The Bronchos held open tryouts on the afternoon of Aug. 30, just two days after the team lost their season opener to the Pittsburgh State Gorillas, 31-20.

UCO, who is under a NCAA probation which limits the football team to a 90-man roster, posted notifications of the try-out across campus hoping to get players to come out and help fill much needed voids across the depth chart. Head Coach Tracy Holland explained that the most challenging thing about the roster limitation is actually reaching the 90-man mark. “Any college football team has to have a scout team in order to prepare for the opponent,” Holland explained. “We don’t really have that luxury. Our starters on offense have to sometimes act as scout team for the defensive side.”

The coaches and the 11 players hoping to join the team took the field and began the workout with pre-game stretches and running drills.

After getting loose and ready to practice, the coaches split the players into two separate groups and began clocking 40-yard dash times. Most players came in over the five second mark; however, Vandeel Mosley finished with a 4.6 second sprint with the wind and a 4.8 against the wind. Mosley was a 2009 graduate of Capitol Hill High School, where he played defensive back and running back. He heard about the tryouts through friends on the team and postings across the campus and decided he would try out in order to take his skills to the next level.

After the 40-yard dash drills were completed, the coaches split the hopefuls into their respective positions and began to scout them in order to determine their athletic ability. Mosley and two other players worked with the defensive backs while one player worked at linebacker and the rest joined Coach Pat Kennedy to work at wide receiver.

After spending nearly 15 minutes working on position drills, the players once again joined together to participate in one-on-one drills. Mosley was the only stand-out at defensive back, shutting down nearly every route ran his way. He showed that his athletic ability, speed and agility could help Coach Holland and his coaching staff fill spots at defensive back vacated by injuries, graduates and transfers.  After the practice, Mosley commented on how hard he had worked at the tryout. “Everything was challenging. I just tried to give it 100 percent and I feel like I stood out the most in my one-on-one drills.”

Coach Holland explained that the toughest thing the players had ahead of them after making the team was completing the transition of walking on and actually being on the team. “They’re going to have to go through a process where they ease into it. They have an offensive system they have to learn and they are a little bit behind the curve defensively. They’re primary function is going to be on scout team, and by being there they will be able to slowly transition as the season goes on.”

The Bronchos are looking to fill about eight roster spots in order to get the team to the 90-player minimum before the end of the week. The coaches hope that the new additions to the team can be ready to make an impact before their next game against the Tarleton State Texans on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Wantland Stadium.

The program is designed to be a place where students can safely look for a roomate based on their applications to find that perfect match and can advertise furniture. Landlords can  list properties for a fee.The cost of this is free to Central students.

For more information on how UCO can help you, contact Nathan Box, assistant director of the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, at nbox@uco.edu.

Dr. Bruce Lochner, director of student counseling, testing, and disability support services at UCO is the person who first filed for the grant money to bring the program to campus.

When working with individuals, Lochner says that ADAP first works with individuals on the substance issue, and then they will look for the root of the causes for usage, as well as what role usage plays in the individual’s life.

Has the program been successful? Lochner says, “It seems like we’re having an impact.” This impact of the office’s program comes in the form of a better campus environment. Lochner says that since the launching of the ADAP office at UCO the numbers of student conduct issues involving alcohol have dropped significantly.

If you’re trying to cut down on your drinking, the ADAP office can help. But how do you know when you’re drinking too much? According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pamphlet available in the Student Counseling Center, a basic guideline for reducing the chance of developing an alcohol use disorder is for males to drink no more than 4 drinks a day and no more than 14 drinks in a week. The guideline for women is to drink no more than 3 drinks a day and no more than 7 drinks in a week.

On their website, the ADAP office has self-assessment tools where users can log on to check and see how their substance use adds up to national and campus averages. The tools also chart the average amount of money lost to substance use, calculates addiction risk as well as family risk.

Maybe you’re the lucky one among your friends and family who have not succumbed to addictions, but have felt the effects of others. The ADAP office can help you help them. Lochner says, “Most people don’t come on their own.” A 2007 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that of 1,484 respondents who met diagnostic criteria, 31.5 percent were young adult alcoholics. Among that 31.5 percent, researchers observed low rates of family alcoholism as well as the fact that respondents said they rarely sought help about their drinking.

If you are concerned for either yourself, or a fellow UCO student, you can call the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Office at (405) 974-2209. All services are confidential and free for UCO students. You can find the online self-assessment tools, e-CHUG alcohol assessment tool and e-TOKE marijuana assessment tool, at http://uco.edu/adap under the subheading marked students.

University of Central Oklahoma Executive Vice President Steve Kreidler (center) was recently named a "Champion of Character" in recognition of his character trait of endurance by the Edmond City Council and the Character Council of Edmond. Joining Kreidler was Bob Ault (right), Kreidler's special assistant, and Gerald Coury (left), a Character Council of Edmond representative.

The Edmond City Council and the Character Council of Edmond recently recognized UCO Executive Vice President Steve Kreidler as a “Champion of Character”. Kreidler was honored specifically for his character trait of endurance.

How does the Edmond Character Council recognize somebody? Council President Jim Hulsey explains, “First step, each month, are the newspaper ads that we run in the local newspaper, about ‘Who in the community exemplifies’ a certain character trait. The character trait for June was endurance. We receive replies through the nominations, and those are taken before the board members of the Character Council of Edmond, where one nomination is picked that best exemplifies the character trait … and the presentation before the Edmond City Council is the final step.”

That’s where Bob Ault, special assistant to Vice President Kreidler comes in. “I was reading The Daily Oklahoman, the Edmond section, and I noticed that they had a brief little blurb about the award, and their quality that they were evaluating was endurance. I immediately thought of Steve when I read that. And I thought, ‘Well I’m going to look into more and see about what it takes to nominate somebody.’”

In his nomination of Kreidler, Ault wrote that Kreidler “dealt with millions of dollars in budget cuts from the state without reducing the quality of education our students receive or introducing employee furloughs like most other state institutions.”

Now that Kreidler has received the award, the one thing that stands out the most when Ault thinks about his boss and endurance is his handling of the budget. “Steve was pretty innovate, and worked fairly tirelessly in figuring out ways that we could forgo furloughs and obvious cuts that most people were making. It was pretty difficult and he had to do endure a lot from a lot of constituencies across campus to make sure that everyone was heard and everyone was being represented.”

Kreidler says that winning the award is a little embarrassing. This isn’t the first award that his division has won, but it’s the first to single him out individually. “I think in teams. It just takes everybody.”

Ault thinks that maybe Kreidler is being modest. “When you’re in a position like he is, you’re representing a large body. And I think for him, someone who’s very modest, he doesn’t like to think that that accomplishment is necessarily something that he’s done himself. He represents a huge portion of individuals on this campus.”

Modest or not, the Edmond and UCO community has embraced Kreidler and celebrated his achievement. “We congratulate Mr. Kreidler on receiving this distinguished award. We are excited about our partnerships with UCO.” said City of Edmond Mayor Patrice Douglas.

To nominate an Edmond resident as a “Champion of Character,” you can log on to www.edmondcharacter.org or send a letter to: Champions of Character, P.O. Box 392, Edmond, OK 73083-0392.

James Bost, recipient of the Louis D. Nagi Memorial Endowed Scholarship, hopes to become a faculty member at UCO.

UCO student and businessman James Bost is the recipient of the Louis D. Nagi Memorial Endowed Scholarship from UCO’s College of Business Adminstration.

Bost, 46, whose master’s is in business adminstration, was honored to have his name recognized as the 2010 recipient of the Louis D. Nagi Memorial Endowed Scholarship and included amongst those having received the award in the past.

“I’m grateful to receive the endowed scholarship,” Bost said.  “It’s an honor to receive this scholarship in his memory.”

Bost is the owner and president of his own marketing research company, Insight Marketing Research and Consulting. The company, which started out as a newspaper research firm in 2002, has expanded to embrace a wide variety of industries such as retail, restaurants, banking, credit unions, advertising, performing arts, electrical utilities, telephone directories, transportation, medical facilities and shopping malls.

“We are a marketing research company,” Bost said.  “That means we gather information for businesses and help them make better decisions as a result of our information.”

Bost’s partner at Insight Marketing Research and Consulting, Bobi Ivanov, was a former professor of marketing at UCO.  Ivanov now teaches at the University of Kentucky.

Bost’s ambition after he finishes school in July is to become a member of the College of Business Adminstration’s faculty at UCO.  He hopes to share his unique brand of business expertise with dedicated students.

“I have had experience working with businesses and organizations for fifteen years,” Bost said.  “I can take the experience I’ve gained and apply it to a classroom setting.”

Bost explains that he will teach courses in marketing research when he becomes a member of the faculty.  By incorporating his experience with his company and his master’s, Bost will be an asset to the UCO faculty and a valuable resource to the student body.

“I’ve taught it [marketing research] in the past at other universities and I would like to teach them again in the future,” Bost said.

The Louis D. Nagi Memorial Endowed Scholarship has once again provided an opportunity for UCO to benefit from the talents of the Oklahoma City community.  Bost will graduate in July 2011. Bost feels this will be a positive reflection on himself, the university, and Louis D. Nagi.

“My purpose is to become a faculty member,” Bost said.  “I hope to become a key member of a university as Louis Nagi was.”

The Forensic Science Institute building received the LEED certificate, verifying that it's construction was sustainable and ecologically sound.

The University of Central Oklahoma has been recognized for maintaining green, environment-friendly practices.

The Forensic Science Institute building at UCO was the first  university building in the state to receive the LEED (Leadership Energy Environment Design) certificate for its sustainable construction and design from the U.S. Green Building Council.   LEED acts as an independent party which verifies that a building project is ecologically sound.

Kevin Tero, who was the project manager during the construction of the FSI building, is also an accredited LEED professional.

“I was the university project manager,” Tero said.  “My job was to coordinate with the contractors, Frankfort Short Bruza Architects and Timberlake Construction, and the architectural consultant.”

The LEED program is based on a point system.  To become LEED certified, the designated building must achieve points that are acquired through performance in six critical areas that include:

Having a sustainable site for the building

Being efficient with water

Using renewable and clean sources of energy, materials and resources

Indoor environmental quality

Being innovative in design

It takes a minimum of 26 points for a building to become LEED certified.  The FSI building has earned 31 points.

“There are different ways a building can receive points,” Tero said.  “For instance, we’ve reduced the flow of storm water by creating a riverbed.  It prevents…erosion.”

Another way the FSI building acquired a point was through installing waterless urinals.

“We use waterless urinals in the bathrooms and that cuts down water consumption,” Tero said.

Some decisions made during the construction of the FSI building may be seen as more of an inconvenience by students than an ecological advancement.

“We received points for building on an existing parking lot instead of new land,” Tero said.

With many UCO students chronically late to their classes due to an overwhelming lack of parking, students question the loss of an existing parking lot for the sake of gaining a LEED point.

“We have 1,400 new students this semester,” Travis Brazeal, junior biology major, said.  “If you’re taking up space, you’re not doing students a service.  You’re hurting them.”

Tyler Blake, a junior majoring in music performance, is, as are many, frustrated with the parking situation.

“I think it’s ridiculous to pay that much money for a parking pass, especially when parking isn’t guaranteed,” Blake said.  “They keep putting buildings on parking lots when student population is increasing.  They need to find a solution to the problem.”

Despite forfeiting a significant amount of student parking, overall LEED points were met inexpensively by utilizing the existing lot.

“It was my job to make sure we were achieving the points we need in an economical way,” Tero said.  “Part of my job was to weigh what things we could afford and what things we couldn’t.”

Although unfortunate for the commuters to lose the necessary parking spots, receiving the LEED certificate is still an honor and worthy accomplishment for UCO.

Since 1991, Oklahoma City has relied on EMSA for its emergency medical service and ambulance transport needs, but asked about a decision to renew their contract Deputy Chief Cecil Clay with the Oklahoma City Fire Department says, “It’s not just a cookie-cutter deal.” Clay says that choosing an ambulance service doesn’t just come down to one thing, but that there are several pieces to this puzzle.

“Our job as Oklahoma City Fire Department is to provide services.” Right now, in regards to ambulance services, the OKC Fire Department arrives on the scene of an emergency to provide first responder service. Anything else is handed off to EMSA. Clay says that there are members of the department that are qualified to give Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS), but that they are already serving in other roles.

EMSA is contracted within many cities in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas to provide Basis Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and transport services for their coverage areas. Proposed options for changes, like the ones presented to the Oklahoma City City Council in 2006, included hiring new staff for fire departments to fill the roles of an EMT contractor,  buying out and transferring EMSA staff into fire department roles, hiring a brand new EMT contractor, or simply leaving things the way they are.

Each one of the proposed plans from 2006 had its own set of advantages and disadvantages, but ultimately, the council chose to stick with EMSA. Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett says that he has been pleased with EMSA’s performance, and also that, “they’ve been the best option the last many, many years.”

Another piece of the puzzle is what could happen if Tulsa were to change it’s ambulance services away from EMSA. In the last year, members of the Tulsa Firefighters Union (International Association of FireFighters Local 176) have voiced their opinions on Tulsa’s reliance on EMSA, and lobbied members of the Tulsa City Council to consider adopting a proposal to extend ambulance service to the Tulsa Fire Department. Union spokesman Stan May was away at a firefighters convention and unavailable for an interview, but on the website of IAFF 176 visitors are greeted with an open letter. The letter tells visitors to, “Please let your voice be heard by contacting your City Representatives,” as well as the mayor’s office. Specifically, the group seeks support in, “Allowing TFD to take over as primary EMS provider”. All of this comes after wage reductions for the current and the next fiscal year, participation in furloughs, and other concessions of benefits.

Tulsa, whose own city council will be reviewing its options for a decision to be made in October 2011, has been using EMSA since 1977. Michael Baker, director of emergency medical services for the Tulsa Fire Department, says that with Tulsa’s “window of opportunity” coming up for agencies to put forth their bids, they are working on one to offer before the council.  “We feel that there are opportunities to improve the service delivery provided by both the EMS system and the fire department. So we feel like there’s benefits to the community if the delivery of medical transport is provided by the fire department versus another agency.”

What does this mean for Oklahoma City residents? Cornett explains, “If Tulsa decides to go a different direction, that changes the mechanics of the business deal for us. And so, to a certain extent, if Tulsa were to go a different direction it might force us to re-look at it harder.”

A change in Tulsa could also ultimately push through to Edmond. Cornett says that he “would think it would affect Edmond”,  also saying, “I think if Oklahoma City chooses a different method of providing the transport, it’s going to force all of our metro areas that are relying on EMSA to come up with a new model.”  Larry Stevens, city manager for the city of Edmond, thinks it is inappropriate to speculate what this might mean for Edmond residents as this has not been the case. Stevens says that the city of Edmond has been very pleased with EMSA, but if Tulsa or Oklahoma City were to leave the trust, “there’s also a fair amount of time if something like that would happen because, as I understand it, if either one of those entities withdraws from the trust there would be a two year period before that took effect, so we’d have plenty of time to take a look at that.”

Would the city of Edmond like to run it’s own ambulance services in the way that the Tulsa Fire Department has proposed? Stevens says, at this point, Edmond would not like to do that.

Dr. Charles Marshall, health and safety consultant for UCO and a certified industrial hygenist, conducts an indoor air quality evaluation in the office of broadcast instructor, Dr. Keith Swezey.

Mold was found again on UCO’s campus in the Mass Communications building in Room 133A the week before classes began.  Students and professors have experienced respiratory problems and the school has taken steps to remove the fungus.

The office of Dr. Keith Swezey, broadcast professor, and surrounding area was tested for mold growth on Friday, Aug. 20.

Mold needs lots of moisture to grow, and with the heavy rains earlier this summer and the fact that Swezey’s office was closed for the whole month of July, created a textbook environment for mold growth.

“I was overseas most of the month of July,” Swezey said. On Tuesday, Aug. 17, Swezey was only in his office for a short amount of time, but the next day, Aug. 18, he was in his office for the whole day preparing for classes. After a day of sorting through papers and moving stuff around his office, Swezey experienced a sore throat, runny nose and a cough.

It was then he noticed that “both of my guest chairs had white patches on them…and mold spots about the size of quarters on the carpet.” The bookshelves, a typewriter and many of  the flat surfaces were “covered with white spots.”

The next day Swezey was out of the office for a faculty retreat and on Friday, Aug. 20, his computer was moved out to the editing bay of the Vista newsroom and the UCO Risk Management Office was contacted to take mold samples. Air samples were taken a few days later. Swezey was sent to the Occupational Safety doctor and was ultimately diagnosed with Aspergillosis, and was directed by the doctor to not enter his office again. On Merck.com, Aspergillosis is listed as “infection, usually of the lungs, caused by the fungus Aspergillus.”

That end of the Mass Communications building has been subject to a traveling leak for a while and the massive amounts of rain earlier this summer could have also contributed to the dampness of the work environment.

Over the weekend of Aug 28-29, Swezey’s office was cleaned and all the carpets throughout the newsroom were also cleaned, according to Jeff Hagy, general manager for UCentral Student Media. In addition, a dehumidifier and an ion filter were set up to clean the air. UCO has not yet confirmed through tests what type of mold was growing in Swezey’s office.

This is not the first time or even second time that mold has been found growing in buildings on campus. A cursory search through the Vista archives revealed mold has plagued buildings as far back as 1997.

• Murdaugh Hall: Fall 2005, Fall 2008 (The 2008 case was deemed not harmful)
• University Commons: Summer 2002
• General Classroom Building: Spring 1997

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health Website, people with respiratory problems or allergies may be extra sensitive to mold growth. Symptoms include:

• skin rash
• runny nose
• eye irritation
• cough
• congestion
• aggravation of asthma

The Center for Disease Control Website described the conditions that are ripe for mold growth.

“In the presence of damp building materials the source of water incursion is often readily apparent (e.g., leaks in the roof or windows or a burst pipe). However, dampness problems can be less obvious when the affected materials and water source are hidden from view (e.g., wet insulation within a ceiling or wall; excessive moisture in the building foundation due to the slope of the surrounding land).”

To get a parking decal, students need to go to their UCONNECT account and follow the campus announcement that says parking decals now available.
The UCO ID is your Banner or Student ID, and the UCO PIN is your UCONNECT PIN.

Any Commuter decal order made after the first 8,000 orders, will be required to park in Parking Lots 1, 2, 2A, 3, and 53 up to September 30, from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m, and students will be told if you fall into this category. These decals will be marked by TPS and cannot be altered.

For more information, contact the transportation and parking services at 974-2780.
And again, to order your parking decal follow the link “parking decals now available” in your UCONNECT account.

Students are encouraged to register early due to the first come first serve basis. The fair will consist of over 80 different groups, clubs, and departments that will be able to inform Central students of what the University can offer.

The deadline to register is August 12, so don’t be left out of this informative event!

For more information on the fair e-mail Janis Ferguson at jferguson25@uco.edu.