The Vista

Several changes to federal financial aid benefiting students went into effect on July 1.
The changes are the result of the College Cost Reduction and Accessibility Act of 2007 (HB2669), which was passed by Congress last year.
According to the CCRAA, Pell Grant award amounts will increase by more than $11 million over the next five years.

Obamamania has gripped the world, and while the presumptive Democratic nominee tours the Middle East and Europe, speculations at home focus on whether the international tour will do him any good.
The tour, which is said to be "sort-of campaigning" by Obama's team, is an unprecedented event.

It's a tiny little house with a big mural of a tea cup and a saucer that sets behind the UCO Alumni House.

Painted on the tea cup is a map of the world, a symbol for the global meeting place that the Tea House has become. This is emphasized by the various languages that "Tea House" is written in around the cup.

UCO is one of the best universities in the nation to work for., at least according to one source.

The Chronicle of Higher Education released its survey, "2008 Great Colleges to Work For" this month, and UCO finds itself in eight of the top five categories, making it one of the nation's top five "Great Colleges to Work For.

Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU-PF, and opposition, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have signed a memorandum of understanding to negotiate their political deadlock and share power.

According to the agreement, talks beginning Wednesday will last for two weeks.

There's a reason director Christopher Nolan's latest installment in the Batman franchise smashed box office records this weekend. Although there were a few weak spots in the film, it was simply a good action flick.

Gotham City has elected a new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart, "Any Given Sunday" and "Erin Brockovich"), who is hell-bent on cleaning up the city.

As Hurricane Dolly forced oil refineries along the Gulf Coast to cut 5 percent of their output, a tanker collision on the Mississippi River caused a fuel spill that affects New Orleans, and ConocoPhillips announced its second quarter net profits increased by 13 percent.

The New York Times recently rejected a column by Sen. John McCain that was a rebuttal to a similar column by his Democratic rival.

In a statement released Monday, The Times said it is "standard procedure on our Op-Ed page, and that of other newspapers, to go back and forth with an author on his or her submission.

The Olympic torch will finally reach Beijing in 22 days, but two Oklahoma City surgeons will already be in the city to assist their teams in what is being billed as the "biggest Olympiad ever with more than 10,000 athletes competing from over 200 countries," according to albawaba.

Beginning this fall semester, some UCO freshmen will have the option to lock their tuition at a guaranteed rate for the next four academic years.

This spring the Oklahoma State Congress passed House Bill 3397, which established the guaranteed tuition program for Oklahoma in-state resident freshmen.

Three students took more than just a risk of passing or failing summer school this year. Jamie Hume of Enid, Ross McCulloh of Ardmore and Amanda Gillam of Texas have risked the next two years of school.

UCO's new graduate athletic training program is undergoing the necessary accreditation process to ensure that all three students graduate from a recognized program.

The 240-year-old institution of monarchy in Nepal was abolished June 11 -- and now the tiny Himalayan nation faces the task of finding a leader to fill the post of president.

The process of setting a presidential election was set to begin Wednesday even as the political parties and the former Maoist rebels tried to overcome their differences, an effort that so far hasn't led to a resolution.

Almost 700 prisoners were released from behind bars in Lyles, Tenn. on June 26. These prisoners were not convicted criminals, however. They were dogs.

The Humane Society of the United States helped local and state officials remove the almost 700 dogs from a facility known as Pine Bluff Kennels.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's campaign Web site opens with a banner across the top reading "I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington … I'm asking you to believe in yours."

In recent weeks, Obama has called on all Americans to do just that, to enact change in how the Democratic Party selects its party platform.

U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman may be a hero or an enemy to Oklahoma City's NBA fans.

But we'll never know.

Because the suit between the city of Seattle and the Sonics was settled, Pechman's prepared ruling was never heard.

The Oklahoman left a message with the judge asking how she would've ruled had there not been a settlement, but Pechman replied through a law clerk that she would not answer that question, according to an Associated Press article.

UCO needs the money from a recently approved tuition increase to help cover part of the university's mandatory cost increases, Charlie Johnson, executive director of University Relations, said.

UCO officials announced this week that tuition and fees will increase by 9.

Vista/KUCO Reporter Lauren Seabrook explains why tuition increased and how recruiters are using the Internet to meet potential students.

Dr. Joe C. Jackson, UCO vice president emeritus and namesake for the Jackson College of Graduate Studies, died Monday, July 7. 2008. He was 97.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Baggerly Funeral Home, Edmond, with burial to follow in Memorial Park.

UCO recruiters have moved part of their search for international students to space - cyberspace.

Thanks to online chat rooms, recruiters don't need planes, trains, or automobiles to connect with those abroad. Instead workers at the Office of International Student Services (OISS) click a computer mouse.

You hear it all the time. Young Americans don't care about the news. Serious news is too complicated for them. All they're concerned about are celebrities.

The question is: Are those sentiments true?
That's an important question not only for our generation but also for my chosen field, broadcast journalism.