On Tuesday, May 8, dogs from "A New Leash on Life" visited the University of Oklahoma Bizzell Memorial Library to help students relieve their stress from studying. 

    OU students could take a break from studying to play with the dogs and alleviate their finals stress. The dogs were available from 9:30 to 10:30 on the first floor of the library. University of Oklahoma Junior Casey Outlaw said she thinks the dogs are helpful during finals week. 

     "I think its a great idea to bring in dogs like this during finals week," said Outlaw,"Its a good study break for me. I've been here since 5:30 and playing with the dogs has been the highlight of my morning." 

      According to www.newleashinc.org, their mission statement is "changing people's lives by developing the special abilities of Service dogs and Therapy dogs." A New Leash On Life was started in 2004 and trains dogs to be service, rescue, or therapy dogs. The trainers adopt or rescue the dogs from shelters and train them to be more adoptable. The three dogs Sunny, Jack, and Katie visited with their trainers.

    "A New Leash on Life" will have their second annual 5K run and 3K dog job on May 28th to receive donations and publicize their organization. Event registration is available online at www.newleashinc.org. 

Oklahoma Ranks as a Top Ten Trafficking State

     Oklahoma ranks in the top ten in one of the world's fastest growing industries. The United Nations estimates that 700,000 to 4 million women and children are forced into prostitution and labor every year. 80 percent of those victims are from the United States.
      Mark Elam, director of Oklahomans Against Trafficking Humans, calls Oklahoma the "perfect storm" for victims of human trafficking. The location, high homeless population of youth, and number of women put in jail each year all contribute to Oklahoma's high ranking.
      "The first thing is our location. The major states having the problem are our costal border states," said Elam, "New York, Florida, Texas, California are the major states with the problems. The secondary states close to them then become the areas where they're moving through. Oklahoma is sitting close to Texas, but its also the crossroads of the nation. We're right in the middle."
      According to Elam, one third of all slaves come through Oklahoma on their way to another state. He says the high incarceration of females in Oklahoma contributes to the high homelessness population of youth, which makes it easier to find targets for human trafficking.
      "We're number one in female incarceration, not just in the nation, but in the entire world. There is no other place in the world that puts as many women in prison per capita as Oklahoma," Elam says. Elam says the lack of knowledge about human trafficking in the state is the most important issue.
      "Our big issue is to first bring awareness and help people understand and then to help them identify victims," said Elam, "people are being ignorant. They think it only happens overseas or they think it only happens to illegal aliens." Elam said members of O.A.T.H. have reached out to law enforcement, members of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, teachers, and counselors to teach them what a victim of human trafficking looks like.
     According to the United Nations crime-fighting office, only one out of every 100 victims is rescued. University of Oklahoma women's studies professor, Roksana Alavi, has met victims of human trafficking and says the recovery process is not an easy one.
     "Recovery from being trafficked into slavery is a long process and if we're going to end slavery we have to be also committed to helping these people," Alavi said. Alavi says bringing more awareness to human trafficking is the most important thing students can do to help.
      "Students need to know this stuff so they can take it out into society because the students are going to be the ones making laws and changing it for the better," Alavi said.
      Last April, a bill to protect youth from human trafficking was signed into law. The definition of human trafficking was modified and expanded to any purposes of engaging a minor in a sex act. Also under the new law, any act of sex trafficking will be punished no matter the circumstances. Contact the O.A.T.H. info line at (800) 995-0128 or visit the website www.oathcoalition.com for more information on human trafficking in Oklahoma.



       Oklahoma is currently ranked in the top ten trafficking states in the nation. Despite the high rank, Oklahomans are not aware of the increasing problem in the state.
VIDEO: Kate Brandon, Run Time: 1:39

Elizabeth Smart Speaks at the University Of Oklahoma

            The University of Oklahoma Speaker’s Bureau hosted Elizabeth Smart on Thursday, April 19th.

Smart was abducted at the age of 14 from her parent’s home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her story gained national attention and she was found nine months later just 18 miles away from her home. Before her abduction, she planned to go to Brigham Young University to study the harp and move to New York City.

            “It's very refreshing to be around people who are much closer to my age,” said the 24-year-old. Smart is a correspondent for ABC news and travels the country speaking about her foundation, Elizabeth Smart Foundation. Smart told the story of her abduction to students at Meacham Auditorium, which was completely full.

            “I remember ten years ago being kidnapped, and it being the worst experience of my life,” Smart said. Brian David Mitchell took her from her bedroom, with her sister sleeping next to her in the same bed.

            After nine months, a police officer took her from her kidnappers and took her to the police station. “Very few people can say that one of the happiest days of their lives included being in the basement of a police station,” said Smart.

            Smart has spent the last ten years telling her story and helping other abducted and sexually abused kids seek treatment. She said therapy and her family’s support helped her heal from her experience.

            The day after she came home, her mother promised Elizabeth she would help her move on. 

“She said to me, Elizabeth what this man has done to you is terrible. He has taken nine months of your life away from you, and don’t let him take another minute,” Smart said. “And I haven’t, I won’t ever give him another second.”

                               PHOTO: Kate Brandon

Elizabeth Smart Sound clip

University of Oklahoma Students Volunteer at Central Park Community for Big Event

            Students at the University of Oklahoma participated in The Big Event on Saturday, April 21^st.  Student groups volunteered in the Norman and Oklahoma City areas going to animal shelters, parks, schools, and gardens.

            University students give back to the organizations that contribute to the community and to show them their appreciation.

            One student group attended the Central Park Community Garden in Oklahoma City to plant, clean, and recycle. “Closer To Earth” is a nonprofit group who plants and maintains gardens in the neighborhood. Allen Parleir is the founder of the organization and encourages the community to get involved to grow closer and create a beautiful neighborhood.

            “We invite people who need community service hours for school or through the state, and in almost every case they come back. Not because they need to, but because they want to,” Parleir said, “and eventually they can get jobs from us and get paid.”

            Students from the university worked with those volunteers to plant flowers in a garden. University of Oklahoma Junior, Ellen Burton, said she hopes to see the garden when it is completely finished in a few months. 

            “It’s a rewarding experience,” said Burton, “I can’t wait to come back and see what it looks like when it is finished. Or maybe I’ll come back to volunteer again before then.”

PHOTO: Kate Brandon 

2/6 Upcoming Event - Relay For Life

The University of Oklahoma will host Relay For Life on April 21.

The event will feature an overnight relay run/walk that benefits the American Cancer Society. Relay for Life is a nation-wide event and will be in other parts of Oklahoma throughout the year. The relay starts with a Survivors Lap that recognizes the individuals who have survived any type of cancer.  

Sarah Wible, a Leukemia cancer survivor, will participate in this years Relay for Life hoping to exceed their goal of over $100,000.   

“This event means a lot to me because I am a survivor and it benefits the American Cancer Society,” says Wible, “Last year we raised $90,000 and we hope to exceed that goal this year.”

The event begins will be held from 7 p.m. on April 21 to 7 a.m. on April 22. For more information or to donate to American Cancer Sosciety. go to www.relayforlife.org 

The University of Oklahoma "Branches Out" with 42nd annual Eve Of Nations

The University of Oklahoma hosted the 42^nd annual Eve of Nations last Friday evening. Over one hundred countries were represented through videos, performances, and a fashion show.

            Eve of Nations is the largest cultural event in the state of Oklahoma and over 1,200 people were in attendance. Sixteen performances were showcased and ultimately the Indian Student Association won first place.

One of the performers representing Bangladesh, Melanie Maguire, says her performance was more focused on representing the country than the cash prizes.

“A lot of the organizations put a lot of work into it and get really excited about it because its a competition, but in our case we weren’t so much concerned about competing as we were just having Bangladesh be represented because they’ve never had a dance in Eve of Nations before, so I know they were really excited,” said Maguire.

In addition to the dance showcase, International Advisory Committee presented a fashion show representing over 100 countries. Students wore outfits from continents all around the world. The fashion show played music and videos from each country that was represented.

The International Advisory Committee chose the theme “Branching Out” because it represents the families all around the world and the diversity that the event displays.

  “I think it says a lot about how open minded and receptive we are to the globalization of the world and to world cultures and understanding how to communicate…and be friends with people from Bangladesh or Peru or places around the world, even though we’re from Oklahoma,” Maguire said. 

   PHOTO: Kate Brandon

Midterm

Michelle Matthews has not had a typical childhood. She was born in the United States in 1900 and before her first birthday she moved over 3,000 miles away to Indonesia. Since then she has lived in four countries and has traveled to over 30.

The University of Oklahoma sophomore came to the United States when her parents decided she should have a "normal" college experience. She is in a sorority, economics club, and tutors student athletes at the university. She appears to be like every other student, but she can speak three languages and has lived in the United States for less than two years.

Norway has 7 universities with about 24,500 attending each year. There are 34 public and two private colleges in the country. They are based on three-year programs, unlike the United States four-year program. The United States has thousands of Universities and colleges, which appealed to Michelle and her family. Her parents wanted her to have more options and be able to explore different cultures.

Michelle sees her family two to three times a year during the Christmas holiday and in the summertime. She contacts her parents through Skype, postcards, and phone calls. Her parents currently live in Indonesia and she spent her Christmas break there last winter. She is traveled all around the world with her family and has experienced different types of cultures.

Her friends in Norway are very different than her friends in the United States. The types of clothing, music, and slang are completely opposite. One of her favorite parts of going to school in the United States is the school spirit.

"It is really nice to go to a large school with school spirit because we definitely didn't have any school spirit in Norway and I've never seen a football game or anything before," said Michelle.

School in the United States is similar in some ways to Norway, Michelle said, but for the most part it is different than anything she has ever experienced. She said before she arrived she expected college to be similar to the movie Legally Blonde. 


Her roommate, Amanda, did not realized Michelle was not from the United States when they first met and thinks she adjusted well.

"If I didn't know Michelle as well as I do I would just think she's a normal American 20 year-old girl," says Hall, "she's just like anyone else, except she's traveled the world and she's only 19 years old."

Michelle plans to major in economics and international business and go into the Foreign Service and possibly work in an embassy. She hopes to travel to every continent, but wants to graduate from college before she starts traveling again. She hopes to give her kids the same experience her parents gave her.

"I don't know where I'll be when I have kids so I can't say where I'll send them to school. But I do know they'll be lucky if they can get an education in the United States like I have."


Michelle Matthews has traveled to over 30 countries and is only 19 years old. She has spent her first two years in the United States adjusting to college life and learning how to adapt to a new culture.



SLIDESHOW: Kate Brandon, Runs: 1:51