Graduate Class Gift and Speaker Announced

Photo courtesy of AP

The University of Oklahoma 2009 graduation is just around the corner. The university and the graduating students and their families are all in for a treat. The speaker for the 2009 commencement will be David McCullough, a two-time Pulitzer prize winning author. The university will receive the class gift of a beautiful stained-glass window that will be added to the Oklahoma Memorial Union.
As well as being an author, McCullough is a renowned historian. McCullough's very popular book, "John Adams," spawned a successful HBO series of the same name that was directed by Tom Hanks. This story about the history of a man and his country is acclaimed as one of the best biographical books on America. McCullough's recent book, "1776," has achieved countless awards and rose to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. With over 3 million copies sold, the book is admired by many. “No living American historian has done more to educate the American people about our own history and to teach us all the lessons from it, which are relevant to America’s current challenges,” said OU President David L. Boren.
As for the 2009 class gift, the piece of stained-glass will honor the Union's 80th anniversary. The Union has been a very common area for most University of Oklahoma students. "Some study there, some work there, and some play there. I guarantee you that no student will forget the Union!," said Jordan Hartley, OU senior. Being such a popular place, the Union is great place to display the 2009 class gift. The glass will hang above the doors between the Clarke-Anderson room and the Will Rogers room on the first floor of the Union.
So whether you work for the university, are a student, or an alumni, the 2009 graduating class is going out in style. And I, as a graduate this year, am honored to attend the University of Oklahoma and I will continue to support the university. Hopefully my children can come to OU and see the artwork that my class gave to them. To donate money for the class gift go to http://www.ou.edu/commencement/home/class_gift.html. McCullough can be seen at the commencement ceremony at the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on May, 15 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Here are some past gifts that OU has been given. More can be seen all around the OU campus.

Class gift of 1935

Class Gift of 2007

End Is Near for the Vista Building

EVACUATED VISTA BUILDING COULD FALL ANYTIME

     The recently evacuated Vista Building on historic downtown 

Main Street is in more danger. With very strong winds in Oklahoma, 

especially over the past week, the building could topple without notice.

     City officials temporarily evacuated everyone from the famous site

because of the poor structural integrity of the building. Until the 

foundation is fixed, no one is allowed to go into, or near the building.

A popular sports bar and grill "The Vista" has been around for decades.

Being a very popular place for college students, many are looking 

elsewhere to drink and have fun.

     This past week, the problem got a little worse than just a structure

problem, it got windy. Professionals that surveyed the site, stated that

the building would not continue to stand if there were winds above 

50 mph sustained longer than three seconds. Anyone who has been 

outside in the past few days can tell that the wind sure seems to be 

blowing. For precautionary measures, the City of Norman closed down

Main Street  from Peters Street to Porter Street. The surrounding 

businesses were also shut down, because if the building were to fall

due to winds, nearby buildings would also be in the line of danger.

     "The Vista is like a second home to me. I have spent so much 

time and money there with friends, I really don't know what to 

do now!," said Eric Hollinghead, University of Oklahoma senior.

With the forecast of strong winds in Oklahoma next week also, 

city officials still do not know when it will be safe for people to walk

by, and for surrounding businesses to open their doors again. To help 

keep tabs on the wind, an anemometer has been placed on the building

to help monitor winds. 

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

image courtesy of vistasportsgrill.com

with added graphics by me!

Here is an example of a building crashing. Although, it is a little bigger, this could still happen to the Vista!

Big Event

The Big Event Cancelled Due to Weather

Photo courtesy of http://bigevent.ou.edu

The University of Oklahoma Big Event has been cancelled

due to bad weather. The event is now scheduled to take

place on Saturday, April 18. The university decided

that the weather conditions would not be suitable for the

event.

Students and organizations that volunteered for the

Big Event are strongly encouraged to come to the event on

April 18. Also, If there are students and groups that have not

signed up to help at the Big Event, the extended deadline

allows for more to volunteer.

The Big Event started at Texas A&M University in 1982.

The University of Oklahoma adopted the event in 1999 and

has had a large turnout every year. This year, over 5,000

students and 300 groups have volunteered their services to

give back to the community. Some of the contributions go to

organizations such as: public school systems, hospice

services, and food pantries.

"We can't please everyone, but we are trying to do the

best we can for the students and organizations...We're

getting everything ready to go on the 18th and looking

forward to a great day," said Amanda Holloway, big

event chairman. (OUDaily)

For additional information about the Big Event go to

http://bigevent.ou.edu. Also, please click on the following

slideshow to learn more and see what's going on with the

Big Event.

SOUNDSLIDE FOR THE BIG EVENT

Students Could Get a Degree in 3 years

A new idea for knowledge seekers could be helpful for the struggling economy. Some believe that universities should offer students a chance to earn a degree in 3 years. The main focus of having a 3- year degree program is to cut down on the ever increasing cost of college and debt of students.

If a university like Oklahoma began offering this fast track degree program, new students and prospective students can look to save thousands of dollars and get into the job market quicker.

Various colleges in New York, Alabama, Washington, and Indiana are now offering this program for students. The savings from knocking off a year could easily amount to $50,000. The more colleges and Universities with a 3-year program, the better chance the idea will spread.

Although some think it is a great idea, other believe that it wouldn't be worth it. A student, Jefferson Durkee stated "I wanted to go to college longer than I did! It has been the best time of my life, why would I cut myself short?"

If you would like to keep updated with the status of the school you attend or a school of interest, contact the school's administration office. Information is also available on the American Council for Education's website found at http://www.acenet.edu

It's a good year to be a Sooner!

The athletic departments at the University of Oklahoma are on fire. With the many wins and national attention, OU is growing at a stellar rate. From the success of sports to the academic wonders university President David Boren has created, OU is on the rise.
The athletic programs are excelling, creating more insensitive for students to attend OU. As student numbers go up, more professors come, better programs are created, and list continues on.
I part of the recent success, the football team just went to the 3rd national championship in 5 years.
The men's and women's basketball teams are each ranked 2nd in the nation. The men's gymnastic team has won 5 out of the last 8 championships.
ESPN recently released that OU is the most prestigious program EVER! Responding, Boren said that "In many ways, over the years, the football team and the attitude toward athletic excellence . . . have allowed us to shine a light on Oklahoma and for people to see that academic excellence . . . Our excellence in athletics has given us a chance to give others a window into the university."
OU athletics hope to continue their reign of success for years to come. For schedules and meets, go to www.soonersports.com
Below is a video of what sooner football is like from a fan.

News Blog 1: iStan medical robot at OU

OU medical students now have access to the most state of the art training devices; iStan. The iStan is a medical robot that is very lifelike and presents students with various medical scenarios.
Students at OU health sciences center can use one of the 12 iStans to help them learn virtually any external medical procedure. The more students train with the iStan, the more they will be prepared for the real world.
iStan is a custom made medical "dummy," and at about $300,000 a piece, they are made very realistic. iStans breathe, blink, move, and do many more things real patients would do.
Cole Wootton, an OU medical student, explained the appreciation for the training. "Sure we know the situation is simulated, we know the patients we are interviewing, they’re only mimicking real life diseases and scenarios, but once you get into the moment you kind of lose all that."
With the new high tech equipment, the OUHSC unveiled the new 22,000 square foot training center for the students. The OUHSC hopes to bring more medical students to OU with the new facilities and the iStan. More information about the iStan can be found at "http://www.meti.com/products_ps_istan.htm." Below is a short video about iStan.