Nancy's Cupcakery-Final Project

In 1796, the term cupcake was first introduced in an American cookbook by Amelia Simms. These mini-cakes can be used for almost any event, from a child’s birthday party to a four-tiered cupcake arrangement for weddings. For eating, the record for consuming these petite treats is 29 in 30 seconds. For baking, the current holder is GourmetGiftBaskets.com who baked a 1,224 pound giant cupcake with over 2 million calories baked right in.

Ironically, today is December 15^th known as National Cupcake Day and many cupcake lovers around the world celebrate their love with tons of flavor and sweetness. In Norman, Nancy Russell celebrates in her store Cookies ‘n’ Cards with sugar crazed college students, as well as children and adults.

Nancy is unique because of her love and passion for baking.

Run Time: 2:20

Video By: Katie Piper, Rachel Santschi, Megan Gay and Megan Lawson

Technology Rules: The cool new stuff for 2011.

The meanies at the IT Store wouldn't let me take a picture, so I
snapped one as fast as I could and then ran away.

Technology has ruled the first decade in the new millennium. But now that the end of 2010 draws near, many people wonder how many more new advancements will dominate the sales next year, and what will and what won’t be sell in OU’s IT Store. 

            As everyone craves for the next hot new Apple product, others wonder what other companies like Dell and HP will come out with to provide competition. 
Since the OU IT store employees threatened to sic their manager on me because I asked too many questions and tried to snap pictures, I decided to take my business else and do my favorite things: ask random people and google until I can't see straight. 
Jonn Stone, a pre-med major and lover of all things Apple, thinks that the new ipad and iphone 4 update will change the world...or at least, his world. 
"My iphone keeps me connected to everything, I can do anything on it, and I can't wait to see what the new update has to offer me."

Apple computer, courtesy of the Internet

Others are more skeptical.

Microsoft tablet, courtesy of the Internet

"I hate Apple. It's a cop-out brand. They want to make everything look cool, not actually make good computers." said Adam Saylor, a Engineering junior. 
Ugh, rude. So what is he looking forward to, exactly? 
"I can't wait for the new tablet from Microsoft. It has everything I want, and best of all, it's not an Apple product."
Aside from all of the differing opinions, 2011 looks like a great year for all of the resident techies, myself included. 

Bizzell: A Place to get your Bizzness Done.

Sara Mcminimy studies for spanish with her clasmates and friends
in the second story of Bizzell Library, on OU's campus.

Ahh, Bizzell. The library that smells like musty paper that I hold close to my heart.  Now that the University has allowed Bizzell to stay open for 24 hours a day, students are bringing blankets and smuggling food into the library to camp out until  their final.

            “I’m so happy that Bizzell is open all day and night. I have no place to study in my apartment that allows me to concentrate solely on what I am studying. I have a Spanish final in two days, and I need to rock it.” Sara Mcminimy, an Elementary Education major, said as she flipped through her flashcards.

            But how did the University finally come around to letting the library stay open for Dead Week and Finals Week? And why doesn’t Bizzell stay open for 24 hours all year around?

            “I don’t know why it doesn’t stay open longer, but I think it’s probably because of employees and costs. I mean, it takes a lot of energy to keep this place going.” Said Nick Towler, a Criminology senior.

            While the student employees can’t technically talk to the press without permission and a supervisor, a female student employee who works at the front desk did say that the library managers have scheduled the 24 hour open library from the Friday before Dead Week to the last Friday on Finals Week to make sure that students received the right amount of opportunity to study in the library. They also said that in order to get into the library after 12:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. you need a valid OU student picture ID card. No food allowed under any circumstances, but many students get past the front desks by hiding the contraband items in their backpacks. The employees don’t check.

            If you need something from the library, but don’t care to brave the masses and attempt to find a table, then the OU library website and system (LORA) can help you find the research you need. If you need to renew a book, simply log into the system and LORA will check out the book for you for another month.

            Bizzell provides the students at OU a place to study, sleep (sometimes) and get the information you need in order to be successful. How much better can it get? 

Dead Week. Hell Week. Whatever you prefer.

The once vibrant South Oval sits empty and cold as
students flock to the nearest library to prepare for finals.

Dead week. The words strike fear in every student’s heart as finals approach and the end of the semester draws near.  Unsuspecting freshman could mistake dead week as a chance to catch his or her breath, to finish homework and papers, and prepare for finals.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that at OU. While the University policy states that no more than 10% of a student’s final grade can be assigned or due on dead week, many professors are starting to disregard the rules in order to play catch up, or speed up finals, allowing them to grade and go home earlier.

Many students have taken up writing angry letters to the faculty senate, including UOSA, the student government at OU, who asked for a review of OU’s policy on Dead Week, changing the rule of no more than 10 percent to no more than five percent. The Faulty Senate knocked the bill down, in a vote of 19-12.

            “I wish that Dead Week actually allowed us to catch up on studying and sleep, instead of doing big assignments or tests the week before finals. It’s kind of a let down, to realize that you have so much more to do before school lets out.” said Rachel Barclay, a nursing junior at the OU Health Science Center.

            While some students offer their opinion on Dead Week and how they need a break, others welcome the early work and opportunities to take tests early and finish tasks.

            “Dead week actually gives me a chance to power through the week and finish a lot of things early, and it prepares me for my exams while finishing other work.” Said Ally Rahill, a Letters junior.

            Whether students prefer the way Dead Week is right now or not, the policy of teachers offering early exams or assigning more work on Dead Week is not allowed. Without the chance for UOSA or the University to review the policies until 2014, it looks like things will stay the same. 

Nancy's Cupcakery

In a tiny shop on Campus Corner, a woman uses flour, eggs, the oven, and love to create the best cupcakes in all of Oklahoma. She has displayed her pride and joy at her store Cookies 'n Cards for 26 years and will do anything to make her customers happy.

Nancy Russell is unique because of her love and passion for baking.

Runtime: 2:32:11

Video By: Katie Piper, Rachel Santschi, Megan Lawson and Megan Gay

Academic Misconduct: A slap on the wrist or a punch in the gut?

Photo courtesy of the Internet

The University of Oklahoma makes something very clear. Do Not Cheat labels are peppered over everything, on tests, papers, and quizzes, causing students and teachers to take the issue very seriously. But what consequences are actually being used and what is a myth?  Does the administration use tactics to scare or to punish? And are students looking to cheating as a way to ease stress as finals approach?
On OU's website, there is a special portion dedicated to the code of conduct, and how a teacher has the right to report the student or not.  
"An instructor who determines that a student is responsible for an act of misconduct may impose an admonition (warning) plus a grade penalty and/or remedial work, without filing a charge of academic misconduct."

Cameron Newton, photo courtesy of tigerx.com

While I agree that a teacher should be able to turn a student in or not, the code of conduct does not have specific punishments for every type of cheating. Students may be unaware of what cheating actually entails and where to draw the line between quoting and plagiarism. 
Cam Newton, the current quarterback for Auburn, located in Alabama, was recently exposed as a cheater, citing incidents from his time at the University of Florida, where he was caught cheating three times. Although he was punished, Cam Newton still moved to Auburn and became a Heisman Trophy contender. How can three cheating offenses still allow this student to go to a nice school in Alabama? Each case is treated differently, and sometimes it isn't fair.
Although OU students sign a contract every year, many students get away with a slap on the wrist for serious offenses against the university for cheating on exams, papers and quizzes. So what defines the ultimate punishment. Jessica, a junior at OU who was caught cheating on a homework assignment freshman year, says that her punishment was to receive a zero on her homework assignment and her teacher said that she had no chances left. If she messed up again, she was out. 
    "It was definitely a slap to the face. It made me realize what I could lose if I continued to try and do stuff like that."
while Jessica got off easy, other students aren't so lucky.  
But as finals and classes get harder, more and more students are turning to cheating to relieve stress and get their homework and assignments done. Rachel Barclay, a nursing major at the OU health and Science Center, says that although cheating would be way easier, ethically she has more standards. 
    "With the stress that I'm under right now, I wish I could just get a break and cheat. But ethically, I can't justify taking someone else's work and labeling it as my own. I also wouldn't feel like I really earned my grade for the assignment."
  While some students approach the idea of cheating with an open mind as they get more and more stressed out, the university needs to use better methods when it comes to punishments of cheating and stress management.

A few minutes with Ray Bribiesca

Mr. Bribiesca gesturing about his times in the Middle East to
students at Gaylord College. 

Ray Bribiesca does not mince words. As a veteran of the Vietnam War and a dedicated cameraman for 60 Minutes, he has a grim reality of what his job entails, and how easily it can all be taken away. The journalism students at Gaylord had an opportunity to hear Mr. Bribiesca's stories and ask questions last Monday, the day before he was sent on assignment to Yemen, to capture film and travel one last time with his coworkers at 60 Minutes.

Mr. Bribiesca didn't waste any time at the beginning of the session, merely letting his work show what he does for months at a time: attempt to get the perfect camera shot, while trying not to be riddled with bullets. On the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a small, dangerous military base for American troops stands alone in the desert. The men and women who are sent to this area know the dangers of the area, but civilians living in America have no idea how dangerous and terrible this region is for American soldiers. Thanks to the efforts of Ray and his reporter, we saw what terrible conditions these men and women live in. In one scene, while the troops were coming home from trying to help a small village with some repairs, their truck stalled from trying to get over a big rock, and everyone was forced to get out of the car to push it over. Within minutes, the area was surrounded and men from enemy troops started shooting at them. Instead of running for cover, Mr. Bribiesca went out into the line of fire, trying desperately to get the shots that he needed to make the story. He didn't miss a beat. 

·            "Crazy shots are a part of the business.  I wanted to get those shots of the soldier’s faces to make it more personal." 

Mr. Bribiesca talking to the students after viewing one of his
segments on 60 Minutes.

Ray first started taking classes to be a cameraman in Oklahoma City, going to Oklahoma City College to earn his degree. From there, he started working for Channel 9, and eventually landed a job with 60 Minutes. He has traveled all over the world, from taking pictures of caribou coming over the mountains in Alaska (that picture took him 10 years to get) to going to the Middle East and covering the war news there. He has been wounded multiple times, and taken hostage once. It's very clear that this man is tough. 

Mr. Bribiesca is going to Yemen on one last assignment for 60 Minutes, over the troubling problems in Yemen, where many soldiers from the Middle East travel to be trained. While he is cautious, he knows what the job entails and how to twist and turn with every new discovery. Although he is leaving his job now, we can certainly expect him to do amazing things somewhere else. After all, to quote his signature line. "You’re only as good as your last story.”