1. Photo by Heather Harkins
President Clay Webber discusses club objectives during the third Socialist Club meeting on Oct. 30.
Socialist group forms at UCO
Photo by Heather Harkins
New parking being built near Hamilton Fieldhouse.
"purses with attitude!"
Saturday November 16th,
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
American Legion
101 E 5th. Edmond
(across from
Hideaway Pizza)
NSACash or checks please.
Gift wrapping services
available.For more PELTIERdetails call 216-0490. www.annapeltier.com
UNIVERSITY OF YEARBOOK
CENTRAL PHOTOGRAPHY
OKLAHOMA DAYS
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FREE SITTING FOR YEARbOOk
PICTURES MAy bE pREpURCIIASEd ThE
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Three (3) days ONLY
November 12-13-14, 2002
9:00am to 5:00pm
Photographs will be taken in the University Center
NOVEMBER 12, 2002
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houses and
clothing
should
be
treated
as
needs and not
as luxuries.
"If we were
to abolish the
wage system
and produce
only what we
need, instead
of for the basis
of profit, I feel like we would
make great advances in agricul-
ture, art and science."
Anne Lynch, history and
geography assistant professor,
said, "At the present time
Oklahoma is not a very strong
source for the socialist move-
ment. It would be very interest-
ing to have a group of this sort
on the UCO campus. Being able
to hear this point of view will be
of value to all of us, whether we
agree with it or not."
Lynch said that Oklahoma's
politics are much more conserv-
ative today than they have ever
Webster's Dictionary.
Webber said, "The socialism
that I am trying to work for is
socially libertarian. A class sys-
tem is inherently damaging to
the people who are in the work-
ing class. It is not relevant to say
that capitalism is bad.
Capitalism is necessary to take
us to a certain point, but there
should be no need for 'have nots'
with the current level of technol-
ogy.
He said that all kinds of work
are necessary in society and that
one job should be no more
important
than the next.
He said that
"The clash and
exchange of ideas is what
a university should be all
about. Even though the
creation of this group may
seem very uncharacteris-
tic, there is actually a long
tradition of socialism in
Oklahoma."
— Dr. Kenny Brown
UCO professor
been before. She said that in this
environment UCO could use an
outside voice to address liberal
issues.
Webber said, "Socialism is
democracy at its finest.
Democracy and capitalism can-
not co-exist. It is self-sustaining
respect for the environment,
anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-
homophobic."
UCODS will discuss upcom-
ing events during their next
meeting at 2 p.m. on Nov. 13 in
Room 135 of the Liberal Arts
Building. The meetings are open
to anyone who
is interested in
attending.
The upcom-
ing events
include a
UCODS infor-
mation booth
being set up
from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Nov. 20
by Broncho
Lake. "Fight
Club" will be
shown as part of
UCODS
"Radical Film Night" at 7:30
p.m. Nov. 21 in the Pegasus
Theater in the Liberal Arts
Building.
UCODS will have a
"Corporation Awareness Week"
on Jan. 20 - 24.
Webber said UCODS will
address corporations which have
a monopoly on the UCO cam-
pus each day of the week. He
said these corporations include
Coca-Cola, Chartwells, and
Barnes and Nobles.
For more information, con-
tact Clay Webber at claytoncapi-
talism@yahoo.com .
Parking to increase by 22 spaces
■ Leftist group will
sponsor a "Corporation
Awareness Week."
by Timber Massey
tm@thevistaonline.com
"If you don't have the guts to
say what you believe is impor-
tant and voice your opinions
then you are throwing away
what millions of people have
died to protect. It is a slap in the
face to the people who founded
this country," said Clay Webber,
English sophomore.
Webber has been an activist
since age 16. He said that he
feels UCO needs a radical voice
on campus.
In the spring 2002 semester,
Webber circulated a petition on
campus which stated that there
was a need for a leftist group at
UCO. The petition, which had
eight signature spaces, was
signed by over 20 people.
An introductory meeting of
the UCO Democratic Socialists
(UCODS) was held on Oct. 11,
2002.
"UCODS is not socialism
based on 19th — century Marxist
slogans, it is socialism that is
relevent to people in their daily
lives. This is a socialist group for
the here and now, and we plan
on focusing on issues relevant to
people and their daily lives. The
group does not hold a standard
position. It is more like an
umbrella group for different left-
ists on campus. We don't want to
exclude anyone," Webber said.
"The group is organized on
the consensus process, which is
the purest form of democracy. A
dissenting vote kills the amend-
ment or action. This type of
organizing helps the group to
compromise, and keep clear of a
win/lose situation."
Dr. Jeffrey Plaks, History
and Geography assistant profes-
sor, is the sponsor of UCODS.
Plaks said UCODS will become
an official UCO student organi-
zation when they submit a con-
stitution to the office of Student
Services.
Dr. Kenny Brown, History
and Geography professor, said,
"The clash and exchange of ideas
is what a university should be all
about. Even though the creation
of this group may seem very
uncharacteristic, there is actually
a long tradition of socialism in
Oklahoma."
Brown said that in 1914
Oklahoma had more card-carry-
ing members of the Socialist
Parry than any other state. He
said these socialists combined
the idea of populism with
Marxist ideology and believed
that property should be owned
by the community.
Socialism is defined as "the
theory or system of the owner-
ship and operation of the means
of production and distribution
by society or the community
rather than by private individu-
als, with all members of society
or the community sharing in the
work and the products" in the
by Dara Lawless
dl@thevistaonline.com
Approximately 22 new park-
ing spaces will be added upon
completion of the construction in
front of Hamilton Field House,
said David Stapleton, director of
UCO Architectural and
Engineering Services.
Ray Hudson, estimator for
Shell Construction, said new
parking construction on UCO's
campus is scheduled for comple-
tion Dec. 31.
Robert Lindley, executive
director of UCO Auxiliary
Enterprises, said, "We're always
looking at an opportunity to put
in more parking wherever we can
and improve the parking situa-
tion."
Lindley said the area needed
cleaning up and problems with
students parking on the grass and
near trees made it a good area to
turn into parking.
"President Webb continues to
want to improve the look of the
campus and anytime we get the
opportunity to do something like
that, we try to do it," he said.
Stapleton said Shell
Construction, a paving and
asphalt contractor gave the low-
by Timber Massey
tm@thevistaortline.com
Breanna Collins, president of
the UCO Presidents' Club, said
the organization is seeking
around 600 people to serve as
sponsors and volunteers for the
13th Annual UCO Presidents'
Club Children's Christmas Party.
"We have sent out letters to all
the Edmond elementary schools.
The children will be selected by
the schools' principals and coun-
selors. We expect to have around
200 children this year who will all
need sponsors."
Each child must have at least
two sponsors that will be avail-
able to chaperone during the
party. The party will be from 3 -
5 p.m. on Dec. 5 in the Grand
Ballroom on the third floor of the
Nigh University Center (NUC).
Laura Beth Wren, holiday
party chair, said anyone who
would like to volunteer should
turn in a sponsorship form to the
Office of the Vice President for
Student Services in Room 213 of
the Lillard Administration
Building as soon as possible.
"After we receive the sponsor-
ship forms we will mail the
names, addresses, and informa-
tion of the children to their spon-
sors around Thanksgiving."
Collins said sponsors may
spend no more than $30 per
child. She said an article of cloth-
ing, a toy and a stocking of candy
est qualified bid for $66,000.
Costs for construction, irriga-
tion and landscaping total
$76,000, he said.
Stapleton said the new spaces
should be multipurpose parking
with two handicapped parking
spaces added to the south side of
Ayers Street.
Hudson said handicap ramps
near handicap reserved spaces in
front of Central Cafeteria, side-
walk construction and sidewalk
lighting on both sides of the
street will be included in the con-
struction.
are required purchases and if the
sponsors choose to spend addi-
tional money they may buy a
food basket for the child's family.
She said members of the
Presidents' Club will deliver the
food baskets to the family after
the party.
Collins said, "The best part
about sponsoring a child is to
experience the atmosphere at the
party. The true Christmas spirit is
everywhere."
The Christmas party will
include holiday carols, crafts,
refreshments and pictures with
Santa Claus. Volunteers will be
Traffic and Lighting Inc. will
do the electrical work for lighting
while UCO furnishes light poles
and lamps to match existing
lighting on campus, he said.
Clint Walkingstick, graphic
design senior, said he commutes
from Oklahoma City and drives
on Ayers Street every morning.
"It hasn't bothered me. I like
progress," he said.
Lindley said UCO will begin
work on the Wellness Center
parking lot this summer.
needed to assist with activities at
the party.
Wren said, "Sponsors get to
see the difference they made in a
child's life firsthand. It is really
fun to see how excited the chil-
dren get when they see all the fun
things there are to do at the
party."
Sponsorship forms are avail-
able in the Campus Life Office in
Room 424 of the NUC. For
more information contact
Beverly Prosser at 974-2364.
Presidents' Club to host Christmas party