Jed Dembowski, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, for United Way of Norman sets up progress posters for this year's United Way campaign. The posters were designed by Dembowski to match the 2009 theme, "One Team, One Dream."

United Way Campaign Kicks Off

Students have an opportunity to reach out to the Norman community through the United Way campaign that started on Tuesday.

The United Way of Norman works with 29 other local nonprofit agencies to serve the community. This year the campaign's theme is "One Dream, One Team" and is hosted by thePrice College of Business and the Athletics Program.

"There are a lot of people that are turning to the United Way who never in their dreams thought that they would need the United Way services. So for those that can, now is the time to step up and try to help those that can't ," said Dean Ken Evans of the Price College of Business.

This year's campaign will raise money through raffles, donations and fundraisers of all sorts hosted by different OU student led groups and groups in the Norman community. The campaign ends on November 6.

Trey Mathews, criminology senior, exercises using the Huffman's newest user friendly treadmill. The Huffman is considering buying a prototype similar to it that is powered solely on the user's movement.

Green Machine may Move into Hufffman

A new treadmill prototype will be released in a few weeks that is not only environmentally friendly but also easier on the user's joints and the Huston Huffman Center is considering buying it.

The treadmill is called the EcoMill, it is powered manually by the runners movement and uses zero electricity. It is also set up with multiple impact slats instead of just a few boards like most treadmills, this creates more give making it less painful for the user. The new treadmill that the Huffman currently houses is called the Desmo, it has the less impact quality but is lacking the environmentally friendly aspect.

"The Huffman tried [the Desmo] out for a few months and people responded so well that we had to buy it," said Amy Davenport, Director of Recreational Services.

The Huffman staff is really excited at the prospect of the EcoMill and hopes to keep making similar improvements in the future.

The Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium will host the After Dark event which will take place on October 6th. After Dark is a nation wide event created by Joe White, president of Kanakuk Kamps.T

Worship Experience Planned

Students will have a chance to hear the gospel message on October 6^th when OU hosts After Dark. This event will feature speaker, Joe White, president of Kanakuk camps and a concert, starring musician John McLaughlin.

Kanakuk camps are Christian sports camps that children attend during the summer and After Dark is one event that White focuses on during the school year. It was started by White ten years ago to reach out to college age students.

Business finance sophomore and Kanakuk Kamp counselor, Kelcie McCall said, “I’m really excited about [After Dark] because I think it’s such a great organization. Joe White is a really talented speaker and it’s a great place for people to bring their friends to hear about Jesus.”

For more information on the After Dark event or on becoming a future staff member for Kanakuk Kamps you can visit www.kanakuk.com.

University College freshman, Maria Collado, pushes her bikes through the south oval. Biking is a main way of transportation to and from campus for students.

Bikers May Soon Benefit

The city of Norman is currently reviewing a proposal to add bike lanes to the city’s main roads to better ensure students safety when traveling to and from campus.

“I would love [if they put bike lanes in.] It would be so much safer for both the biker and the driver, it would encourage biking and for people to be more green,” said Joshua Huff, philosophy senior.

The Bicycle Advisory Board is a committee that looks after the needs of the bicycling community by hosting different events such as ‘ride a bike to work week’ and free bike inspections.

The committee plans to pursue an ad campaign this year to get bikers to better understand the rules of the road.

A Chance to Make a Difference

FAR will host a free screening of the Invisible Children documentary in hopes of showing students that they can make a difference in world issues. The event will take place at 5:30 and 7 on Wednesday night, September 16 in the Scholars Room at the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

FAR, Facilitating African Rehabilitation, is a student led organization that focuses on supporting groups that are centered on the issues in Africa.

President of FAR and pre nursing sophomore, Matt Mead said, “Invisible Children means making the invisible, visible, ending the longest running war in Africa, bringing hope to a nation through education and bringing peace to the upcoming generations.”

This semester FAR will be collecting books, and hosting other similar events to help support their groups.

Opportunity Arises for Students with new Professor

Opportunity Arises for Students with new Professor

Students have a new connection to the media world through Kathy Johnson, a first year Gaylord professor at OU.

Johnson brings twelve years of experience from local television stations where she served as producer or senior producer in Oklahoma, Florida and Washington D.C. She now owns a television network for children called KTV.

“I bring the real life experience, how the industry works and how it is changing,” said Johnson. “ I think OU has a great learning environment and I really hope that I can get students involved with one of my next projects.”

Johnson will continue to teach and run her television network in the future.