The Oklahoma Daily

Fee increases due to 23-percent increase in citations during the past decade, of! cial saysCHARLES WARDDaily Staff Writer

The Norman City Council made it a little more expensive to get a citation, and got a lot more serious about collecting on those tickets at its meeting Tuesday.

The council approved a change to city ordinances which increases the cost of City of Norman court fines from $25 to

$30.The fees are in response to a 23-percent

increase in citations issued between 1999 and 2009, said Ronda Guerrero, court ad-ministrator. The costs have been $25 per citation since November 1999, she said.

Anyone receiving a ticket for speeding or other traffic violations, possession of marijuana or alcohol-related offenses will pay the new court costs if he or she either simply pays the fine or sets a court date on the matter, according to both Guerrero and the city council agenda.

The new court costs do not affect park-ing tickets, unless a person receiving a

citation sets a court date in regard to that ticket, Guerrero said.

Judges have the authority to waive court costs in case of indigence, and may do that, said Carol Dillingham, council member from Ward 4.

The council also approved a contract with an Austin, Texas, collection agency to collect on delinquent court costs, fines and penalties. The agency will add a 25-percent fee to the total cost of the past-due citations as a fee for its services, according to the council’s agenda. The company will receive no money from the city outside of that fee, the agenda states.

Both measures were approved unani-mously. Rachel Butler, council member for Ward 5, was absent.

The bulk of the meeting’s time was used to hear a proposal from Sean Rieger, an attorney for J&J Properties, to change the planned usage for a 350-acre tract of land in northwest Norman. The land, bounded by 36th and 48th Avenues and by Indian Hills and Franklin Roads, was designated for very low-density residential uses in the Norman 2020 plan, according to the agenda. It will now be open to mixed use.

The council approved the change unanimously.

City Council raises court ! nes by $5

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WEDNESDAY MARCH 24, 2010

Read some students’ reactions to health care reform. See page 3A.

news

The Sooners played their second-round game against Arkansas-Little Rock. Recap page 5A.

Read The Daily’s guide to ! nding comic books in Norman.

See page 1B.

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© 2009 OU PUBLICATIONS BOARD VOL. 95, NO. 119FREE — ADDITIONAL COPIES 25¢

Cost of operation, staf! ng would be excessive, spokeswoman saysAUDREY HARRISDaily Staff Writer

Students who need a quiet, monitored study environment might be frustrated with Bizzell Memorial Library’s night and weekend hours.

The library is open until 2 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays and opens at noon Sundays, but some students feel the library should be open 24 hours.

The hours are determined by student usage, class scheduling, the hours of peer institutions and budget resources, Sarah Robbins, University Libraries spokeswoman, said by e-mail.

Robbins said cost is the primary reason the library system is not 24 hours.

“In a building the size of Bizzell, we must be well-staffed to ensure the security of our stu-dents and other users,” Robbins said. “And the costs of maintaining that level of staffing for 24-hour service is prohibitive.”

Robbins said usage includes the number of people coming through the door, asking questions at the service desks and using the computers.

“The library hours are fairly set, but usage could impact hours during holidays, hours desks are staffed, etc.,” Robbins said.

She said the library uses a system in place at the doors that automatically tracks “gate counts,” the number of people coming in through the doors.

Whitney Miner, biochemistry sophomore, said the library’s 2 a.m. closing time has forced her to leave study groups early. Miner said she

Students call for 24-hour library service

LIBRARY CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

MARCIN RUTKOWSKI/THE DAILY

Jacqueline Nyiraturatsinze, University College freshman, studies at the Bizzell Memorial library Tuesday evening.

Miss Hispanic OU chosen Tuesday

NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY

Miss Hispanic OU 2010 contestants stand awaiting the announcement of the winner to the pageant. From left to right: Abby Castro, Chellie Fernandez, Adriana Knight, Nina Becerra and Alia Rameirez. To read about the pageant and who won, see page 2.

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Caitlin Harrison, managing [email protected] • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

2A Wednesday, March 24, 2010

OUDAILY.COM » CATCH THE FOURTH EDITION OF BANANA NEWS, WHERE STUDENTS ARE ASKED ABOUT HEALTH CARE, TOYOTA AND MUCH MORE.

Library

Continues from page 1

thinks a change in library hours wouldn’t require too much on the university’s part.

“They don’t have to have a ton of people working there to stay open late at night,” Miner said. “It would be nice to have it open for 24 hours. If not for my sake, then for others’ sake.”

During the school year, the li-brary is open 117 hours per week as it has been for many years, Robbins said.

“If you look at the hours we are actually closed, you’ll see that the library is only closed for a relatively short period of time,” Robbins said. “During the week, we only close for five and a half hours each day.”

Robbins said the library is open 24 hours during finals week, although in recent years there has been a decline in visits during these extended hours.

Kevyn Gero, psychology soph-omore, said she would like to see the library keep one floor open all night. Gero said the library could close the circulation desk and have guards monitor the one floor.

“If they left one floor open, like the main floor, and just had secu-rity guards, then that would give students a place to study,” Gero said. “After the library closes, I usually go home because the union isn’t the most safe.”

B a y l o r U n i v e r s i t y , t h e University of Kansas and Texas A&M University libraries all have 24-hour study areas available in their libraries, according to their Web sites.

Alia Ramirez chosen over ! ve contestants in Miss Hispanic OU 2010 pageant KATHLEEN EVANSDaily Staff Writer

Sophomore Alia Ramirez was crowned the Miss Hispanic OU 2010 Tuesday night in the Meacham Auditorium of the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Ramirez, microbiology sopho-more, was one of five women participating in the scholarship pageant. Other contestants were University College freshman Abby Castro, University College freshman Chellie Fernandez, journalism sophomore Adriana Knight and University College freshman Nina Becerra.

The pageant consisted of six portions: a resume, personal in-terview with the judges, a talent competition, cultural dress and presentation, on-stage question and evening gown wear. The winner received a $1,000 schol-arship, and the first runner-up received $250.

The goal of the pageant is to promote Hispanic culture and find a leader and role model on campus, said Britan Mills, Miss Hispanic OU coordina-tor and public relations junior. Competitors do not have to be Hispanic but must have an ap-preciation of the culture.

“We are not a limited pag-eant,” Mills said. “It is about celebrating Hispanic culture, so anyone with an interest can enter. We are not exclusive — we are actually very inclusive. Most people don’t know that.”

Ramirez will now go on to work on her platform, Justice for the Women and Girls of Chihuahua, Mexico. This

organization works to raise awareness about the mass mur-ders and kidnapping of women from northern Mexico that often go unnoticed.

“There are several organiza-tions already that raise funds and promote awareness,” Ramirez said. “They come across the bor-der [of Mexico] to speak to uni-versities about it. I want to start bringing them to OU.”

Ramirez’s father is from Mexico, said Damien Ramirez, Alia Ramirez’s brother and University College freshman.

“I am ecstatic for [Alia] — she’s been really working hard for this,” Damien Ramirez said. “As a personal opinion, I don’t think there’s a better choice for Miss Hispanic OU. She already devotes a lot of time to the com-munity through the Diversity Enrichment Program.”

The Diversity Enrichment Program is a group that works with prospective students of different backgrounds to help them with the college transition, according to OU’s Web site.

Alia Ramirez also is the vice president of the Hispanic American Student Association, the secretary for the Oklahoma A m e r i c a n S o c i e t y o f Microbiology, and a mem-ber of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, according to the pageant biographies.

Giving up the crown was Miss Hispanic OU 2009, Laura Garland, physical therapy sophomore. During her reign, Garland worked to promoted education among the Hispanic community, she said. This in-cluded visiting local elementary and high school students and talking to them about staying in school and continuing their education.

NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY

Miss Hispanic OU 2009 Laura Garner crowns microbiology sophomore Alia Ramirez as Miss Hispanic OU 2010 tuesday night. Ramirez will serve OU’s Hispanic community as Miss Hispanic OU for a full year.

Sophomore crowned at pageant; awarded $1,000 scholarship

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 3A

POLICE REPORTSThe following is a list of arrests and citations, not convictions. The information given is compiled from the Norman and OU Police Departments. At times, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department and the Oklahoma City FBI will contribute to these reports. All those listed are innocent until proven guilty.

MUNICIPAL WARRANTJordan Christopher Contreras, 41, 901 N. Porter Ave., Monday Irene Alica Hembekides, 49, North Santa Fe Avenue, MondayClaud Chadell Wiley, 20, 201 W. Gray St., Monday

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEDayna Michelle Leonard, 47, West State Highway 9, Monday, also possession of controlled dangerous substances Joshua Daniel Western, 27, No Incident Location, Monday, also leaving the scene of an accident and no insurance

PETTY LARCENYNancy M. Poauty, 38, 333 N. Interstate Drive, Sunday

BARKING DOGMilan Dane Riggs, 22, 1801 Aladdin St., Monday

CAMPUS EVENTS

TODAYBIBLE STUDYChristians on Campus will host a Bible study from noon to 12:45 p.m. in the Traditions Room of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

CAREER SERVICESCareer Services will host a seminar entitled “Preparing for the Federal Government Job Search” at noon in the Heritage Room of the union.

CAREER SERVICESCareer Services will host an Interviewing 101 workshop at 1:30 p.m. in the Crimson Room of the union.

STUDENT SUCCESS SERIESA “Writing for International Students” workshop will take place at 3:30 p.m. in Wagner Hall, room 245.

STUDENT OKLAHOMA

EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONThe SOEA will host a guest speaker informing students of grants and other opportuni-ties at 7:30 p.m. in South Campus Building 4, room 119.

WEDNESDAYCAREER SERVICESCareer Services will host a seminar entitled “Careers in the Non-Pro! t Industry” at noon in the Career Services lobby.

BOLLYWOOD SONG-SEQUENCE“The Bollywood Song-Sequence and its Afterlives” will be held 4:30 to 9 p.m. in the union’s Meacham Auditorium. Admission is free.

HAITI RELIEF CONCERTThe Haiti Relief Bene! t Concert will be held 7 to 10 p.m. at Sharp Hall in Catlett Music Center. Admission is free.

Sooner Sampler » THE DAILY’S JESSICA SHEETS ASKS STUDENTS ABOUT THE RECENT PASSAGE OF HEALTH CARE

“I’m a little concerned about how it’s going to affect abortion funds. I’m still trying to decide about what was just passed.”

—JASMIN CHEVIS, FRENCH AND AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES SENIOR

“I don’t agree with it. I believe that government should stay out of it.”

—JACOB DAVIS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FRESHMAN

“I’m excited about it. Basically, health care is in shambles and we need a change.”

—STEVEN BROWN, HISTORY JUNIOR

“I’m not super political, but I think it can be a really good thing as long as you don’t take away options from people who already have good insur-ance.”

—SARAH MITCHELL, PSYCHOLOGY SENIOR

“I think it can be done well, but I’m unsure if this is the right form for that. This doesn’t seem as well thought out as it could be.”

—JILLIAN REIMER, ENGLISH LITERATURE SENIOR

“I want it to work. I’d be willing to give it a chance.”

—DANIEL PRESTON, MICROBIOLOGY/PRE-PHARMACY SOPHOMORE

JOHNBEST

DANIELRECHES

Max Avery, opinion [email protected] • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051


STAFF COLUMN

OUR VIEW

COMMENT OF THE DAY »In response to L. Nicole Bisby’s column on Washington D.C. Tea Partiers.

Cool story, bro. -TheAntiTrevorClark

STAFF CARTOON

There are 13 million Americans aged 20 to 29 who don’t have health insurance. That’s 30 percent of us, 20 to 29 year old Americans, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

But there’s hope in sight for us college students. It’s in the form of the 2,074-page health care bill that’s been polarizing the American populous and dominating the American media to the point that Tiger Woods’ affairs have become a relief.

Though we are still undecided about the bill as a whole, there’s at least one thing was can all be happy about.

With this bill we can now ride our parents’ insurance until we’re 26, three years longer than the old law. This is one admirable attempt to help decrease the uninsured problem plaguing the young in this country. A problem that’s becoming increasingly difficult to tap into after re-cent declines in the job market.

Now recent college graduates are pegged into jobs that don’t provide health insurance, if we can get jobs at all. This bill will help solve that. It will let us ride on our par-ents’ insurance a little longer, and get by in this fierce brut-ish world in a slightly better condition.

According to the student health insurance section of the OU Human Resources Web site “health insurance cover-age isn’t just a good idea — it’s a necessity.”

Considering 10 percent of us 20 to 29 year olds have two or more emergency room visits a year, it’s difficult to disagree.

It’s hard to bite the hand that feeds when it’s becoming so much easier to have health insurance as we graduate. We’ll have a little more cushion, more wiggle room as we make our first steps in the “real world.”

COMMENT ON THIS COLUMN AT OUDAILY.COM

Continued mooching of our parents’ insurance a good thing

J. Schuyler Crabtree is a public relations senior.

Can Daoism live in our bread-based culture? Yes, I know. You probably hadn’t thought about it before. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about it either. But enough someone’s voting for bread got me thinking. Once I got started, well, I thought about Daoism. And what Daoism means in a culture where bread is plucked from supermarket shelves.

So, you’re thinking, Daoism … bread … Daoism … bread …what’s the connection?

To give you a connection, I’ll have to give a bit of an introduction to Daoism, and to do that I’ll have to in-clude a disclaimer.

As the Tao te Ching tells us, “The dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.”

I’m not here to teach Daoism; that would be mis-leading for you and impossible for me to do. It would be easier for me describe the entire order of the night sky. All I can do is attempt to apply Daoism to our su-permarket bread based culture.

The Dao is about the order. The order is fungi keep-ing plants alive, keeping fungi alive. The order brings night as easily as it brings days, as easily as it brings life, as easily as it brings death. The Dao is an order to the universe that de-fies description and definition.

The order of supermarket shelves, lined with bread and other nutrient bringing substances, may not be in the order with the Dao. The shelves require constant effort and mainte-nance. The amount of bread does not ebb and flow; it stays constant and fresh, always mold and crumb free. There is a fight by the supermarket staff to keep it crisp and clean just for you. But you are not the most impor-tant thing, the harmony of the universe is.

In fact, a year-round bread industry is actually in constant conflict the Dao. The conflict is in the forcing. Bread and super-markets are not in opposition to the Dao. But attempts to force the universe to mold to our will creates conflict with the Dao.

Think of it like water. In fact, one of the simplest ways to think about Dao is to think about water. Water flows through the path of least resistance, just like electricity. It stays low, does not rise up in tidal waves naturally, and reacts to its surroundings more than most other things on this planet. It is weak, but capable of great things because of that simple weakness.

Daoism rejects and accepts opposites. Good and bad do not exist. But if good is to exist, so must bad. Bread is neither

healthy nor unhealthy. Don’t let those crazy diet schemes fool you, bread is neither an angel nor a devil. But if you must make one type of bread healthy, than another becomes unhealthy. If you can move past the absolutes of grocery store nutrition fact labels, then something quite simpler comes into play. Bread is bread, only nourishment to keep you going. Simply eat the bread and stop thinking so much about its beneficial and detrimental qualities. Struggling to find the best

bread, grocery store or path is too much effort.

That leads me to another crucial aspect of Daoism in a supermarket cul-ture. Your actions should not be mo-tivated by constant contemplation. Your actions are innate and natural. What matters are the natural choic-es you make and that

your natural choices do not dis-rupt the order around you. No right choices, just natural, effort-less, balanced choices.

Also, there isn’t a reason to never eat bread. But there is also no reason

to eat only bread. Another bit of advice from the Tao te Ching is, “To know when you have enough is to be rich.”

But also remember, “When spring comes, the grass grows by itself.” So is the bread in your grocery store in tune the Dao? Does the wheat grow itself? Was the path from seed to shelf effortless, like the flow of water? Of course a modern life fully in the tune

with the Dao is nearly impossible. Most everyone can agree with that. But Daoism is not about a final destination of one-ness or enlightenment. Daoism is about the effortless, harmo-nious path. When water travels from a mountain to the ocean, its journey is far from over.

John Best is a biochemistry and Asian studies senior.

IT WOULD BRING US MUCH PLEASURE IF YOU WOULD COMMENT ON THIS COLUMN AT OUDAILY.COM

“In fact, a year round bread industry is actually in constant con! ict the Dao.”

Finding your center in a bread-based culture is not as easy as it may seem

BREAD WEEK- DAY 3

Resist bread Socialism

No food is more basic, universal, plentiful and di-verse as bread. It’s a hangover cure, you can dip it in soup, it can even be used it get drunk from shoe pol-ish (please do not try this). It can be cheesy, garlicky, round or square. Bread can be made into sandwiches, pudding, bird feeders and French toast. Ketchup and cheese transform it into a pizza. You can even crack an egg in the middle of it and relive a lit-tle bit of childhood. Bread is the food of freedom, justice and the American dream!

Unfortunately, President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the ghost of Karl Marx who com-municates with them on a daily basis are going to socialize bread. They are steering America towards socialism.

With the passage of health care-reform bill, the next natural step is breadlines. Breadlines, any commu-nist’s wet dream, will rise up faster than dispensaries in California. Lots of breadlines — and they will carry tortillas and pitas and naan — how horrid.

This will drive our country further into debt. We can-not allocate any money for food subsidies. After all, we already spend hundreds of millions of dollars in subsi-dies to sustain multimillion dollar agriculture corpora-tions in swing states. Allowing for free bread will grow our national deficit in order to push America closer to communism.

Sure, Bush and his mostly Republican congress dou-bled national debt in eight years, but they did it for free-dom. Medicare part D, faith based initiatives or anytime the government dealt with Halliburton was to benefit the rich, the powerful and the holy moral. Republicans used churches, corporations and hundreds of guys in suites who line their pockets with tax payer money that they got from no bid contracts to support our social system.

We cannot let Obama and the democratic majorities in congress take away our bread by giving it away for free. We have to protect bread and defend the freedoms that it brings. If breadlines become a reality, the next step is Gulags!

Daniel Reches is an international business, entrepreneurship and history senior.

The week of Feb. 18 to 25 we asked our readers (you) to vote on topics that piqued your interest. Bread received 117 votes; abortion, 59; gay rights, 51; health care, 21; na-ture, 14; Afghanistan, 9; and Haiti, 1.

Because of the overwhelming support for the discus-sion of bread, every day this week we will have at least one column on, or related to, bread.

Thank you for voting.

Jamie Hughes Editor-in-ChiefCaitlin Harrison Managing EditorRicky Maranon Assignment EditorLisa Phan Presentation EditorMax Avery Opinion EditorMichelle Gray Photo EditorMarcin Rutkowski Assistant Photo Editor

Renee Selanders, Amanda Turner News EditorsJames Lovett Online EditorMark Potts Multimedia EditorAaron Colen Sports EditorJoshua Boydston Life & Arts EditorJudy Gibbs Robinson Editorial AdviserThad Baker Advertising Manager

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 cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification. Submit letters Sunday through Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to [email protected].

Guest columns are accepted at editor’s discretion.’Our View’ is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily. Editorial Board members are The Daily’s editorial staff. The board meets Sunday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 160 Copeland Hall. Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019-0270

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T O D

OU moves on in NCAA tournament after sweeping ! rst two rounds at homeANNELISE RUSSELLDaily Staff Writer

We’re going to Kansas City, Kansas City here we come.OU women’s basketball clinched a spot in the Sweet

Sixteen and Kansas City regional Tuesday night with 60 to 44 win over University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

In a game that saw low scoring and numerous turnovers, third-seeded OU pulled out the win against the 11th-seeded Trojans.

The first four minutes of the game were marked by OU driving to the lane and UALR’s junior forward Chastity Reed hitting jumpers.

In a low scoring start, junior forward Carlee Roethlisberger came off the bench to provide fresh legs and offensive pro-duction. She had half of the Sooners points in the 12-8 lead with 13 minutes remaining.

With the clock ticking under 8:40, senior guard Nyeshia Stevenson put the Sooners up 17-10 with a layup.

The first half was not the most efficient for either team.OU averaged 16.7 turnovers a game during conference

play, and Sooners almost matched the figure in the first half alone with 14. The Trojans bested OU by committing a total of 15.

During the defensive battle, neither team found the bot-tom of the net as the Sooners led 19-13 with five minutes left.

The Sooners finally cleared 20 at the four-minute mark when senior center Abi Olajuwon posted her sixth point of the half.

OU closed the half strong while the Trojans went cold around the basket. The Sooners headed into the half with a 28-13 lead.

OU finished the half shooting 50 percent from the field and out-rebounding UALR 18-13.

The second half opened to Olajuwon finding success under the basket for four quick points, and UALR pulled within 11 points but could not crack the lead any further for the time being.

Junior guard Danielle Robinson drained a jumper seven minutes into the game to put OU back up by 15, 38-23.

The Sooners maintained a lead throughout the second half, but could not pull away from UALR.

Senior forward Amanda Thompson picked up her fourth

foul at 6:48 and sent the Trojans to the free-throw line where it cut the lead to 44-34.

The 10-point lead was as close as the Trojans would get down the final stretch.

Olajuwon was the highlight on the Sooner stat sheet with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Robinson added 13 points, and Stevenson put up 10 in the

OU win.The Sooners finished the game shooting 49 percent from

the field and totaling 12 bench points, nine of those coming from Roethlisberger.

Up next for OU is the Kansas City Regional where it will face No. 2 seed Notre Dame on Sunday, March 28.

INTERESTED IN GARDASIL?GARDASIL IS WIDELY AVAILABLE AND MANYPRIVATE INSURANCE PLANS* COVER IT.

TALK TO YOUR CAMPUS HEALTH CENTER OROTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

GARDASIL is a registered trademark of Merck & Co., Inc. Copyright © 2010 Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. 21050004(43)-01/10-GRD

*While your insurance company may reimburse for GARDASIL, your eligibility for coverage and reimbursement for GARDASIL

depends on your individual insurance benefit. You can contact your insurance company for details on coverage for GARDASIL.

Aaron Colen, sports [email protected] • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 5A

SOONERS ADVANCE TO SWEET SIXTEEN


Danielle Robinson, junior guard, attacks the defense in the game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday night. The Sooners won 60-44.

OU faced Tulsa last night. Recap at OUDAILY.COM

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Congratulations to the following 2009-2010 Adopt An Area Winners:

Fraternities:Delta Chi

Omega Psi PhiAlpha Phi Alpha

Sororities:Alpha Kappa AlphaKappa Alpha Theta

Chi Omega

Housing:Walker Center

Student Organization:Ruf/Nek Lil Sis

Please join us tomorrow, Thursday March 25th for Arbor Day.

Arbor Day 2010

It is not easy for me to pin point when it happened.

Maybe it was after I found out about Michael Jordan’s reported domestic vio-lence or Michael Irvin’s drug issues.

Maybe it was after I found out that Kobe Bryant may have raped a woman or Ray Lewis may have killed a person.

Or maybe it was something as simple as being a naïve 15 year old and discov-ering pictures of a clearly inebriated Dirk Nowitzki online.

Whatever the moment was, though, I eventually gave up on idolizing athletes for anything other than their on-field performance. Although I cannot remember when I made the decision, I can say with confidence that my ability to enjoy sports has improved since then.

Following Tiger Woods’ first interview since stories of his infidelity surfaced, many questions about the athlete/fan dynamic have come to the forefront. How much of an athlete’s private life is the business of the public? Should the court of public opinion have any say on what the ath-lete does off the field? Do athletes have an obligation to be role models?

The problem with these questions is that a consensus can never be reached and, even if it were, neither all ath-letes or media members would change their behavior ac-cordingly. Therefore, I offer fans this advice instead: For your own sake, if you want to idolize an athlete, focus on the athlete, not the human.

I can’t begin to explain my admiration for Tiger Woods, the golfer. As an awful golfer, seeing the things he does on the course is the only reason I consistently watch the sport. I find few things more beautiful than Woods using a nine iron to bend a 200-yard shot off pine needles around two trees and within five feet of the hole.

However, I find few things more disgusting than what I’ve heard and read about Woods in the past months. Even if Woods were single, the erotic text messages that were re-vealed are enough to make most people’s stomachs turn. The fact that he was married with kids makes it even more difficult to respect him as a human.

The fact is, though, that what Woods has done has noth-ing to do with golf. I have slowly (too slowly, probably) come to realize that in life, all human beings are extremely adept at letting others down. Because humans are flawed. Big time.

So the fact that Woods likes to have sex way, way too much should not have been completely shocking news. Just as I should not have been surprised about Jordan’s anger issues or Irvin’s drug problems. These people are humans.

I am not giving any athlete a pass here. I think I made it clear: I am disgusted by Woods’ actions. Instead, I am sug-gesting that fans do what is good for fans. Many fans want to “hold Tiger accountable,” but I am unsure what their plan of action is. Stop watching him play golf? All that does is keep you from watching the greatest golfer on the planet, and that has no effect on him.

It’s a shame all athletes cannot be great at their job and in their personal lives. I understand people, especially par-ents with easily influenced children, who feel athletes have a responsibility to be role models. Unfortunately, many athletes disagree and even fewer are capable of living up to those expectations.

So to all sports fans, I suggest you do as I do: Separate the athlete and his or her personal life, for your own good.

That is why when the best golfer I’ve ever seen takes the course in April at the Masters, I will be rooting for the man whose personal life I find despicable to win by 20 strokes.

Steven Jones is a language arts education senior.

AARON COLENSports Editor

The OU men’s basketball team has been making head-lines during March Madness, despite not being involved in the tournament.

Head coach Jeff Capel said at the end of the season that all scholarships were not guaranteed and changes to the roster may be made. Several recent reports indicate that may be the case.

The entertainment Web site TMZ.com reported dur-ing spring break that they had a wire transfer document showing a $3,000 transfer from Jeffrey Hausinger, a Merrill Lynch financial adviser, to an account shared by freshman forward Tiny Gallon and his mother Sylvia Wright. If the al-legation is true, Gallon’s status with the team could be in jeopardy.

Athletic director Joe Castiglione released a statement stating that the university is committed to following NCAA regulations, and any violations found are dealt with quickly.

The Tulsa World reported Monday that freshman guard Tommy Mason-Griffin will not return to OU next year, cit-ing an unnamed source close to the player. Mason-Griffin was a bright spot for the Sooners during the second half of the season, and he was named to the All-Big 12 third team.

Sophomore guard Ray Willis said Tuesday in a Facebook post that he is no longer a part of the OU team.

“Its official no longer a sooner, its been real like my man Russell Simons say,” Willis wrote on his Facebook page.

Team spokesman Mike Houck said Tuesday that no an-nouncements regarding the status of any of the players have been made yet, and will not be made until a later date.


SOONERS MAY BE FACING ROSTER CHANGES

Idolize athletes’ athletic prowess, not personal lives

MEN’S BASKETBALL«


Tommy Mason-Griffin, freshman guard, dribbles the ball down the court during the game against Texas A&M on March 6 in the Lloyd Noble Center. OU lost 69-54.

AP PHOTO

Tiger Woods on the second fairway with caddie Mike Cowan dur-ing the World Series of Golf, in Akron, Ohio in August 1997.

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NEMESIS #1T h e c r e a t i v e t e a m o f

Mark Millar and Steve McNiven (“Civil War”, “Old Man Logan”,etc) are back with what is sure to be another record-break-ing series. “Nemesis” tells the tale of a super villain — Nemesis —

whose M.O is searching for the most decorated police officer in a country, driv-ing him to the brink of insanity and ultimately killing him. The story starts as our “hero” murders Japan’s pre-mier supercop and then sets his sites on the best cop in the United States, bring-ing his trail of anarchy and de-struction to God’s own country.

Millar and artist Steve McNiven describes the charac-ter of Nemesis as the opposite of Batman: He’s a rich billionaire during the daytime but come nightfall he’s basically the Joker. Even the teaser images has Nemesis with trademark Joker lipstick smeared across his lips except that’s not lipstick, it’s blood.

After completing the hilarious yet violent “Kick-Ass,” Millar offers us an-other helping of the same charcoal black humor that we’ve come to enjoy and I can’t wait to dig in. The only thing that I have to worry about the series is the numerous delays it might face; need I remind you “Kick-Ass” came out in February 2008 and just ended its run. But delay issues aside, this is going to be one of the greatest books out this year and the first issue will most likely sell out so get yours while it’s hot!

Osi Aken’ova is a film and video studies and communication senior.

THE GUILD #1For all the World of Warcraft players out there, this one is for you. The hit Web

series, “The Guild,” gets the origin treatment as creator and star Felicia Day — Penny from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog — writes the debut issue. Fans of

the show need to buy this book that shows us how, Cyd Sherman (Day) got into the very addictive world of MMORPGs and her guild “The Knights of The Good.”

I’m not exactly going out on a limb when I predict “The Guild #1” will be an instant seller, not only because it has a firm fanbase but the show it’s based on is incredibly well written. A great thing about “The Guild” is that it exploits stereotypes about World of Warcraft fiends for laughs while also going against them and getting even bigger laughs. Confusing, I know, but you have to watch it.

If you rolled your eyes after read-ing the first sentence you aren’t going to buy this book, but you should at least give “The Guild” a shot.

Seasons one and two are avail-able on YouTube and I promise

you wouldn’t be disappointed.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock or don’t read comic books — hence an uncultured swine — you should know that there are three big comic book stores in Norman. Some might think this is a little too much for this small college town, but they each have a little something different to offer to their clientele’s different needs.

WIZARD’S ASYLUMWIZARD’S ASYLUMLocated on Jenkins Avenue and right across from the

Sarkeys Energy Center, Wizard’s Asylum is the closest comic book store on campus. Not only does Wizard’s carry a wide variety of comic books and graphic novels, it also has various role-playing games sets, cards and pieces and family board games.

Wizard’s also host numerous gaming events a few times a week. On Friday evenings, it hosts Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic The Gathering tournaments. On Sundays, it has a Heroclix tournament and Tuesday and Fridays are for the Warhammer 40,000 games. If you’re into gam-ing and comics, you prob-ably already knew about this store, and I’ve run into you a couple of times.

The store’s hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The store is discounting graph-ic novels by 10 percent the rest of the semester.

ATOMIC POP!ATOMIC POP! This store — the most colorful shop on the list — car-

ries everything to meet a Japanese-cultural enthusiast needs: Anime soundtracks, albums by Japanese artists, manga, Sanrio merchandise, Lolita clothing, plush dolls, action figures, scrolls, posters and the list goes on.

Don’t be deceived by the name of the shop; it also has a very large se-lection of American comics, from the indie titles —“Love and Rockets” — to the more mainstream — “Captain America.”

Another great thing about the store is published comic writer

Rob Vollmar works there and is always happy to offer suggestions and talk about the industry to customers.

The store is at 918 W. Main St. and right now it has a buy-four-manga-get-the-fifth-free sale. It is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

SPEEDING BULLET COMICSCOMICS

Last, but not in any way the least, is Speeding Bullet, which is entirely a comic book shop and carries any-thing a fanboy would need.

Located at 614 N. Porter Ave., the store boasts the larg-est trade and hardback comic collection in Oklahoma and it doesn’t stop there. Speeding Bullet sells clothing, DVDs post-ers, action figures and books written by comic book writers.

The store’s hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

And in case you’re in Norman during the summer, OU grad and comic writer Sterling Gates will be there to sign your books June 12.

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A GUIDE TO NORMAN A GUIDE TO NORMAN COMIC BOOKSCOMIC BOOKS

The Daily’s Osi Aken’Ova tells you The Daily’s Osi Aken’Ova tells you everything you need to know about everything you need to know about where to buy comics in Norman. where to buy comics in Norman.

»»

OSIAKEN’OVA

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PHOTOS PROVIDED

By Bart D. Ehrman, Ph.D.James A. Gray Distinguished Professor

and Chair, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Author of over 21 books, numerous scholarly articles and book reviews, including ! e New York Times bestselling books: God’s Problem,

Misquoting Jesus, and Jesus Interrupted.Bart D. Ehrman

FREE PUBLIC LECTURE

Thursday, March 25th Book Signing at 6:30 p.m.

Public Lecture at 7 p.m.Reception to follow

Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural HistoryGreat Hall Room

2401 Chautauqua Avenue ! Norman, OK 73072

A Presidential Dream Course & Feaver-MacMinn Seminar

“IS THE NEW TESTAMENT FORGED? Who Were the Authors of the Christian Bible?”

For additional information contact RELS Outreach at 325-3350 or visit www.ou.edu/cls/fm

! is lecture is presented by ! e University of Oklahoma College of Liberal Studies and Department of Religious Studies

2B Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Lincoln abolishes another evil in new novelPerhaps the history books haven’t been as

honest as was Abe. Doing his part to set the American people straight on a significant oversight, though, author Seth Grahame-Smith has delivered a new truth about our country’s 16th president: he also was one of the most accomplished vampire slayers of his time.

Released this month (and less than one year after his “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”), Grahame-Smith’s “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” works to trace Lincoln’s remark-able life, placing it in the context of a young America faced with the treacherous agenda of vampires.

Though we all know of Lincoln’s presi-dency, his oft-quoted Gettysburg Address and his role in the Civil War, it is doubtful many know much else of his time on Earth.

Born in 1809 on a small Kentucky farm to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, Abraham’s life truly was a story of up-heavals, as he was forced to move from state to state as a young man. More than that, though, he knew fierce loves throughout his life that were only ri-valed by the frequent and tragic losses that riddled Lincoln’s youth and adult years. Filled with heartache and political turmoil, it seems that his was never a particularly happy tale.

That said, Grahame-Smith’s approach in motivating Lincoln’s life of hardships seems natural. By exposing (mostly) sinister vam-pires at every turn in Lincoln’s life, his many pains and struggles are granted a common enemy—one upon which he can seek re-venge, allowing the audience a healthy dose of catharsis along the way.

The novel can only be called a success, as it manages to achieve any and every goal its au-thor could have possibly intended. The novelty

of the book’s premise is dripping with enough promise to attract a wide range of readers, and it makes good on its promise throughout.

Although the author’s introduction may at first read as painful and unnecessary, the fol-lowing chapters effectively erase any doubts one may hold about the book as a whole. Divided into chapters and three broader sections —“Boy,” “Vampire Hunter,” and “President”— the novel aims to capture Abe’s incredible life in its entirety, and does so in an effective manner.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” re-works the usual vampire lore — allowing its monsters to be active during daylight hours, most notably — to the effect of creating super-

natural villains that will feel more relevant and real, if you will, than any romanticized “Count Dracula” type of character.

The book’s greatest success, though, is the level of justice it does Lincoln — never disre-spectful (surprisingly enough) or silly, the book aptly conveys the life of a man who was of a higher calling and who faced the world with a quiet dignity. Vampires or no, Grahame-Smith’s novel will invariably teach readers more histori-cal and personal information about this legendary figure than they might ever expect.

Despite whatever expec-tations or reservations readers may bring to it, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” will win them over as it seamlessly transitions from somewhat of an action story to a more poignant tale that proves to be nothing if not engaging and often moving. By the novel’s end, the role of vampires in the story will be of secondary importance as readers become transfixed on Lincoln’s extraordinary life. In his acknowledgments, Grahame-Smith writes in apt and perfect brevity of his subject: “And finally, to Abe — for living a life that hardly needed vampires to make it incredible … ”

Lunden England is a film and video studies senior.

Being the music fanatic that I am, I have noticed quite the disturbing trend: Less and less good bands are coming to Norman.

I understand Oklahoma isn’t quite the musical Mecca that Austin and New York are, but come on. Norman has a huge stu-dent population — a big plus to indie bands touring across the country. So why aren’t we getting these bands? Even the number of bands coming through Oklahoma City seems to be dwindling.

Yes, Norman has the wonderful — and free — Norman Music Festival, but what about the time in between?

Looking on the walls at Guestroom Records, you find concert posters from the likes of The Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear and many more who came through the area. What happened to slow the stops in Norman/OKC?

I’m sure there are a number of reasons, but the key one in my mind is the problem of not having a suitable venue.

Why might I think this? Two reasons:1. Venue size is a big issue. God knows

I love Opolis to death, but its kitten-lined walls aren’t quite large enough to hold a crowd for the more prominent indie bands coming through. Being packed liked sar-dines into a 500 square-foot room does not allow ample swaying room while watching Animal Collective.

2. Tulsa — despite having a smaller gen-eral and student population — gets great groups coming all the time. In the next few months it has The Dead Weather, Arctic Monkeys, The New Pornographers and of Montreal coming through. Oklahoma City/Norman has Twiztid and Papa Roach.

Tulsa attracts these great acts because it has Cain’s Ballroom — a venue with plenty of space and a lot of musical history that attracts touring bands. Sounds a lot better than playing 100 yards away from the pri-mate cages, huh? If a town/venue can offer some sort of x-factor — like musical tradi-tion — it is more likely to get those premier acts.

I had finally accepted the fact that I’d have to trek a few hundred miles to catch my fa-vorite bands live, but then I got an idea.

How could Norman get a big venue that also offers something unique to touring bands?

More importantly ... who would open it?The answer: Wayne Coyne.Who wouldn’t want to play in a venue

that was owned, designed and otherwise influenced by Oklahoma’s own indie-rock hero?

Everyone loves the Flaming Lips, es-pecially its eccentric leading man, and if Coyne were to open a venue on Campus Corner, our town would become a hub of all things awesome.

No band would willingly turn down the opportunity to play at Coyne’s venue — not

with the possibility of Coyne raiding the stage with confetti cannons looms.

Just imagine the acts that would come to Norman just to play at Coyne’s place; Beck and MGMT seem to be virtual locks. Plus, I’m willing to bet a good chunk of OU stu-dents would just chill there every night just to see what would happen.

I know, I know, concert venues don’t come cheap, and what’s the upside for Coyne?

Don’t worry. Coyne is definitely making bank. Believe me, gigs headlining Bonnaroo and Wakarusa aren’t paid for with bong hits and granola bars (well, not totally). Plus, The Flaming Lips have numerous top sell-ing albums — “Embryonic” even topped the charts.

And if his bank account doesn’t quite cover it, investors are sure to throws stacks of Benjamins at the project; they would have to see that this is a no-fail investment.

And for all his money, Coyne gets unlim-ited freedom to do whatever he wants with it.

He wants to screen ’30s horror flicks? Why not?

Animal heads on the wall? Sure.Blood waterfall at entrance? Yes please.Pink velvet stage curtain? Awesome.Coyne could entertain his every whim,

and everyone would benefit. Every band (except Arcade Fire) would

dream of stopping by this fur-covered, overwhelmingly colorful, bizarre dream of a venue, and the days of traveling to see your favorite bands will be over.

Norman would become a delightfully strange place to live, maybe even weirder than that town housing that university down I-35; no one would ever want to leave.

So please, Mr. Coyne, open your own concert venue. Not for you, and not for me, but for the residents of Norman and the stu-dents at OU. It’s a win-win for everyone, and I mean everyone.

Joshua Boydston is a psychology junior.

A RATHER A RATHER MUSICAL SOLUTIONMUSICAL SOLUTION

PHOTOS PROVIDED

DAVE BARNES AT OU

Musician Dave Barnes will be performing at OU tonight at a bene! t concert for Haiti. The “I Heart Haiti” ben-e! t show will run from 7 - 10 p.m. in Sharp Hall at Catlett Music Center. Several local musicians will also perform. The show kicks off a month long tour of the US for Barnes.

Daily Staff Reports

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Oklahoma’s own Wayne Coyne performs with his fellow Flaming Lips at a concert.

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ACKSON, Miss. — The prom’s still off at a Mississippi high school that canceled it instead of letting a lesbian student bring her girlfriend, but a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the district’s actions did violate the teen’s constitutional rights.

U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson refused the American Civil Liberties Union’s demand to force the Itawamba County school district to put on the April 2 prom. However, he said can-celing it did violate 18-year-old Constance McMillen’s rights and that he would hold a trial on the issue.

That would come too late for the prom to be salvaged at Itawamba Agricultural High School. Still, Kristy Bennett, ACLU Mississippi legal director, called the de-cision a victory.

The ACLU sued the district to force it to put on the prom and allow McMillen to bring her girlfriend and wear a tux-edo. School officials said in U.S. District Court this week that they decided to cancel it because McMillen’s chal-lenge to the rules had caused disruptions.

The judge noted that McMillen has been openly gay since she was in the eighth grade and that she intended to communi-cate a message by wearing a tuxedo and escorting a same-sex date.

“The court finds this ex-pression and communica-tion falls squarely within the purview of the First Amendment,” Davidson

said.As for McMillen, she said

she was happy about the rul-ing but doesn’t know what to expect when she returns to school. She attended classes a day after the March 10 de-cision to cancel the prom. But she said the hostility and comments from other stu-dents led her to miss school. She skipped class on Tuesday to go to the doctor and the fight is taking a toll, she said.

District officials said in a statement that they were ready to get back to educat-ing students.

Davidson said a private prom parents are planning will serve the same purpose as a school-sponsored one. He wrote that “requiring de-fendants to step back into a sponsorship role at this late date would only confuse and confound the community on the issue.”

McMillen isn’t sure if she’ll go to the dance.

“I’m going to school to-morrow (Wednesday) and will get a feel of how every-body feels about me. That will help me make my de-cision about whether I’m going to the private prom,” McMillen said. “I want to go because all my junior and se-nior class will be there, but I don’t want to be somewhere I’m not welcomed.”

Ben Griffith, the school district’s attorney, said his clients were pleased with the ruling.

“What we’re looking at now is the fact that the case is still on the docket for a trial on the merits,” Griffith said.

M c M i l l e n f i r s t a p -proached school officials about bringing her girlfriend in December, and again in February. Same-sex prom dates had been banned in the past, but she had hoped school officials would grant her request.

“I thought maybe the policy had been in place for a different reason,” McMillen

testified at a hearing on the ACLU lawsuit. “I wanted to let them know how it made me feel. I felt like I couldn’t go to the prom.”

She was told two girls couldn’t attend together and she wouldn’t be allowed to wear a tuxedo, court docu-ments show. The ACLU is-sued a demand letter earlier this month and the district

responded by canceling the event. McMillen, who lives with her grandmother and has a 3.8 grade point aver-age, has kept her 16-year-old girlfriend out of the spotlight at the request of the girl’s parents.

District officials said they felt not hosting the prom was the best decision “after taking into consideration

the education, safety and well being of our students.” Superintendent Teresa McNeece said it was “a no-win situation.”

The 715-student high school is located in Fulton, a town of about 4,000 in rural, north Mississippi. The entire county school district has 3,588 students.-AP

GOSHEN, Ind.— Fans packed the stands and an American flag fluttered in a spring breeze as strains of the national anthem floated over the baseball field at Goshen College in what is typical pregame ritual for most Americans.

But both the flagpole and the anthem were new Tuesday to the Mennonite-affiliated col-lege, which had never before played “The Star-Spangled Banner” in deference to its pacifist traditions.

The northern Indiana col-lege’s decision to play an in-strumental version, followed by a peace prayer, roiled many students and alumni when it was announced in January. But on Tuesday, the reaction was, if not 100 per-cent positive, at least polite.

Three students sported chests painted to form the American flag. Most in the stands stood as the anthem played, though a few re-mained seated.

Athletes tried to stay focused on the task at hand — a doubleheader against Siena Heights University.

“There are a lot of distractions today. Let’s focus on baseball,” Goshen baseball coach Josh Gleason told his team during the pre-game huddle. “Most of this will be over after the first inning. We have 14 innings of base-ball to worry about.”

The Mennonite Church, with which Goshen College is affiliated, has no offi-cial stance on playing the anthem. But the 116-year-old school had never played it be-cause officials felt its wartime images were incompatible with the school’s commitment to peacemaking.

Some on the 1,000-student campus

believe the song undermines the church’s pacifist message and puts love for country above love for God.

Goshen College President Jim Brenneman said the change was aimed at making students and visitors outside the faith feel more welcome.

Brenneman noted that some students have strong feelings about pacifism, while others have loved ones who have served in the military and em-brace patriotic causes. International students have no association with the American national anthem, he added.

“All of these students are a vital part of this community,” Brenneman read from a statement Tuesday. “I am committed to retaining the best of what it means to be a Mennonite college, while opening the doors wider to all who share our core values.”

The athletic department asked Brenneman to reconsider the school’s stance in September 2008. Brenneman said the teams often fielded the criticism about the policy because the anthem’s absence is most visible at sporting events, where it has become part of American culture.

The issue caught the attention of conser-vative talk show host Mike Gallagher and prompted a flood of calls and e-mails urging the school to change its policy.

Goshen spokeswoman Jodi Beyeler said

the decision to lift the ban stemmed from the work of a task force assembled last spring. The college will review the practice in June 2011.

Siena Heights coach John Kolasinski said his team respected Goshen’s decision and wouldn’t dwell on it.

Goshen student Sean Doering said he at-tended the game to support his friends and

honor the United States and those with dif-ferent beliefs.

“You have to respect other people’s opin-ions,” said Doering, whose chest was painted in red and white stripes. “The freedom that the flag means allows us to be here, attend this college.”-AP

Pacifist college begins playing national anthem


JUDGE: NO SCHOOL PROM BUT LESBIAN’S RIGHT VIOLATED

AP PHOTO

Constance McMillen, an 18-year-old senior at Itawamba County Agricultural High School, center, flanked by an American Civil Liberties Union legal team, walks to the federal courthouse Monday in Aberdeen, Miss., for a hearing regarding the ACLU’s prelimi-nary injunction to force the prom at her high school. McMillen was told by school authorities that she could not wear a tux or bring a same sex date to the prom April 2.

AP PHOTO

Goshen College students, left to right, Taylor TenHarmsel, Sean Doering, and Nate West Jr., painted their bodies to represent an American flag for the Goshen College baseball game Tuesday in Goshen, Ind. The national anthem was played before the game against Sienna Heights for the first time at the Mennonite-affiliated school.

“You have to respect other people’s opinions. The freedom that the ! ag means allows us to be here, attend this college.”-SEAN DOERING, GOSHEN COLLEGE STUDENT

PLACE AN ADPhone: 405-325-2521E-mail: classifi [email protected]

Fax: 405-325-7517Campus Address: COH 149A

Payment is required at the time the ad is placed. Credit cards, cash, money orders or local checks accepted.

rrs TM

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Classifi ed Display, Classifi ed Card Ad orGame SponsorshipContact an Acct Executive for details at 325-2521.

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SOONER BLOOMERS now hiring for spring season, full & PT avail. Call Matt, 413-3088.

SITUATIONS WANTEDResearch volunteers needed! Re-searchers at OU Health Sciences Center need healthy volunteers ages 18 to 30 who have a parent with or without a his-tory of an alcohol or drug problem. Quali-fi ed participants will be compensated for their time. Call 456-4303 to learn more about the study and to see if you qualify. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

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CONDOS UNFURNISHEDTHE EDGE-1 room avail in 4 bd condo, mature, quiet roommates, full ba, walk-in closet, appl, full kitchen, $425 incld internet, cable & util. 473-3957

2 bd/2 full ba, W/D at The Edge Condo-miniums. $425/mo per bedroom. Call 405-201-8345.

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A short walk to OU, 1-5 blks west of OU, nice brick homes, wood fl oors, CH/A,W/D, disposal, good parking.

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4B Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Instructions:Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Previous Solution

Monday- Very EasyTuesday-EasyWednesday- EasyThursday- MediumFriday - Hard

3 4 5 1 8 6 9 7 26 2 9 4 3 7 5 8 11 8 7 9 5 2 3 4 68 9 1 7 2 3 4 6 57 5 6 8 9 4 2 1 34 3 2 6 1 5 8 9 72 1 4 5 6 8 7 3 99 7 3 2 4 1 6 5 85 6 8 3 7 9 1 2 4

6 4 25 8 1 3

2 4 94 2

3 6 14 3

7 1 23 6 7 95 9 7

Universal Crossword

HIGH ON LIFE by Alice Walker

ACROSS 1 Seize 4 It’s attached

to the left ventricle

9 Kuwaiti currency

14 “Starpeace” artist Yoko

15 Cut ewe down?

16 Parisian school

17 Ecstatic 20 Two-purpose 21 Glossy

fabrics 22 Part of a

dock 26 Brief

explosive 27 Historic time 30 Bridge

authority Culbertson

31 Turner of tunes

33 Like nuclear energy

35 Bert and Ernie’s street

37 Thorn in one’s side

38 Heads of state get-together

42 Dish describer

43 New Delhi dresses (Var.)

44 Symbols of authority

47 Rock musician Lofgren

48 Where to get “Lost”

51 “You ___ here” (map notation)

52 007 creator

Fleming 54 Pip’s love

in “Great Expectations”

56 Soldiers’ weapons

59 Sheep’s cry 60 Hint of the

whole 65 Get ___ start

(be tardy) 66 Unhealthy

emission 67 Romanian

monetary unit 68 ___ flush

(highest poker hand)

69 What dictionaries help with

70 N.Y. time zone

DOWN 1 Soup strip 2 Kind of

report 3 Field of

plants? 4 Dangerous

coiler 5 “Gotcha!” 6 One who

may OK a KO

7 Makes a doily

8 Nirvana attainer

9 Erie Canal’s Clinton

10 Religious image

11 Viking shipmate

12 ___ of the above

13 Purple minus blue

18 Long familiar 19 Sicilian

tourist draw 23 Something

on the agenda

24 Decree ___ (legal term)

25 Swattable pests

28 Band at a reception?

29 Smash from Federer, maybe

32 Middle Eastern capital once called Philadelphia

34 Eastern sashes

35 Self- important

36 Like Halloween sounds

38 Lightly blacken

39 Take advantage of, in a way

40 Seafood

choice 41 Litmus ___ 42 Degree held

by many a CEO

45 Designer of a famous French tower

46 Tar on deck 48 One of a

gene pair 49 Turns the

music way up 50 Violin string

material, once 53 Jacket

named for an Indian

55 Fall back, as the ocean

57 Teeny amount

58 Saline septet 60 Pit goo 61 U.N. agency 62 Actress/

director Lupino

63 Part of a gearwheel

64 Naut. heading

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Edited by Timothy E. Parker March 24, 2010

© 2010 Universal Uclickwww.upuzzles.com

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

ARIES (March 21-April 19) - You might believe you’re right, but unless you express yourself with-out pushing your view on others, they won’t buy what you’re selling. Voice your strong beliefs with a bit of lightheartedness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) - Although you’re gifted with a keen mind, you must be careful not to use it against yourself. Be realistic in your evaluations and keep your emotions out of serious considerations.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) - An old obligation you failed to handle because you didn’t like the terms that came with it might rear its ugly head today. Negoti-ate for better means of expres-sion, ones you can live with.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) - One-on-one relationships must be handled with much greater tact than you usually apply if you hope to have a peaceful resolution today with someone who means a lot to you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) - Un-less you know you can fi rst handle your own responsibilities before assuming anybody else’s burdens, you could quickly get in way over your head. Be realistic as to what you can and cannot do.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) - There is nothing you like better than getting something for nothing, but don’t resort to gambling just because you think you can make a quick killing. Your chances of doing so are very slim.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) - That pressure cooker could be boiling over in your household today if you don’t watch what you’re doing. Once you stir in volatile issues, it will be diffi cult to keep the temperature down.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) - Keep your strong opinions to yourself if you know others in the room don’t readily share what you believe. What you say could be unduly antagonistic to them and cause a brouhaha you didn’t expect.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) - Be careful about doing business with a fi rm or individual who has what you consider to be a shady reputation, regardless of what terms are being offered. You could be taken.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) - You might meet with greater opposition against your personal aims or interests today than you’re prepared to handle. Be extra careful not to react with anger to an innocent bystander.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) - The largest problem with which you might have to contend today could be one of your own mak-ing. Try not to stir up needless trouble and end up being your own worst enemy.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) - Avoid a gathering today that you know could contain several individuals you don’t like. Being in their midst will make you feel uncomfortable to the point of having a miserable time.

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Previous Answers

Bring in this ad and receive40% off of Eyeglasses.

Complete pair purchase required.Some restrictions apply.See store for details.

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114 36th Ave NW Norman, OK 73072


CAMPUS BRIEFS

ARBOR WEEK CELEBRATION PLANNEDOU will celebrate Arbor Week on March 25 with a picnic and tree

planting, with the OU Jazz Combo will play prior to the program.OU President David Boren will talk about the importance of Arbor

Week and the tradition of tree planting at OU, and university staff member and campus organizations will be recognized for their con-tributions and maintenance of “adopted” areas.

Members of the university and surrounding communities are invited to participate in the free picnic, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at David A. Burr Park, 1501 Asp Ave. A tree planting will follow at Kraettli Apartments.

This year, National Arbor Day is April 30, while Oklahoma’s Arbor

Week is March 21 to 27. To volunteer for tree planting, call 405-325-2340.

REGENTS CONSIDER RENOVATIONSThe OU Board of Regents will consider renovation of two class-

rooms in Adams Hall as well as a comprehensive plan for the develop-ment of a campus bicycle transportation system at its regular meet-ing Thursday in Norman.

The Regents will consider issuing a work order for the renovation of the classrooms, including new vinyl tile ! ooring, as well as a separate purchase order for replacement seating and desks. The latter will be replaced with a system of superior design that has proven to be more

long-lived and more acceptable to students.Also on Thursday, the Regents will rank " rms under consideration

to provide professional services required for development of a bicycle transportation system, deemed necessary with the continued physical growth of the Norman campus combined with growing enrollments. As part of the proposed project, a comprehensive plan will be developed for pathways on campus, with linkages to bicycle routes identi" ed by the City of Norman.

The meeting will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the Scholars Room of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

—Daily Staff Reports

Student Congress approves o! cers voicing opinions

O K L A H O M A C I T Y — T h e Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday ap-proved a measure that would send to state voters a constitutional amendment allowing the state to opt out of key provisions of the fed-eral health care bill signed into law by President Barack Obama.

House Joint Resolution 1054, ap-proved by a 36-11 vote, would place on the November ballot a question on whether to prohibit any require-ment that a person, employer or hospital participate in a health care system.

A similar Senate resolution is ex-pected to be approved in the House later this week. Both measures are destined for a conference commit-tee, where only one version is ex-pected to emerge for a final vote in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

S e n . R a n d y B r o g d o n , a Republican candidate for governor who carried the legislation in the Senate, decried the national law as an unconstitutional intrusion on states’ rights.

“I believe it is unconstitutional for the government to mandate when and where citizens purchase health insurance,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso.

Senate Democrats attempted to amend the bill to place the state question on the July 27 primary ballot, but Republicans derailed that effort.

Brogdon said more Oklahomans

will have an opportunity to voice their opinion on the issue during the general election, when voter turnout traditionally is much higher.

But Senate Democratic leader

Charlie Laster said he believes the real reason for placing the issue on the November ballot is to drive turnout of conservative voters who oppose the health care plan.

“It’s all about politics,” said

Laster, D-Shawnee. “They don’t want it to come to a vote as soon as possible.”

The federal health care overhaul signed into law Tuesday includes a requirement that individuals carry health insurance — either through an employer or government pro-gram or by buying it themselves. Those who refuse will face tax penalties.

University of Oklahoma consti-tutional law professor Joseph Thai said he doubts the opt-out language being considered in Oklahoma and several other states would ever be upheld in court.

“This resolution is legally im-potent and purely political the-ater,” Thai wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. “Unless the federal legislation specifically al-lows states to go their own way, Oklahoma can no more ‘opt out’ of a federal health care mandate than it can opt out of federal civil rights laws.

“The resolution may score polit-ical points for state politicians, but will likely cost Oklahoma taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal costs in court.”—AP

UOSA president signs bill after rules were suspended before workshop

TROY WEATHERFORDDaily Staff Writer

A bill removing restrictions preventing UOSA and UOSA officers from voicing opin-ions on referendums passed Undergraduate Student Congress on Tuesday night and was immediately signed by President Katie Fox at the meeting.

UOSA rules were suspended in order to vote on the bill before a parliamentary pro-cedure workshop during the special orders section of the agenda.

Committee reports, which usually are

given at the beginning of the meeting. were not given until after special orders and items to be considered.

Vice Chairman Matthew Gress used his vice-chairman report to give a speech criticizing referendums on the upcom-ing ballot and to read an e-mail exchange between Matthew Bruenig, a referen-dum author, and the president of Circle K International.

Gress said he would not have been al-lowed to use his report to give an opinion on referendums if Fox had not signed the bill re-moving the restriction during the meeting.

At Graduate Student Senate on Sunday night, Fox said she would not sign the bill until the election took place.

After the meeting Tuesday, Fox said she signed the bill during Undergraduate Student Congress because the portions of the bill she objected to were amended out at GSS.

At the conclusion of the meeting, while announcing the upcoming presidential de-bate Student Media is hosting, chairman John Jennings made comments questioning the journalistic integrity of The Daily, and pointing out that Student Media is funded by UOSA.

“I found it very concerning the subtle threats that they made about freedom of the press and how willing to threaten student publications they are, just to achieve censor-ship and control,” said Nicholas Harrison,

UOSA presidential candidate and business and law gradudate student.

A bill also passed to create a Graduate and Retention Taskforce.

The taskforce will be made up of two members selected by the UOSA president, two members selected the Undergraduate Student Congress chairman and two mem-bers of each academic college selected by the dean. The director and associate director of the Graduation office would also serve as advisers.

“This taskforce is already going on right now — this is just codifying it,” said Rachel Tyrell, author of the bill.

A bill authored by Fox allocating office space for student organizations also passed.

Health care opt out approved by Senate

Report recommends more funding for ME’s o! ce

AP PHOTO

Participants applaud in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, where President Barack Obama signs the health care bill.

OKL AHOMA CIT Y — Oklahoma’s commissioner of health recommended Tuesday that more funding and a new headquarters be provided to the embattled Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to help it regain its national accreditation and reduce a backlog of more than 1,100 incomplete autopsy reports.

A review by Dr. Terry Cline also encouraged stat-utory and organizational changes to expand the au-thority of the state Board of Medicolegal Investigations to oversee the agency and authorize an administra-tor to run it while the chief medical examiner focuses on medical and forensic issues.

Gov. Brad Henry asked Cline to perform an indepen-dent review last month fol-lowing a series of incidents that had plunged the agency into turmoil, including the loss of its national accredita-tion and the dismissal of the chief medical examiner, Dr. Collie Trant, after less than a year on the job.

“I believe this review will serve as a roadmap for regaining national ac-creditation and enhancing public trust in the Medical Examiner’s Office,” Henry s a i d . H e s a i d t h e r e -p o r t w a s f o r w a rd e d t o state lawmakers so they c o u l d r e v i e w C l i n e ’s recommendations.

“Legislative leaders are

committed to getting the ME’s Office back on track, and I am certain we will reach a consensus on the changes that accomplish that goal,” Henry said.

Cline, a psychologist, says in the report that the agency has suffered from chronic shortages in personnel, an-tiquated equipment and an inadequate and aging headquarters in Oklahoma City — factors that led the

National Association of Medical Examiners to revoke the office’s accreditation in July. The agency had been accredited for 18 consecu-tive years.

“The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is an agency which has been mired in controversy over decades,” Cline says. He said delays in autopsy find-ings have serious implica-tions for families seeking

information on the death of a relative, criminal jus-tice proceedings, insur-ance payments and estate settlements.

“This agency, in a mat-ter of weeks, can look and operate in a substantially improved manner from its present appearance and operations,” Cline said.

House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, said many of Cline’s recommendations

are consistent with changes lawmakers have already proposed.

L aw ma k e r s a re c o n -sidering replacing the of-fice’s headquarters with one to be located near the Forensic Science Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Forensic Science Center, a $31 mil-lion, 86,000-square-foot lab

that opened in Edmond in 2008.

R e p . R a n d y Te r r i l l , chairman of an appropria-tions subcommittee that oversees the agency, said Cline’s recommendations will speed consideration of a $450,000 supplemental appropriation this year that will include about $233,000 to hire two pathologists and purchase equipment.—AP

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