Students divided on tobacco ban

Since OU enacted a tobacco-free policy this summer, students have been divided on the issues of students’ rights and public health.  Though the university now has designated smoking areas, many believe that tobacco use is a personal choice, and should not be prohibited by law. 

A tobacco-free campus is not a new concept.  The OU Health Sciences Center began setting up designated smoking huts long before the Norman campus enacted a tobacco-free rule. 

Junior industrial and systems engineering major Sarah Yung supports the tobacco ban.

“I love being able to walk around campus and not smell the smoke,” Yung said.  “I think the new policy has been a really positive change for everyone on campus.”

One major point against smoking is the risk of secondhand smoke. 

“Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 heart disease deaths every year in nonsmokers,” according to the Healthy Sooners website. 

However, some students view this as an irrelevant point supporting the tobacco ban, since smoking on campus does not usually take place in an enclosed area, according to an OU Daily article on the ban. 

Psychology senior Duke Lambert said he worries about the effect the tobacco ban will have on his professors. 

“After having paid the university money, I would like my professors to be able to teach at their full capacity rather than being angry or irritated just because they can’t walk outside, have a cigarette real quick and come back inside and give me a good lesson,” Lambert said. 

OU Health Services offers a variety of free services to help smokers with the transitions to a tobacco-free campus. 

“Tobacco kills more people a year than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, suicide, car accidents, fire, and AIDS combined,” according to the OU Health Services website.

Services include free tobacco cessation classes and kits including various types of medication to ease the process.

Chemical engineering junior Lauren Gilbert said she believes that the policy has made a difference on campus.

“I think the policy has been working so far,” Gilbert said.  “I’ve seen a few people smoking, but not nearly as many as I used to.”

As for the topic of student rights, Gilbert said she does not think that this issue falls within a violation of those rights.

“I don’t see it as a violation of student rights because there are lots of rights that students have in other places that they don’t have on the university, like the right to bear arms or to have alcohol,” Gilbert said. 

OU student Duke Lambert talks about his opinion on the tobacco ban.

Listening Exercise

I chose to sit and listen in the basement of the Bizzell Library.  Many of the graduate students study there and it is usually extremely quiet.  At first listen, it might not seem like the best place to do a listening exercise, but there were actually many sounds to experience.  For the first five minutes, I listened to the sounds in my immediate area.  A student not far from me rustled the pages of a textbook.  A professor in heels clacked by on the tile floor.  A fan for the air conditioning whirred above my head and sent cool air down, making me shiver.  Apart from this, it was almost eerily quiet.

When I expanded my awareness to a larger circumference, there was little change.  In an area where silence is emphasized, people go out of their way to make sure they don’t make noise.  However, when I began to really include the whole of my surroundings in my awareness, I picked up sounds I never noticed before.  If I listened extremely close, I could hear people walking on marble of the library lobby above me.  A phone rang in one of the offices deep inside the basement.  A student muttered frustrated whispers at his homework.  Another girl in heels struggled down the stairs to the basement.  Mostly, the sounds of turning pages accompanied by the scratching of pens on the wood tables dominated the scene.

           

If I was looking to frame a photo that would set the scene for all of these sounds, books would be the deciding factor.  In a library, books and studying are the most prominent things.  However, I would also want to include the long, almost spooky tile hallways leading back to the expository writing offices.  Although the sounds were important, I think the most encompassing feature of the environment of the library was the relative silence.  I would want to take a picture that incorporates this silence.  A student carefully turning pages or a woman in heels trying in vain to walk on her tiptoes down the hallway would demonstrate how important silence is to this particular environment.  In this case, the lack of noise is most important to portraying the scene.  

Ballroom dance groups create community

by Megan Deaton

Chris and Brianna practice their west coast swing at a Dancing in Dale meeting.

For people in the Oklahoma City area, the world of ballroom dance is opening new doors to self-expression.  Free ballroom dance classes on the OU campus provide a way for beginners to learn dance in a stress-free environment. 

The Dancing in Dale group meets every Friday night, starting with separate classes for beginner and intermediate students, and then joining together for one big dance party. 

Guest instructor Jason Donaldson owns his own dance company, but volunteers to teach ballroom dancing for groups such as Dancing in Dale.

“We’re trying to build a dance community for Oklahoma,” Donaldson said.  “There’s no real mainstream company that advertises that or promotes that.  Most people that own a dance company, studio or club don’t promote anyone but themselves and that’s not the point of dance.”

Though there are many types of ballroom dancing, Dancing in Dale focuses on West Coast Swing. 

“My favorite style of the moment is west coast swing,” Donaldson said.  “It’s kind of a complex dance so it makes people think but at the same time you’re able to interpret the music the way you want to.  As you learn the steps to the dance you can start to make those alterations.”

Donaldson said he views ballroom dancing as an invaluable activity.

“Dancing does a lot of things,” Donaldson said.  “The number one problem in America is obesity.  Dancing is fun.  It almost distracts them from the fact that they are exercising.”

OU photography senior Sarah Carone uses dancing as a solution to a health problem that prevents her from participating in other sports.

“I have genetic joint problems similar to arthritis, and this is one of the only physically demanding things I can engage in,” Carone said. “Dancing is like art for me. When I'm dancing, I'm a different person, and the stresses of being a full time student with a full time job just disappear.”

Carone is part of another dancing group on campus called The University of Oklahoma Ballroom Dance Theater.  The group is not an official campus club, but is an extension of the ballroom classes that can be taken for course credit. 

There is no fee to join, but members must also be enrolled in one of the course credit classes. 

“This group is really important if you want to become a part of the dancing community,” Carone said.  “There are not many levels of separation in the OKC dance community, and if you want to stay a part of it, it’s a very good place to be.”

Donaldson and Carone both said they encourage others to get involved, no matter how daunting joining a ballroom dancing group might seem. 

“I tell people right now in your mind learning how to dance is like climbing Mount Everest,” Donaldson said.  “I can get you to the top.”

Carone said that the support she receives from others makes the whole experience worthwhile.

“It may be a little taxing on your time, but when you get to perform and you overhear someone saying, ‘I want to learn to do that.’  There is no greater feeling,” Carone said.

Dancing in Dale meets Friday nights in Dale Hall, with a class for intermediate performers at 7 p.m. and a class for beginners at 8 p.m.  After classes, there is open dancing starting at 9 p.m.  The club usually focuses on a different type of dance each week and is completely free to anyone who wishes to participate. 

Those interested in Dancing in Dale should check the Facebook page each week for updates. 

International students gain American experience

The OU Cousins program is giving OU students a way to connect with the international community without ever leaving Norman.  At a Matching Party this Thursday, September 20, at 5 p.m., students will have a chance to match themselves to one of many international students who are looking for someone to give them the true American experience. 

President and Mrs. David Boren created the OU Cousins program in 1996 “as a way of developing understanding, friendship, and unity among U.S., International, and exchange students at the University of Oklahoma,” according to the OU Cousins website.

OU Cousins Student Director Ray Wolber explained that many international students have been disappointed with their stay at OU, because they did not feel like they gained a true insight into American life.

“The program is so important because we are providing those key friendships that allow the international exchange program to be a little more comfortable for those going abroad,” Wolber said. 

Wolber said he was pleased by the record-breaking number of students who showed interest in the program this year.  From under 100 students involved during its first year, to over 900 involved this year, the program has grown successfully since its beginning. 

“I wanted to get involved with the program because it is so unique to the University,” Wolber said.  “OU Cousins is one of the elite International and American pairing programs in the Big XII, so to have a leadership position in the program is an honor.”

Freshman Matt Beasley said he can’t wait to be paired up with his cousin.  He bounced with anticipation when he said he has already been thinking of the types of activities that he would like to do with his cousin. 

“I love coffee so I’d probably want to do coffee with them,” Beasley, who is a European studies major, said.  “I’d also want to take them to a real Texas barbecue.  I’m from Texas, and that seems like something that they wouldn’t have at home.” 

Beasley attended one of several informational sessions that prepared interested students for the responsibilities of having an international cousin.  Students are encouraged to spend time with their cousin, and attend group activities throughout the year, although the events are not mandatory.

The program will host an Annual Pumpkin Carve and Fall Festival in October, as well as events at Christmas and a ranch field trip in April. 

The Matching Party will be held at the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center, and will allow students to meet and match themselves with an international students.  Students who do not attend will be matched through a computer system, so all are encouraged to go to the party, Wolber said. 

“The best part about the program is the people that you have the opportunity to meet,” Wolber said.  “OU Cousins is so special in the sense that by getting involved in the program, you are placing yourself in a situation to interact with people from all over the world that you probably would not be able to otherwise.”

SOP

The "Pastoral Dreamer" lounges in front of the Reynolds Performing Arts Center on a cloudy day.

PWOP

Marie's closet door is littered with her mementos from studying and traveling abroad, including her summer spent in Cambodia doing mission work.