Ashley Colvin gets a base tan before summer arrives by using indoor tanning beds. According to experts, a base tan can help people avoid sunburns, which can put a person at more of a risk of developing skin cancer. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Some Effects of Tanning Are Good For Your Health

Everyone has heard of the dangers of sun exposure and indoor tanning, but not as many know of the benefits of Ultra-Violet ray exposure. Students may be comforted this summer in knowing that sun exposure, if done safely, can be good for your health.

Over the past few years, numerous studies have been done on the effects of Vitamin D on, not only bone health, but immunity health as well. Vitamin D is a byproduct of sun exposure and can be found naturally and artificially in many foods. According to the Vitamin D Council's website, research has been done in order to prove a link between Vitamin D and improved immunity health and resistance to cold and flu viruses.

Mike Fisher, owner of South Beach Tans in Moore said that despite a supposed link to skin cancers, UV rays cause Vitamin D production which can protect the body against much more.

"People who are vitamin deficient are susceptible to a higher level of deadly cancers," said Fisher. "People who have a higher level of Vitamin D are less likely to get those diseases."

Fisher says that although sun exposure has its benefits through Vitamin D production, precautions should still be taken and sunburn should be avoided, because it increases risk of skin cancer.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation website, a sunburn increases a person's risk for melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. The website says that after five sunburns, the risk of melanoma doubles.

At a recent international conference of the American Association for Cancer Research, cancer experts agreed that adequate levels of Vitamin D could help prevent at least 39% of all cancers including breast, colon, renal and prostate cancer. According to the Vitamin D Council, researchers also say that Vitamin D will help in treating diseases and disorders such as autism, chronic pain, heart disease, hypertension and osteoporosis.

The Food and Drug Association currently recommends that people get 200-600 International Units, or IU of Vitamin D per day, but more recent research suggests that the dosage should be changed to 1,000 IU of Vitamin D per day.

According to the Vitamin D Council, people should spend 15-30 minutes a day in the sun to get the requirements of Vitamin D that the body needs.

Aside from sun rays and tanning salons, there are many ways people can get Vitamin D. For people who are worried about the aging effects of the sun or skin cancer, Vitamin D can be found in fortified milk and oily fish as well as over the counter multi-vitamins.

Dr. Jeff Hirsch, General Physician, recommends that instead of getting Vitamin D from the sun that people should take it orally because over exposure to the sun can be very dangerous but in small amounts can be good for the body.

"Light to moderate exposure is fine," said Hirsch. "The worst thing a person to do which predisposes them to cancer is getting a sunburn. Moderate exposure to sun is healthy, but if you want a tan, go and get one sprayed on."

In addition to getting Vitamin D from the sun, Hirsch says that the sun can also have a psychological effect on the body. According to Hirsch, Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D, can affect people during the winter months and is a mild to severe depressive disorder.

"People [with S.A.D.] are told to go under fluorescent lights for 10-15 minutes to simulate sun to help the neurochemical balance in their brain," said Hirsch. "So exposure to the sun is healthy from the standpoint of neurological health."

Krista Irish, owner of Tan-N-Style in Norman said that the most important thing about indoor tanning is control. She says you will always know exactly what kind of ultraviolet light you are getting and exactly how long you'll be getting it.

"Being inside tanning is so much better for your skin than being outside because it is being controlled, you know exactly what you're getting," said Irish. "Being outside with the sun during different times of the day, you don't really know what you're getting."

Irish said factors that control the intensity of the sun include altitude, season, ozone and weather conditions among others. In cold weather, you may be getting more UV exposure than you expect.

Fisher also agreed with that, saying that from day to day, the condition of the sun changes and that it is difficult to tell what kind of exposure you are getting.

Everyone, doctors and tanners alike, seemed to agree on one thing. If you have a base tan, you are in much safer conditions outside. According to Irish, a base tan, even a spray tan, can help protect your skin from sunburn.

Ashley Colvin, a customer at South Beach Tans, says she only uses indoor tanning methods during the spring to prepare her skin for the summer sun.

"If I don't tan first and I get out in the sun for several hours I will burn," said Colvin. "So, I like to tan in the tanning bed first, but I only do it right before summer."

While sun exposure is important for emotional and physical health, it is important to do it safely. For more information on Vitamin D and skin care, visit these websites:

vitamindcouncil.org
skincancer.org

For more on my interview with Jeff Hirsch, M.D., click below:

Film Club Premieres Student Film Tuesday

The Student Film Production Club premiered the student film, "OU, I Love You" Tuesday April 14th. Students, faculty and many others came together for the first viewing of the student produced production.

This semester, the SFPC brought together students from different colleges on campus to produce the "OU, I Love You" film. The film mimics the major motion picture, "Paris, je'Taime" which follows eight love stories set in Paris. OU's version features 12 stories which follow topics varying from romantic love to school pride.

"It's a landmark for OU," said SFPC President Jack Patchel. "I think this is the first time a college has ever done something like this. If this goes well, we are hoping a lot of other colleges will try something similar. It's nice to be cutting edge sometimes."

Patchel said that the SFPC will continue to apply the finishing touches to the film, and students should be able to purchase DVDs in the fall.

College of Architecture Causes Parking Grief For Neighboring Business

Since the movement of the College of Architecture to the old Hobby Lobby location on Main Street, The Cellar, a local liquor store and neighbor of the college, has had problems keeping open parking spaces for its customers.

Early in the Fall 2008 semester, shortly after the college moved, The Cellar employees noticed that few parking spots were left for their customers. They had their landlord paint designated parking spots to reserve them, but according to the employees, the issue is still unresolved.

"We still have customers come in and complain [about parking] all the time," says Cellar employee Chrysta Daebler.

College of Architecture students can help the situation by carpooling or riding bicycles to class.

Andy White surfs the college gossip website, collegeacb.com. The website claims to be a source for deep, thoughtful discussion, but may not be meeting that standard. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Gossip Website Fails To Meet Own Standards

Collegeacb.com recently expanded its reach after Juicy Campus decided to close down. Despite claims of being better than Juicy Campus, students can still find plenty of gossip posts at collegeacb.com.

In the press release, the new college gossip website claimed to "host a higher level of discourse" and accused Juicy Campus of fostering derogatory "superficial interactions." However, users can find uncredited rumors, which provide first and last names of their classmates. Site moderator, Phil Hall-Partyka says that under the 1996 Internet Decency Act, the website is protected against libel lawsuits, but they hope to keep dangerous rumors off the site.

"While users should be cautious in what they post, our site is 100% anonymous," said Hall-Partyka. "If comments are reported and involve a specific student's name we will usually delete them."

Students can help collegeacb.com keep offensive posts off the site by reporting the posts to the Site Administrator.

The welcome page of Collegeacb.com encourages students to begin posting on their school's portion of the website. College ACB expanded their reach after the closing of Juicy Campus. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

College Gossip Site Takes Place of Juicy Campus

At the wake of the closing of the college gossip website, Juicy Campus, a new rumor mill emerged under the name CollegeACB.com, which stands for Anonymous Confession Board. Students can once again continue gossiping on the new site.

According to site moderator, Phil Hall-Partyka, College ACB started around the same time Juicy Campus did, but was focused on a few schools. In the wake of the Juicy Campus site, Hall-Partyka said they decided to expand the reach of the website to other schools as well. He said that there are many things that set the site apart from Juicy Campus and users can expect more features in the near future.

"We are going to launch a new interface soon," said Hall-Partyka. "Users should also look for a chat feature, classifieds, and the ability to create dating profiles."

To join the site, which Hall-Partyka assures is 100% anonymous, students can find their school and register at collegeacb.com.

The Big Event Left in the Cold

Due to forecasts predicting winter storms for the Metro, The Big Event, which was supposed to take place today, is postponed until April 18. As a result, many students who cleared their schedules for the volunteer day were left with nothing to do.

The Big Event is an annual, nation-wide volunteer event which incorporates many different types of activities for participants to take part in. The University of Oklahoma has been a part of The Big Event since 1999, but throughout the week weather forecasts gave bad news for those involved.

"A lot of the events are outside, so I think it would have been pretty bad," said Big Event volunteer Brandon Oldham. "A lot of students wouldn't have wanted to come out in those conditions, because even though it wasn't a huge blizzard, it was still really cold."

Oldham also said that The Big Event will be reopening registration, so students who still want to participate should keep an eye on the event's website for more details.

On the South Oval, students can be found walking and biking to and from class. However, the small bike lanes present a dangerous situation for pedestrians and cyclists on campus and throughout Norman. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Committee Tries to Make Norman More Bike Friendly

Throughout the years, the City of Norman has made many small efforts to become more accessible to the biking community, but conditions for cyclists in this city remain dangerous and unfit for those choosing an alternate means of traveling. In a small college town like Norman, many students use bicycles for transportation to class, but may have difficulty finding a safe route.

The City of Norman created the Bicycle Advisory Committee about two years ago to improve the conditions of transportation for cyclists throughout the city. The BAC has made many accomplishments such as installing proper parking for bicycles and creating bike routes which give cyclists a safe route away from heavy traffic roads. Unfortunately, the changes have not solved the problems that cyclists face on a day-to-day basis.

"There is a two way street," says Paul Minnis, former Chair and current member of the BAC. "Cars have to understand that bicycles are vehicles and have a right to the road and shouldn't be shuttled away to the sidewalk, which is unsafe. But it is also a function that bicyclists need to ride better in general. There are ways to ride bikes on the side of the road which are safer than others."

Minnis said it is important that cyclists know the rules of the road if they expect motor vehicle drivers to share the road. For students who ride bicycles to class, the OU Police Department website has many tips to help cyclists learn to ride their bikes in traffic.

According to the website, cyclists who ride on campus must yield to pedestrians and cyclists who choose to ride on the street should treat their bicycle as a vehicle and must obey traffic laws. When using the city streets, bicyclists must stop at traffic lights and stop signs as well as signal when they turn.

Minnis, who rides on average 5,000 miles a year in Norman, said that few cyclists have the proper safety behavior while riding bikes, and it may be because they either do not know the rules or that they ignore the rules. He also said that one of the most dangerous things cyclists do is ride on the wrong side of the road, because bicyclists, unless using the sidewalk are required to ride with traffic, not against traffic.

Luke Short, employee at Buchanan Bicycles on Campus Corner said that while Norman is doing a good job, there are improvements that still need to be made for cyclists.

"We could definitely use some bike lanes," Short said. "But it's not too bad here in Norman. Sometimes when you get around Campus Corner it gets busy and hectic with students. It's important to have safe bike routes for students, because a lot of them don't have cars."

Bike routes, which have been put in place by Norman and improved by the BAC, offer cyclists a safe route away from the threat of heavy traffic. However, despite the availability of bike routes, some cyclists choose not to use them.

OU Senior and experienced cyclist Christopher Dearner says that while the bike routes exist, he rarely uses them because they are inconvenient.

"Bike routes are a great idea, but all of the routes in Norman are so far out of my way that I don't use them," Dearner said. "There is no point to go twenty minutes out of the way just to find a bike route."

Dearner says that most times, he does not feel like his safety is threatened by riding on the streets, although he did say that drivers and cyclists both need to be more educated about sharing the road.

"Some dangerous situations can come from just not knowing what to do when a driver sees a cyclist on the street," he said. "Some drivers think that bicycles belong on the sidewalk which is just not true. What needs to happen is that bicycle rules should be included in Driver's Education so everyone knows what to expect from cyclists and how to share the road with a bicycle."

Senior Nick Southerland said that while he rides his bike, he feels that his safety is greatly threatened while riding his bike on city streets in Norman due to lack of bike lanes and poor education for commuting in mixed traffic.

"There aren't nearly enough bike lanes in high traffic areas," Southerland said. "When there is a bike lane, they shouldn't just put up a sign. There should be a separate and clearly marked lane."

However, while Southerland said that motorists and cyclists need to be better educated on the rules of sharing the road, he admitted to breaking the rules "all the time."

Recently, Norman put up signs bearing the slogan, "Share the Road." The Share the Road campaign is a nationwide effort of bicycle organizations to spread the awareness of bicycle-motor vehicle safety. The signs were put up in an attempt to make Norman a more bicycle friendly community.

This year, the Bicycle Advisory Committee of Norman applied to become a member of the Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign. According to its website, the Bicycle Friendly Community, a program sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, is an award given to communities which actively support bicycling. The application was denied but the feedback given by the review committee included some positives for the community of Norman.

According to the feedback form, the reviewers believed that Norman has the key building blocks in place to become a better environment for cyclists but the community still has significant improvements to make before it can accept the title of being a Bicycle Friendly Community.

Some suggestions the organization gave were to expand education campaigns and to adopt a Complete Streets policy, which would make every street accessible by pedestrians, motorists, cyclists and other types of transit. For the full feedback letter, click here.

Minnis said that by applying to become a Bicycle Friendly Community, the BAC was hoping to get suggestions from the professionals at the League of American Bicyclists, but they were not expecting to be accepted at this time.

"We were wanting to be the first bicycle friendly city that received a designation in Oklahoma and I think we still may be, but we got feedback which is what we wanted," said Minnis.

Listen below for more of Minnis's feedback on the biking environment in Norman.

A $1.01 raise in Tobacco tax could cause some smokers to decide to quit in order to save money. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Tobacco Tax Increase May Cause Smokers to Quit

On April 1st, tobacco tax across the country will raise 62 cents to fund children's health care. This increase may cause many college students to give up smoking in order to save money.

According to a study done by the American Lung Association, 23 percent of young people aged 18-24 were current smokers in 2006, the most recent data available. As a result of the tax increase, Oklahoma's tobacco tax will be raised to $1.65, which may cause young smokers to kick the habit to save money.

Programs and information to help students and faculty quit smoking are available through OU Health Services and Norman Regional Hospital.

Help wanted ads continue to appear in Oklahoma newspapers, but the unemployment rates in Oklahoma are not nearly as bad as the national rates. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Oklahoma Among Lowest Unemployment Rates In US

According to the United States Department of Labor website, Oklahoma is among the states with the lowest unemployment rates in the country. This news may come as a relief to University of Oklahoma seniors graduating in May.

The last complete study, which was done in January 2009, showed Oklahoma with the seventh lowest unemployment rate of 5.0, which is up from a 3.3 percent rating from one year ago. The state with the highest rate is Michigan, whose unemployment rate is 11.6 percent.

The next update of unemployment rates in local areas will be released by the US Department of Labor on March 19, 2009.

The Decker Family (clockwise from top left: Steve, Deborah, Matthew, and Nathan) poses with author Steve Decker's new book, Zack the Prairie Dog. The book features an autistic hero who was inspired by the family's two autistic children. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Norman Author Raises Autism Awareness

Norman author, Steve Charles Decker, published his first book, "Zack the Prairie Dog" in January, which he said he hopes will raise acceptance and awareness about the development disability, autism. Decker said that it is important for everyone to know that those with autism are similar to everyone else, but they simply have trouble communicating and interacting with others.

Decker said the idea for the book first came to him when he and his wife moved to Oklahoma, and reemerged after both of his sons were diagnosed with autism. After the diagnosis, he and his wife Deborah began to face the challenges that come with being the parents of autistic children. With the book, they said they want to let people know that children with autism are no less than other children and it is not a bad thing, but it is just a difference.

"The book is almost more for typical children than it is for special needs kids," says Deborah. "Because it explains autism in a really easy way to understand. We want to change the world's perception of kids with autism."

"Zack the Prairie Dog" is available at Hastings in Norman and can also be found on Amazon.com.

(photo by Victoria Stahl)

Locally owned restaurant Othello's on Campus Corner entertains and feeds the citizens of Norman. Two years ago, James Nghiem and a few of his friends began a weekly set of stand-up comedy, the first of its kind in Norman. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Grad Student Laughs His Way Through School

Every Tuesday night, Professional Writing Graduate student, James Nghiem performs at the local restaurant and music venue, Othello's, on Campus Corner. Ngheim, who graduates in May, has been telling jokes as a stand up-comedian for the past two years and has been seen by many locals.

Nghiem said he got serious about stand up comedy shortly over two years ago when a friend of his organized the first comedy night at Othello's. Since that first successful night of comedy, Nghiem and several other local young comedians have performed their comedy sets every Tuesday night. He says he hopes to one day be a professional comedian.

"I'm always working toward something, but I enjoy it too," said Nghiem. "So you're working toward this goal and it might never happen, but you do it no matter what and hopefully you get there."

Once he graduates, Nghiem said he wants to travel and expand his career, but until then, students can see him perform every Tuesday night at Othello's.

For more on James Nghiem's interview, press play.

Bike & Build participant Brian Phillips poses with his bike, which he will soon be riding cross-country. Every summer, Bike & Build organization sends many young people on a summer long tour to raise awareness for affordable housing projects. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

OU Student Spends Summer Giving Back

While many students will be relaxing or catching up on classes this summer, junior Brian Phillips will be spending his summer months on a cross-country journey, donating his time to the affordable housing charity, Bike & Build. Phillips is still looking for donations to his cause and is reaching out to friends and family for support.

According to its website, Bike & Build is an organization that takes a group of people on a bicycle ride across the United States to raise money and awareness of affordable housing efforts. Each participant raises $4,000 for the trip and spends the summer riding their bike from town to town while stopping along the way to build houses with local housing organizations.

"I'm really excited to get involved with community service organizations," Phillips said. "It is something I have always wanted to do but for one reason or another, I haven't gotten around to getting out there and actually doing it. I think it is awesome that each person has to raise their own money for the organization and do all the work for the charity. It is going to just be a lot of fun biking across the country."

The application process for this year's cross-country routes is already completed, but Bike & Build has added a shorter "Capital Ride" route for those who cannot sacrifice an entire summer. To donate to the cause or to Phillips' progress, go to Bike & Build's donation page, where those wishing to help have the ability to donate to specific riders . For more information visit bikeandbuild.org.

For more of Brian Phillips's interview click play.

MP3 Audio Test

Matt Wyles and his dog pose in costume Saturday night while waiting for the Mardi Gras parade to start. Saturday's parade is Oklahoma's only Mardi Gras celebration. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

Mardi Gras Celebration Comes to Norman

Norman will host a Mardi Gras parade tonight, February 21 for the 15th year in a row. Residents of Norman and visitors can witness Oklahoma's only Mardi Gras carnival, which will take place in downtown Norman.

Traditionally, the Mardi Gras parade takes place on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, but earlier this year, Mayor Cindy Rosenthal declared February 21 as Norman Mardi Gras. According the the Norman Mardi Gras Parade Committee, the parade will include animals, costumes and performances by music and dance groups. The theme of tonight's parade is "Celebrating Ancient Cultures - In a Time Warp."

"Norman is the only town in the state that has a Mardi Gras parade," said parade participant Joanne Sellers. "Norman is a town of culture, so let's show off with our culture."

The carnival will take place in the Norman Historical Downtown Arts District and will begin at the Santa Fe Depot on Jones Avenue at 6:45 pm. It will travel north to Main Street, east to Crawford Avenue, south to Comanche Street, and will circle around again at Jones Avenue. For more information call 360-3279.

Campus Club Takes On Movie Project

The Student Film Production Club is currently taking applications from students wishing to participate in the upcoming movie project "OU, I Love You." The SFPC is looking from students from all colleges on campus to be involved in the production.

According to the project's co-chair, Virginia Duke, the project is based on the film "Paris, Je T'aime" which is a compilation of short films about love in Paris. "OU, I love you" will have a similar theme and take place on the OU campus.

"We are trying to make it an interdepartmental project," Duke said. "We are trying to get people to help out and write from the Journalism Department, and help out from Fine Arts, etc. We want to use this opportunity to branch out, and to use this as a learning experience because a lot of being a student film maker is learning and we figured this was a good way for as many people to learn about [film making] as possible."

Duke said the SFPC is accepting screenplays and director reels from experienced writers and directors and the deadline for those applications is Feb 20. Anyone who wants to participate as an actor or crew member, regardless of experience, can e-mail sfpc@ou.edu

New Exhibit Arrives at Sam Noble Museum

Museum patrons at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History observe photographs by Jim Brandenburg in the museum's special exhibit "Touch the Sky." University of Oklahoma students can view the exhibit for free through April 12, 2009. (photo by Victoria Stahl)

New Exhibit Showcases Nature Photos

A new special exhibit opened today at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. Jim Brandenburg's "Touch the Sky" collection of photographs gives viewers an insight into life in the prairie ecosystem.

According to his website, in 1999, Brandenburg and his family established the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation to preserve and expand native prairies. Now, Brandenburg uses his photography to tell the story of the prairies that people do not get to see. His photographs focus on the environment, weather and wildlife of the grasslands.

"The photographs are beautiful," said museum patron Andrew White. "They really make you feel like you are there."

The exhibit runs today, Feb. 14 through April 12 at Sam Noble and admission for students is free. For more information, visit the museum's website at www.snomnh.ou.edu.

Campus Performance Raises Awareness

To assist in an 11-year struggle against sexual violence, the University of Oklahoma participates in the V-Day movement for the tenth time since 1999 this month. Students can join in by volunteering for or by attending the performances of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" on campus.

According to its website, the V-Day movement has been raising money and awareness since 1998 to strengthen the anti-violence movement. Worldwide performances of "The Vagina Monologues" and other plays raise money for anti-violence movements in the United States, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Director Anna Holloway said that one of the biggest problems in our society is that we don't talk about sex in healthy ways, and this show does just that.

"The things people don't know about the show: It's not about profanity, it's not about lesbians, it's not about women trashing men. It's about women being healthy with their own sexuality which is something they should be able to share with everyone," Holloway said.

"The Vagina Monologues" will perform February 23rd and 24th at 7 p.m. in Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, and tickets are $7. Students can volunteer by contacting the Women's Outreach Center on campus at (405)325-4929.

Programs on Campus Aim to Prevent Sexual Violence

After recent reports that sexual violence cases on the University of Oklahoma campus more than doubled in 2007, some students may be concerned about what to do in case of an emergency situation. The Women's Outreach Center on campus offers a few classes that can prepare students for dangerous situations.

Two programs, Sexperts and the Sexual Assault Awareness Program, are aimed at providing education and preventing sexual violence on our campus. Students can complete training that can help prepare them for dangerous situations that can occur on college campuses. Kathy Moxley, the Coordinator of the Women's Outreach Center can help prepare students for situations away from campus as well.

"We know the OU campus is safe, but students go away for spring break and they leave the safety of the campus. We want them to be prepared," Moxley said.

Students can get more information by visiting the Women's Outreach Center office on the 2nd floor of the Oklahoma Memorial Union or from the organization's website at www.ou.edu/womensoc.

Course- and College-Specific Fee Increase

Soon, students may see an increase in course- and college-specific fees. While this increase will not affect the mandatory fees charged to all students enrolled, it will affect students in the colleges of business, journalism, and arts and sciences, as well as those enrolled in the Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.

According to the regents' meeting agenda, the increase will allow those colleges affected to increase and maintain the number of instructors in the colleges. Hopefully, the increase will improve the educational experience for students at OU,but not all students are happy about paying more for classes, and even offer up their own suggestions.

"It would be nice to have more teachers in the departments, but raising students' fees isn't the way to go. It seems like the school could cut down on athletics spending and give a portion of that back into education," junior Brian Phillips said.

Students can look for those fee increases in Fall 2009.