways the results of the sports teams I cheer for impact my life.

Apparently, there isn’t much of that in Alabama.

By now, you probably have heard about the poisoned trees at Toomer’s Corner on Auburn’s campus.

An Alabama fan, Harvey Updyke, admitted to poi-soning the trees, which are a well-loved landmark on the campus.

We could talk al l day about the travesty, but that’s for another day.

Last week, Updyke ap-peared on the Paul Finebaum Radio Show, a popular local show in Birmingham, Ala., for an interview. During the interview, it was clear just how out of hand the Iron Bowl rivalry really is.

Here are a few excerpts of what Updyke said.

• “All my adult life, my wives kinda said I’m a crap-stirrer. I like to stir crap. I was just trying to upset the Auburn nation. Paul, I never thought it’d come to this.”

• “All my life I’ve been an Alabama fan. I have chil-dren, 30 years old, named Bear Bryant and Crimson Tide.”

• “I am not winning. I am losing.”

Rivalries are part of the greatness of college football. It’s fun to trash-talk with

COLUMN

Heated rivalry threatens what’s good about sports

fans of your team’s rival. That’s part of rivalry.

Sometimes things get out of hand, but most of the time it ’s just harsh language.

However, this whole Auburn tree saga has just been ridiculous. Frankly, it’s embarrassing to see the whole thing play out.

Updyke poisoned one of the most famous tradi-tions in college football, and some Auburn fans responded by threatening his life and even beating him outside a gas station.

Oklahoma fans should be thankful their rivalries — even OU-Texas — don’t look like this.

Yeah, there was that one instance with the Texas fan in an Oklahoma bar that got his cash and prizes a little torn up, but that’s far from commonplace.

Both of Oklahoma’s ri-valries — with Texas and w i t h O k l a h o m a S t a t e

— are civilized but intense, a perfect combination for a rivalry.

Too much intensity de-stroys a rivalry and takes it to a level never intended.

Countries wage wars over a variety of issues, but not over athletics. Why should a state divide itself to the point of near civil war?

People like Updyke and whoever clubbed him in the head ruin sports. They are idiots and don’t know how to keep trivial things from having a bigger im-pact on their life than they should.

Let this be a lesson to every sports fan out there: When sports command a bigger place in your life than they should, things are going to get out of hand.

Just ask Harvey Updyke.

— Luke McConnell,journalism junior

PHOTO PROVIDED

Harvey Updyke poses for a mug shot after police detained him for poisoning trees on the Auburn University campus.

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MEN’S GOLF

Sooners have strong opening rounds in Big 12 tourneyThe No. 28 OU men’s golf team is three

strokes behind top-ranked Oklahoma State after two rounds of the Big 12 Championship on Monday in Hutchinson, Kan.

The Sooners are third behind the Cowboys and No. 14 Texas. After closing the first round in fifth with Texas, OU jumped over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 18 Texas Tech and Nebraska in the second round by shooting a 292, and Texas used a round-best 291 to steal second.

Senior Ryan Sirman leads the Sooners in

third place (E), one stroke behind OSU duo Morgan Hoffman and Kevin Tway, who are tied for first (-1).

OU sophomore Abraham Ancer is close behind, tied for fifth at (+4). Junior Riley Pumphrey rounds out the Sooners in the top 10, finishing tied for eighth (+5).

Tournament action continues through Wednesday.

— Daily staff reports

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BaseBall

Sooners to face Horned FrogsOklahoma to visit TCU for last game of season series, will seek marquee win to improve NCAA seeding

Ryan GeRbosiThe Oklahoma Daily

No. 10 OU baseball will head to Fort Worth, Texas, for a top-10 matchup at 6:30 tonight against No. 7 TCU.

The Sooners are looking to add an important nonconfer-ence win to their resume before seeding is determined for the NCAA tournament next month.

Both teams have 29-11 records and will be in compe-tition to host a regional in the tournament. OU defeated the Horned Frogs, 13-6, when the teams played April 12 in Norman.

The game was a glimpse of light in an otherwise dark stretch for an OU team that struggled to win after losing two out of three games to Kansas State. The Sooners continued to struggle after playing the Frogs, losing two of three to Oklahoma State and dropping a mid-week game to Dallas Baptist.

OU returned to its winning ways with a victory against Bacone College last Wednedsday, then took the first two games from Nebraska over the weekend before Sunday’s game was called off because of rain.

Today’s matchup will be OU’s first true road game since April 10 against Kansas State, although the Sooners have played three neutral-site games against Oklahoma State since then.

OU has struggled to win away from L. Dale Mitchell Park this season, posting an 8-7 record outside of Norman. The Sooners have yet to win a series on the road this season.

OU will start senior righty Bobby Shore tonight. Shore has not started since since April 2, when he sat with a shoulder injury. Since then, he has made three appearances from the bullpen, including 2.2 scoreless innings against TCU on April 12.

Freshman righty Andrew Mitchell is starting for the Horned Frogs. Mitchell is 3-0 with a 1.97 ERA in his first sea-son. Mitchell pitched an inning of relief in the April 12 game, giving up three runs on two hits.

Junior catcher Tyler Ogle will look to continue his success against TCU. In the April 12 matchup, Ogle was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.

The Sooners resume conference play Friday with a trip to Austin, Texas, for a three-game series against the No. 4 Texas Longhorns.

NFl

No lockout — for nowFederal court sides with NFL players to put an end to owner’s lockout ploy

MINNEAPOLIS — Seven weeks into the NFL lockout, players have an early triumph over the owners in court.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to the lock-out Monday, siding with the players in their fight with the owners over how to divide the $9 billion business.

The NFL responded by fil-ing a notice of appeal ques-tioning whether the district court exceeded its jurisdic-tion, seeking relief from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

Nelson granted a request for a preliminary injunction to lift the lockout, saying she was swayed by the players’ argument that the NFL’s first work stoppage since 1987 is hurting their careers.

The plaintiffs “have made a strong showing that allowing the League to continue their ‘lockout’ is presently inflict-ing, and will continue to in-flict, irreparable harm upon them, particularly when weighed against the lack of any real injury that would be imposed on the NFL by issu-ing the preliminary injunc-tion,” Nelson wrote.

If the injunction is upheld, the NFL must resume busi-ness, although under what guidelines is uncertain.

Also, the NFL would need to determine what or if off-season workouts can be held while the appeal is being heard.

Jim Quinn, an attorney for the players, said time is of the essence.

“They better act quick-ly, because as of right now there’s no stay and, presum-ably, players could sign with teams,” he said. “There are no

guidelines as of right now, so they have to put some-thing in place quickly.”

Owners imposed the lockout after talks broke down March 11 and the players disbanded their union. A group of players filed the injunction request along with a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the league.

Nelson’s ruling simply lifts the lockout and does not address any of the anti-trust issues. That will come another day.

“We believe that feder-al law bars injunctions in labor disputes,” the league said. “We are confident that the Eighth Circuit will agree. But we also believe that this dispute will inevitably end

with a collective bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of play-ers, clubs and fans. We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal.”

The NFL is going forward with the draft, which begins Thursday night.

— AP

Jim mone/AP

NFL attorney David Boies fields a question after a hearing in a suit against the NFL lockout on April 6 in St. Paul, Minn. U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to the lockout Monday. The NFL immediately said it would ask Nelson to put her order on hold so the league can pursue an expedited appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

Stay connected with The Daily sports desk for news and updates about Sooner sports

@OUDailySports

www.twitter.com/OUDailySports

A6 • Tuesday, april 26, 2011 The oklahoma Daily | oUDaily.comSPORTS

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

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LIFE & ARts Tuesday, April 26, 2011 • B1

Photo Provided by evan French

Phil Rice, guitarist and singer for The Neighborhood. More than 260 bands will perform at 19 venues this weekend during the fourth annual Norman Music Festival.

Norman Music Fest to rock audienceA list of totally awesome bands who,

according to Opolis owner Andy Nunez, have performed within

the cramped, black walls of his venue is: Vampire Weekend, The National, Blitzen Trapper, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Lightning Bolt and more.

It reads like the lineup of any of the big-gest indie music festivals in the world.

Obviously, it’s been a few years since Vampire Weekend and The National have shaken the cat photographs hanging on the walls, but the point is this: Opolis scores top-notch indie acts. This coming weekend is no different from any other time of the year.

Along with the Blackwatch Stage, Opolis is playing host to the best local musicians in town, as well as a few out-of-towners.

You’ll be remiss to miss out on all the high-energy indie rock pumping out there this weekend, so here are a few acts that aren’t to be missed.

The Neighborhood (12:30 p.m. thursday)

Once heralded as one of Norman’s most exciting live bands, The Neighborhood is getting back together to play a one-off show Thursday night at Opolis that’s sure to stick with people all weekend long.

The Neighborhood is not the first band to reunite solely to play festival — ’90s glam rockers Chainsaw Kittens did the same for the first edition of the festival — but it’s one of the best. Drummer Matt Duckworth’s talents are now with Stardeath And White Dwarfs and Chrome Pony, sing-er and guitarist Phil Rice and guitarist Blake Studdard play in Visions of Choruses with their wives and bassist Eric Mai is visiting from California. It’s a formula that’s sure to equal only one thing: mass rock ‘n’ roll pandemonium.

deerpeople (8:15 p.m. Friday)

After delivering an exciting and off-beat performance at the Buffalo Lounge in Austin for this year’s South By Southwest, Stillwater’s up-and-coming Deerpeople are ready to bring its big-band dynamic and catchy but haunting songs to Norman.

The band plays a fervent synthesis of tunes, combining the compulsive move-ment of electronic rhythms with folk’s en-dearing lyrical tendencies.

The result is a live show worthy of any

venue at Norman Music Festival, including the Main Stage.

STardeaTh (9:45 p.m. Friday)

Playing Opolis is small potatoes for the band that’s opened for the Flaming Lips and shared New York’s infamous Bowery Ballroom with Australian psych act Tame Impala, but the guys in Stardeath and White Dwarfs love it all the same.

The guys have been cooped up in Trent Bell’s studio for a while now, so one won-ders if they’ll brandish a new track or two, but nobody’s going to complain if the band sticks with material from its 2009 record, “The Birth.”

Either way, Opolis is going to ooze with late-’60s British psychedelia and quite pos-sibly the Flaming Lips’ posse Friday night.

WhiTe deNim (10:30 p.m. Friday)

Austin’s White Denim plays indie rock that skews close to airy pop, ideal for the beautiful weather in store for this weekend.

It is loose, progressive and fun — close enough to pure jam music to preserve its sense of improvisation but structured well enough to prevent the band from veering off into the unknown.

White Denim’s self-released 2010 album “Last Day of Summer” feels that way, with tracks like “Tony Fatti” boasting straightfor-ward punk lyrics (“feel like an outlaw with-out a past”, “I don’t wanna be so careful, I wanna hold your hand”) prodded along by uptempo guitar riffing. It’ll be the perfect complement to Stardeath’s louder, heavier psychedelia just a set earlier.

raiNboWS are Free (4 p.m. Saturday)

Heavy rock and metal are sorely lacking at this year’s festival, especially after The Sword’s Main Stage set last year.

It’s a good thing Norman’s Rainbows Are Free are playing Opolis’s outdoor stage in-stead of inside, otherwise that roof may just be in danger of getting blown off.

Lead guitarist Richie Tarver is one of the state’s best at classic rock riffs and solos, pushing between playful and terrifying all within the same set. It’ll be a sight to behold.

— Matt Carney,professional writing senior

MHAYS

km

4.94 x 6

DAL027623B 4/26 & 27/2011

University of OK NormanOklahoma Daily

BAKHUG00501

ALLOY MEDIA + MARKETING / Oklahoma Daily

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For all their years of dedication, Housing and Food Services would

like to thank and congratulate the following-

Debora ChongBrenda JeffersonJohnnie-Margaret McConnellStephen MilesTammie NelsonSheri Waldron

Dorothy FlowersTina Ledgerwood

Luann Williamson

Barbara Lynn

Rhonda Milia

40 yearsBeverly Hood

Lien Nok FuSusan MorrisonDarryl OverstreetRhonda Winkelman

Housing and Food Services is a department in OU’s division of Student Affairs. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

David AnnisFrank HenryPhyllis LeppkeEdward SilkwoodMark StidhamDenise UpchurchEllen Vestle

h&f

30 years25 years

20 years15 years

10 years

RetireeStaff Award

NATION NEWS BRIEFS1. Albuquerque, N.M.

Cocaine floating in NM lake where plane crashed recovered

Authorities have been pulling bundles of cocaine from a New Mexico lake near Chama where a small plane crashed, but they haven’t found any survivors or bodies.

State police divers continued searching Heron Lake on Monday for the craft. Witnesses reported it crashed about 10:30 a.m. Sunday into Heron Lake in Rio Arriba County, said New Mexico State Police spokesman Lt. Eric Garcia.

State police were using sophisticated sonar equipment to help them locate the plane.

Lake patrol officers found several packages of cocaine that are about a kilogram, or 2 pounds, each floating in the lake about 100 miles north of Santa Fe.

2. Jackson, Miss.

Gov. Barbour rules out 2012 presidential run unexpectedly

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour ruled out a 2012 presidential bid on Monday, saying he lacked the necessary “absolute fire in the belly” to run and wasn’t ready for the “all-consuming effort.”

The announcement was unexpected, given the two-term governor’s recent visits to several states with early presidential contests, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. He also had lined up political advisers for a possible run, and he had tested an economy-focused campaign speech in Chicago last month.

The stout governor had even lost some weight as advisers had suggested.

“I will not be a candidate for president next year,” the Republican, 63, said in a news release. “This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.”

3. Austin, Texas

Texas may strip away transgender marriage rights from 2009

Two years after Texas became one of the last states to allow transgendered people to use proof of their sex change to get a marriage license, Republican lawmakers are trying to roll back the clock.

Advocates for the transgendered say a proposal to bar transgendered people from getting married smacks of discrimination and would put their legally granted marriages in danger of being nullified if challenged in court.

One of the Republican sponsors of the legislation said he’s simply trying to clean up the 2009 law in a state that bans same-sex marriage under the constitution.

“The Texas Constitution,” Sen. Tommy Williams said, “clearly defines marriage between one man and one woman.”

4. Cheyenee, Wyo.

Truck with bees closes Wyoming highway in both directions

An accident involving a truck loaded with honey bees temporarily forced the closure of a highway in central Wyoming.

Wyoming Highway 220 southwest of Casper was closed in both directions from midmorning Monday until shortly after 2 p.m.

Trooper Marshall Wyatt of the Wyoming Highway Patrol says the accident happened when a westbound pickup truck drifted across the centerline and sideswiped an eastbound semitrailer hauling hundreds of hives of bees.

— AP

12

3

B2 • Tuesday, April 26, 2011 The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.comNATION

AL BEHRMAN/AP

Facilities worker Mike Albrecht walks through water from the rising Ohio River as he carries supplies from Riverview East Academy, Monday in Cincinnati, Ohio. The grade school is built on stilts because of possible flooding and students were moved to another school until the river goes down.

Two identical storms bring � oods to Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A thousand residents fled their homes in southern Missouri on Monday as heavy rains fall-ing on saturated ground threatened to break the levee pro-tecting their town. Smaller evacuations also took place from Kentucky to Arkansas as rivers and lakes continued to rise, and it is only expected to get worse.

Forecasters call for severe storms that will drop more heavy rain across the lower Ohio and Mississippi River val-leys, compounding the misery from a storm system that pounded the region last week and over the weekend, spawn-ing tornadoes and washing away roads. Some places have seen 10 to 15 inches already, and the worst flooding may not come until Wednesday.

Two storms with heavy rain and possible tornadoes are moving into the region, with northeast Texas, eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas expected to feel the brunt, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. Areas in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee are expected to get several more inches of rain, and Carbin predicted “substantial” flooding as water lands on ground too wet to absorb it or in rivers and lakes already over flood stage.

He said it’s unusual to see two distinct storm systems hit the same spots back to back, but that’s what will happen.

“I think we’ll see substantial flooding. It will affect those areas already experiencing heavy rain,” he said.

On Monday, police in Poplar Bluff, a town of 17,000 peo-ple about 150 miles southwest of St. Louis, moved residents out before noon Monday, after officials said they feared a “catastrophic failure” of the town’s levee on the Black River was imminent. Some evacuees sought shelter at the town’s Black River Coliseum, a 5,000-seat concert and meeting venue that overlooks the swollen river and a park that’s al-ready under water. Others moved in with friends and rela-tives. There were no reports of injuries.

A steady stream of people carrying their belongings in plastic sacks flowed into the coliseum, where members of the United Gospel Rescue Mission had food prepared. Rev. Gregory Kirk said he got the call to feed people early Monday and he’d been up and working since 4 a.m.

One of his main suppliers had already been flooded, he said.

Storms smash, hit southern states

The floods added to a miserable weekend for much of southern and eastern Missouri. A tornado tore through the St. Louis suburbs and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Friday, damaging dozens of homes and gashing the roof of the airport’s main terminal.

Branson spokesman Jerry Adams said 15 people along the edge of Lake Taneycomo were moved, and the popular tour-ist town’s camper park was evacuated.

Meanwhile, Table Rock Dam, about a half-hour west of downtown Branson, prepared to open its floodgates, after the lake rose almost 5 feet in 24 hours, lake manager Greg Oller told the Springfield News-Leader.

Branson has had nearly 7 inches of rain over the past three days, and like many other already-soaked cities, it is expected to get more. Communities along the Ohio River in southern Indiana and Illinois River in Oklahoma began sandbagging Monday, and severe storms rumbling across Arkansas created a risk of tornadoes and more flooding along the Spring and Black rivers. City Hall and private homes in Hardy, Ark., were evacuated Monday before rising water from the Spring River.

— AP

Storms, rain continue to pound Oklahoma

TULSA, Okla. — Workers feverishly filled sandbags at the Arrowhead Resort in northeastern Oklahoma as water came within a few feet of the cabins Monday afternoon and the Illinois River rose.

The options at the campgrounds near the town of Scraper were few, and the owner, Jack Spears, acknowledged flooding would likely devastate his property.

“There’s two things we can do: sandbag and pray,” he said.

A storm system that has been blamed for two deaths in separate auto accidents on rain-slick roads in Oklahoma continued to churn through the state Monday, dumping as much as 10 inches of rain in some parts and prompting flood warnings for homes along the Illinois River.

The river was expected to crest at 20 feet or higher by Tuesday, taking it at least 10 feet above flood stage. Communities near the river, such as Tahlequah, Watts, Flint and Eldon, were cautioned by forecasters to closely monitor the river level and prepare to move residents to higher ground.

Forecasters said there was a chance for more rain and storms through Wednesday, when the system was finally expected to push out of Oklahoma.

—AP

4

The Women of Gamma Phi Betawould like to congratulate and wish the best of luck

to our graduating class of 2011!Amy Henderson

Olivia Kendall

Katie Langwell

Kassidy Legako

Megan MacLeod

Ashleigh McCormick

Nicole MeoliNicole Meoli

Audra Miller

Lea Montgomery

Hannah Moore

Paige Morrell

Lindsay Peabody

Sarah Poynor

Cortney RickaCortney Rickards

Jillian Robinson

Emily Semands

Caitlin Sheehy

Alyssa Smith

Brittany Stidham

Katie Smith

Miranda Smith

Michelle SteeleMichelle Steele

Brienne Vandiver

Megan Williamson

Ali Wilson

Aly Yates

Katie Arnold

Marissa Jones

Erin HowaErin Howard

Morgan Ames

“”The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not

fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”-Matthew 7:25

Mary Anthony

Bri Bliss

Becca Bonsall

Tessa Breder

Meredith Brown

Nadia Ciccotelli

Lindsay ColeLindsay Cole

Erin Donlon

Katie Ehrhart

Sam Gallo

Mindy George

Lindsay Goddard

Breann Hager

TTaylor Hall

Valerie Hall

O P E N T O T H EP U B L I C

The Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

Summer Research Grant Colloquium Series

Wednesday, April 27, 20111 p.m.

Collings Hall, Room 334820 Van Vleet Oval

As members of The University of Oklahoma community we understand the values of

Democracy, liberty, freedom and the rule of law, Bi-Partisan government,

LGBT rights, Women's rights,

Freedom of religion without persecution, National and international security,

Concern for environmental protection, and Lifesaving medical and technological innovations.

Due to our shared understanding of these values we are proud to stand in solidarity with Israel and support the imperative need for a strong United

States of America / Israel relationship. Michelle Applebaum

Keren Ayalon Esther Arviv Yosef Arviv Amy Baker

Bronson Baker Erik Baker

Forrest Bennett Ryan Bowling Jonathan Brou

Whitney Cannon Aaron Charnay Diane Cocchiara

Kyle Clark Ian Christensen-gibbons

Maura Cremin Shayna Daitch

Juliet Davis Reston Dooly Zach Evilsizer Eric Farhang

Justin Farhang Grant Frankfurt

Abby Fellman Misheala Giddings

Megan Godwin

David Goldsmith Moshe Gutman

Noël Huntzinger Amanda Jakubovitz

Natalie Jester Joe Johnson

Zekiel Johnson Josh Kopelman Michael

Kriegsman Ryan Kriegsman

Joel Langston Hunter Ligon

Rebekah Martin CJ Mays

Channing McAdams Jordan McAdams

Grant McLoughlin Holly McMannes Zach Moorhead

Benjamin Paston Sam Peyton Maya Polay

Destiny Poole Joey Ptomey

Heath Renfrow Jasmine Rikin

David Robbins Jason Rubin Omar Saber

Joe Sangirardi Jeremy Schiller Marisa Schnitz

Baxter Schooley Anton Schultz Megan Siebert Daniel Smith Corey Still

Dr. Norman Stillman Sarah Thomas Alexis Taitel Phil Vogel

Anthony Vu Steven Walton Colin Wilson

Michael Wilson Jonathan Willie Matt Zarachoff Franz Zenteno

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 • B3The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com ADVERTISEMENT

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The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. For accommodations on the basis of

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Peter Wainwright, University of California, Davis

“Coral Reef Fishes: Novelties Underlying Ecological Impact in Nature’s Richest Realm”

This program is sponsored by the Sam Noble Museum and the University of Oklahoma Department of Zoology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011 • B5The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com WORLD

WORLD NEWS BRIEFS1. Kandahar, Afghanistan

Taliban tunnel more than 480 out of underground Afghan prison

During the long Afghan winter, Taliban insurgents were apparently busy underground.

The militants say they spent more than five months building a 1,050-foot tunnel to the main prison in southern Afghanistan, bypassing government checkpoints, watch towers and concrete barriers topped with razor wire.

The diggers finally poked through Sunday and spent 4 1/2 hours ferrying away more than 480 inmates without a shot being fired, according to the Taliban and Afghan officials. Most of the prisoners were Taliban militants.

2. Tehran, Iran

Iran says it has uncovered second cyber attack in campaign

Iran has been hit by a second computer virus, a senior military official said Monday, suggesting it was part of a concerted campaign to undermine the country’s disputed nuclear program.

Gholam Reza Jalali, the head of an Iranian military unit in charge of combatting sabotage, said that experts discovered the “espionage virus,” which he called “Stars.”

“The Stars virus has been presented to the laboratory but is still being investigated,” Jalali said in a report posted Monday on his organization’s website, paydarymelli.ir. “No definite and final conclusions have been reached.”

3. Moscow

Russia’s Medvedev hints he may not run for reelection next term

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Monday he might choose a job as the “angel” of high-tech business when he leaves office, in a clear hint that he may not run for re-election.

Medvedev was hand-picked for the presidency by his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who currently serves as prime minister. Although Medvedev said as recently as two weeks ago that he did not exclude seeking a second term in March 2012, Putin is widely expected to reclaim the presidency.

— AP

Citizens � nish voting for state governors after presidential election riots leave 500 dead

UYO, Nigeria — With hundreds already killed and others frightened from the ballot box, Nigerians are being asked to vote Tuesday in the nation’s volatile gubernatorial elections, this time choosing the pivotal politicians who control bil-lions of dollars in oil money.

Religious tensions are high in Africa’s most populous na-tion after riots erupted across the country’s predominant-ly Muslim north last week when results showed Christian President Goodluck Jonathan had clinched the election. Angry mobs set fire to houses where election workers were staying, and young female poll staffers were raped while charred corpses lined highways.

Tuesday’s gubernatorial vote is the final ballot in Nigeria, following weeks of legislative and presidential elections that ultimately forced some 40,000 people to flee their home. Election officials postponed the governors’ races in the two northern states hardest hit by postelection.

“Some have paid the ultimate price for democracy and I am sure that I speak the minds of all Nigerians if I say that the nation will be eternally grateful to them,” Attahiru Jega, chief of Nigeria’s Independent Election Commission has said. “One way of immortalizing them is to ensure that we com-plete the remaining elections successfully and not succumb to the designs of people who want to scuttle our collective aspiration for a strong, united and democratic country.”

The gubernatorial races carry even more weight because governors represent the closest embodiment of power many ever see in a nation of 150 million people. The positions pro-vide many politicians personal fiefdoms where oil money sluices into unwatched state coffers.

— AP

Nigerian gubernatorial elections loom

SUNDAY ALAMBA/AP PHOTO

People pass election campaign posters Monday in Uyo, Nigeria. Only a week after the presidential election sparked riots that left an estimated 500 people dead, voters are being asked to cast ballots Tuesday for their state governors.

123

B6 • Tuesday, April 26, 2011 The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.comAdvertisement

PLACE AN ADPhone: 405-325-2521E-mail: classifi eds@ou.edu

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Check the April 28 edition of

The Oklahoma Daily for all the bands, stages and need-to-know info you need to get ready

for NMF.

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