|
|
Andrews
under investigation
By LIDIJA MILIC
News Editor
The Student Congress President found
himself in hot water again last week.
Some 100 students who gathered outside
the OC for room signup at 5 a.m. last Wednesday were surprised to see their
government leader get kicked out of the building before any of them even
made it through the door.
Congress President Scott Andrews
and three other individuals are currently under investigation for allegedly
entering the OC before the building was officially open Wednesday, March
17, the morning of room signup for the next school year.
The investigation is being conducted
by the Office of Student Life. The four were questioned about the
incident yesterday.
Shajan Kay, junior human resource
development and staff writer for The Oakland Post, was among students waiting
in line outside the OC.
Kay said he saw Andrews and the
others walk out of the Heritage Room (where the Congress office is located)
at around 5 a.m. and proceed to the Fireside Lounge.
“They came out (of the Congress
office) when the (building) doors were unchained, probably because the
rattling of the chains was very loud,” Kay said.
Eleanor Reynolds, director of the
Residence Halls, said she came in around 5:20 a.m. through the west side
door next to the Oakland Room, and found Andrews and three other unidentified
individuals in the building. She ordered them ejected from the building.
“I asked them to leave,” Reynolds
said. “To my knowledge, they were not authorized to be there.”
Reynolds said the four were very cooperative.
Andrews and the others, who have not been identified,
left the building passing more than 80 students, some of whom spent the
night camped outside.
When Andrews passed by Kay, who’d
been waiting in line, Kay said he could smell a strong odor that
might have been alcohol.
Reynolds added that the campout
for residence halls room signup occurred every year.
Karen Lloyd, assistant dean of students
and the administrator in charge of the investigation, said her office is
collecting verbal and written testimonies of the incident from eye witnesses.
She declined to discuss the specifics
of the investigation.
“We first have to (know) what took
place, before we can determine what OU ordinances may have been violated,”
Lloyd said.
Lloyd added her office won’t make
any allegations prior to determining what took place.
Andrews refused to answer questions
from a reporter about the time and manner of his arrival to the OC because
of Lloyd’s ongoing investigation.
He did say, however, that he was aware a “couple
of students” got inside before the main doors were open, and that they
were asked to leave.
Andrews admitted that, in his years
of living on campus, he noticed that the west side doors (or the dock doors)
of the OC used by building staff would often be unlocked a few hours before
the official opening time of the building.
As for Reynolds’ statement that
he had been inside the building trying to be at the head of the line, Andrews
said, “If I were to (enter the OC) before anyone else, and if I were told
to leave and (did so), there ‘s no harm done. So what’s the big deal?”
Andrews added that he ended up among
the last ones in the line for room signup.
Of the possible alcohol charge,
he said, “I’ve never drank alcohol anywhere on the OU property other than
in my room.”
He said he didn’t brush his teeth
that morning and had gone to a bar with friends the previous night. He
claimed he stopped by the crowd gathered in front of the OC several times
that night. He deniedspending the night in the building.
During the night, a surveillance
camera located on the roof of Wilson Hall was monitoring the activity in
front of the OC.
According to Reynolds, the camera
surveillance is a safety measure used whenever the students are spending
the night outside campus buildings.
Lloyd would not comment whether
the tape would be used in the investigation.
“In any investigation that takes
place, we want to ensure a fair process for every student,” Lloyd said.
This incident continues Andrews’ history of trouble
with the student administration, the latest being his controversial firing
of SAFB chair Carina Moore.
back to top
Congress elections underway
By SHAJAN KAY
Staff Writer
The time has come, once again, when the various campus
buildings are inundated with literature requesting your vote in the upcoming
Student Congress Elections.
There are three teams running for the positions of Student
Body President and Vice President.
Michael Ott and Linda Hickmott, Nick Mitchell and Rob
Filer, and Carina Moore and Adam Kochenderfer are the three teams, respectively.
The Ott/Hickmott platform focuses on the following issues:
• Bringing leadership back to the highest office that represents the
students;
• Tackling diversity issues;
• Support for the OU Trustees Academic Success Fund, which supports
diversity events;
• A complete upgrade of every computer on campus; and
• Increasing school pride.
The Mitchell/Filer platform focused on the following:
• Creating a solid link between the students and their governing body;
• Building upon diversity that already exists at OU;
• Increasing student involvement;
• Putting students first when looking into new projects; and
• Asking questions regarding whether the reader has ever been asked
for input on the new golf course, how to fix parking problems, and the
possibility for a hotel and conference center on campus.
While a complete copy of the Moore/Kochenderfer platform
was unavailable at press time, their fliers indicate the following focus:
• Creating an OUSC Scholarship program;
• Continue building on the Course Evaluation Program;
• Bi-Weekly public forums for input;
• More congressional representation; and
• Plans to direct the budget back to students.
In addition to the three presidential teams there are
also Legislative positions to vote for as well as a Referendum question.
About 10 people are running for the 25 Student Congress
Legislative seats, however the exact number or names of those persons were
unavailable at press time.
There will be one question on the ballot that could impact
the amount of money you pay to the University next year. The referendum
question is asking for a raise in The Student Activities Fee.
If the question passes the fee could be raised by $5.00
for Fall and Winter Semester, and $2.50 for the Spring and Summer sessions.
The Student Activities Fee benefits the Student Program
Board, University Student Congress, WXOU, the Oakland Post and the Forensics
team.
Voting for the Student Congress Elections starts Tuesday,
March 30th and goes through Thursday April 1st. The times for voting
are:
• Tuesday:
9:30-4:00 (Oakland Center)
4:45-7:00 (Varner)
• Wednesday:
9:00-4:00 (Oakland Center
4:45-7:00 (Vandenberg Cafeteria)
• Thursday:
9:30-11:00 (South Foundation)
11:30-4:00 (Oakland Center)
45-7:00 (Vandenberg Cafeteria)
In other Student Congress news, two resolutions will be
addressed next week regarding the possibility of a Hotel/Performing Arts
Center/Ice Arena on campus.
A resolution regarding the new bookstore contract, as well as a bill
to allocate $16,000 of the OUSC annual budget towards a student scholarship
program will also be discussed.
Times & Places to Vote:
Tuesday:
9:30-4:00 (OC)
4:45-7:00 (Varner)
Wednesday:
9:00-4:00 (OC)
4:45-7:00 (Vandenberg)
Thursday:
9:30-11:00 (SFH)
11:30-4:00 (OC)
45-7:00 (Vandenberg)
back to top
Raise in student fee on ballot
By JEANNEE KIRKALDY
Editor in Chief
Students reporting to classrooms on campus see something
different on their tuition bills from those who only attend classes off
campus.
It’s the $90 Student Activities Fee that those students
will find, but rest assure, this money goes back to those who pay it in
many ways.
Coordinator of Finance and ID Card Operations, Don Ritenburgh,
said the fee is actually split and is transferred to two different areas.
The fee is split with $75 going for access to the new
Rec Center and $15 to fund student organizations.
That may go up, if Congress has its way and students pass
a proposal that would add $5 for the Fall and Winter terms and $2.50 for
Spring and Summer to provide additional support for students organizations.
The referendum vote is scheduled for next week during
Congress elections on March 30, 31 and April 1.
The referendum was approved to be added to the ballot
at the March 8 Congress meeting.
Raymond Landsberg, SPB chairperson, strongly supports
the referendum.
The current fee of $15 was passed five years, he
said “A more tangible point is that with just $5 more per person, much
more can be done.
“(For example) at SPB, we can take a stab at something
bigger (in terms of speakers and entertainers) ... such as Adam Sandler.”
Since the opening of the new Recreation and Athletic Center
this Fall, the activities fee increased by $75, but the fee is still on
the low side as compared to other universities. Students at other
universities pay anywhere from a $50 to $100 student activities fee,
Ritenburgh said.
Before the Rec Center the fee was $15. That has
not changed. The difference is a Rec Center fee of $75 that has been
lumped into the Student Activities Fee.
Ritenburgh said the balance of the fee is computed on
a daily basis at the start of each semester until the final drop day.
It then is transferred into two accounts, the Rec Center’s and Student
Affairs.
For the Fall 1998 semester, Student Affairs received $188,529.18.
This semester , with the slight dip in enrollment, $183,424 was received,
he said.
Student Affairs then distributes 30 percent to the Student Program
Board (SPB), 26 percent to the Student Activities Funding Board (SAFB),
24 percent to Congress, 10 percent to WXOU, six percent to The Oakland
Post and four percent the Forensics.
The $15 fee and the percentages in which it is distributed
was voted on by student referendum in a Congress election years ago, Ritenburgh
said. There has only been two slight adjustments since he began at
OU (Fall ‘94), he added.
Before WXOU went FM, it only received eight percent and
SPB received 28 percent.
If this year’s SAF referendum passes, Landsberg said “(The
percentages) will be chopped up the same.”
The fees Congress, WXOU and The Post receive contributes
greatly to their operational costs.
Additionally, for The Post it allows for students to have a free subscription
to the weekly newspaper. The four percent the Forensics team receives
allows it to travel to tournaments and pays registration fees.
Landsberg said, the portion SPB receives from the fee
allows the organization to fund the many events SPB sponsors every year.
SPB gives the money to different areas including Recreation
& Leisure, Concert & Dance, The Underground Coffeehouse, Visual
and Performing Arts, Mainstage and Lecture & Special Events.
The money allocated to these area greatly varies from
semester to semester, Landsberg said. The scheduled events and their
costs are the deciding factor, he said.
This semester Visual and Performing Arts, bringing
students the Boehmer Family Jugglers, $3,460 and Nikki Giovanni, $3000,
received the most funding with $9,265.
Landsberg said the Spring, Summer and Fall budgets will be finished
in April and the Winter 2000 budget will be completed in November.
The SAFB budget helps to fund the student run organizations
on campus, said Joe Mierzwinski, Congress financial assistant.
This semester SAFB received $47,690.24 from the activities
fee. Last semester, $49,017.59 was received.
“We have just about 90 student organizations this year,
and as a matter of fact, they’re still registering. It’s so cool,
we’re still getting phone calls,” said Jean Ann Miller, assistant director
of student activities and leadership development.
She said the number of orgs does fluctuate year to year,
and that in the past it has exceeded 100.
According to Mierzwinski, SAFB guidelines recommend that
each student organization is allowed to request up to $2,000 from SAFB
each semester. “Approximately ten organizations take advantage of
that ($2,000) each semester,” he said.
However, according to Miller, last year $2,000 was a cap,
but this year SAFB looked at the requests on a case by case basis and has
been a bit more lenient.
“They’ve (SAFB) been extremely accommodating to the organizations
thus far in funding their programs and activities,” she said.
Miller said club sports and organizations having to house
activities off campus generally request and receive more from SAFB.
Last semester, GCSA received $5,000, Meadow Brook Ball
$4,540, Ice Hockey $4,160, Men’s Volleyball $4,089 and the
Law Society, Society for Auto Engineers and Women’s Ice Hockey $4,000
apiece. Those were the highest of allocated funds, according to the SAFB
Fall 1998 Allocation Summary.
Mierzwinski said a summary has not yet been completed for this semester
and applications are still being accepted for funding.
Landsberg hopes students approve the fee increase.
This is the one fee students have control over, and the
one fee spent by students, he said.
back to top
FAST FACTS
• Department of Mathematics and Statistics is sponsoring colloquium
entitled “Statistics: A Technology for the Millennium”presented by Prof.
Radhakrishna Rao, fellow of the Royal Society, UK and Eberly statistics
professor at Pennsylvania State University.
The colloquium will be Tuesday, March 30, from 3-4p.m. in room 372,
SEB.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact Ananda Sen at (248)-370-4029, or view
the colloquium series link at www.math.oakland.edu.
• Department of History’s annual lecture “The Road to Oklahoma City
: How some Americans came to hate their national government” will be presented
by Dan Carter, Kenan University history professor currently at Emory University
in Atlanta.
The lecture will begin at noon on Friday in Gold Room A in the OC,
and will be followed by a seminar on klan leader Asa/Forest Carter at 3
p.m. in the Kresge Library Archives Room.
• Phi Alpha Theta History Film Series presents “Williamsburg: The Story
of a Patriot” Tuesday, March 30 in the Meadow Brook Room, OC.
An introductory presentation, given by assistant history professor
Todd Estes, will begin at 5p.m.
Admission is free.
• Works in Progress reading will be presented Thursday by Brian Murphy,
Associate English Professor, novelist and playwright .
The reading will be from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Oakland Room of the OC.
back to top
|
