• Book buying options exist, editorial, p. 2. • Leadership workshop held, p. 7. • Club soccer readies for spring, sports, p. 8. • Volunteer Fair upcoming, clubs, p. 10. This Week I nside February 4, 2008 Vol. 36 No. 20 Musical trio Photo by Amber McBride OCCC students older, more diverse Free tax help offered to lower income people By Scott Glidewell Staff Writer B eginning Feb. 4, free income tax prepa- ration will be available from 10 a.m. un- til 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, in the Main Building across from the Student Life of- fice. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance pro- gram is available to all families and individu- als with a household income of less than $39,000. Don Wigley, VITA site coordinator, said there would be a total of five volunteers preparing tax returns this year. “We prepare the returns and then e-file them so they don’t have to do anything,” Wigley said. Wigley also said all of the VITA volunteers have years of experience with tax preparation. “I have been involved with VITA, here at OCCC, for the last nine years, and we have one See “VITA,” page 12 Preliminary report numbers also show slight enrollment decrease By Chris Lusk Editor O CCC students are a few months older and more ethnically diverse compared to last year, col- lege statistics show. Many also are returning for addi- tional semesters. Enrollment numbers show the average age of students has risen from 25.4 to 26, while the num- ber of returning students has increased by 2.7 per- cent. After a small increase last fall, enrollment has slightly decreased this spring. Preliminary numbers show a 1.0 percent de- crease from spring 2007. Total students went from 11,391 to 11,274 this se- mester. Total credit hours sched- uled fell 0.5 percent, from 98,742 to 98,216. Executive Director of Planning Stu Harvey said that enrollment has been on an overall decline the past few years. “We have seen figures stay flat or slightly decline over the last two or three years,” he said. Harvey said that could change if economic condi- tions worsen. Typically, he said, when the local and national economies slow down, enrollment increases — especially in older stu- dents. “Although our numbers showed a slight decrease, we do show an older stu- dent body,” Harvey said. “This indicates an increase in older student enroll- ment.” A big reason for the en- rollment slowdown can be attributed to a large de- crease in new student en- rollment, Harvey said. College statistics show an 18 percent decrease in the number of new student en- rollments from spring 2007, from 2,028 to 1,662 this semester. Harvey said a number of factors can explain the sharp decline, including local demographics. “We have actually planned on a decrease in new student enrollment,” he said. “Statistics show that there will be fewer high school graduates over the next decade, purely based on the fact that there just aren’t as many kids right now as there have been.” Harvey noted the college’s emphasis in retaining stu- dents. At the same time, fore- casts show a large increase in older students should be expected over the next 10 years, Harvey said. The college also experi- enced an increase in mi- nority enrollment, Harvey said. More than 30 percent of OCCC’s students represent racial and ethnic minori- ties, he said. The data showed Asian student numbers rose 4.4 percent, from 789 to 824. African-American numbers dropped 0.3 percent, from From left, Annie Gnojek, flute; Ellen Bottorff, piano; and Margaret Marco, oboe, of the Allégresse trio, perform in the OCCC theater. The group, brought in as part of the Cultural Arts Series, performs worldwide. While at OCCC, they also held a workshop where they talked about the joy of music. For more information on the workshop, see page 5. The next CAS performance is Feb. 26 with the Hot Club of San Francisco taking the stage. Call 405-682-7579 for ticket information. “Although our numbers showed a slight decrease, we do show an older student body. This indicates an increase in older student enrollment.” —Stu Harvey Executive Director of Planning See “Enrollment,” page 12 IONEER P Oklahoma City Community College www.occc.edu/pioneer
Transcript
• Book buying options exist, editorial, p. 2.• Leadership workshop held, p. 7.• Club soccer readies for spring, sports, p. 8.• Volunteer Fair upcoming, clubs, p. 10.
This WeekInside February 4, 2008
Vol. 36 No. 20
Musical trio
Photo by Amber McBride
OCCC students older, more diverse
Free tax helpoffered to lowerincome peopleBy Scott GlidewellStaff Writer
Beginning Feb. 4, free income tax prepa-ration will be available from 10 a.m. un-
til 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, in theMain Building across from the Student Life of-fice.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance pro-gram is available to all families and individu-als with a household income of less than$39,000.
Don Wigley, VITA site coordinator, said therewould be a total of five volunteers preparingtax returns this year.
“We prepare the returns and then e-file themso they don’t have to do anything,” Wigley said.
Wigley also said all of the VITA volunteershave years of experience with tax preparation.
“I have been involved with VITA, here atOCCC, for the last nineyears, and we have one See “VITA,” page 12
Preliminary report numbers also show slight enrollment decreaseBy Chris LuskEditor
OCCC students are afew months older
and more ethnically diversecompared to last year, col-lege statistics show. Manyalso are returning for addi-tional semesters.
Enrollment numbersshow the average age ofstudents has risen from25.4 to 26, while the num-ber of returning studentshas increased by 2.7 per-cent.
After a small increase lastfall, enrollment has slightlydecreased this spring.
Preliminary numbersshow a 1.0 percent de-crease from spring 2007.Total students went from11,391 to 11,274 this se-
mester.Total credit hours sched-
uled fell 0.5 percent, from98,742 to 98,216.
Executive Director ofPlanning Stu Harvey saidthat enrollment has beenon an overall decline thepast few years.
“We have seen figuresstay flat or slightly declineover the last two or threeyears,” he said.
Harvey said that couldchange if economic condi-tions worsen. Typically, hesaid, when the local and
national economies slowdown, enrollment increases— especially in older stu-dents.
“Although our numbersshowed a slight decrease,we do show an older stu-dent body,” Harvey said.“This indicates an increasein older student enroll-ment.”
A big reason for the en-rollment slowdown can beattributed to a large de-crease in new student en-rollment, Harvey said.
College statistics show an
18 percent decrease in thenumber of new student en-rollments from spring2007, from 2,028 to 1,662this semester.
Harvey said a number offactors can explain thesharp decline, includinglocal demographics.
“We have actuallyplanned on a decrease innew student enrollment,”he said. “Statistics showthat there will be fewer highschool graduates over thenext decade, purely basedon the fact that there just
aren’t as many kids rightnow as there have been.”
Harvey noted the college’semphasis in retaining stu-dents.
At the same time, fore-casts show a large increasein older students should beexpected over the next 10years, Harvey said.
The college also experi-enced an increase in mi-nority enrollment, Harveysaid.
More than 30 percent ofOCCC’s students representracial and ethnic minori-ties, he said.
The data showed Asianstudent numbers rose 4.4percent, from 789 to 824.African-American numbersdropped 0.3 percent, from
From left, Annie Gnojek, flute; Ellen Bottorff, piano; and Margaret Marco, oboe, of the Allégressetrio, perform in the OCCC theater. The group, brought in as part of the Cultural Arts Series, performsworldwide. While at OCCC, they also held a workshop where they talked about the joy of music. Formore information on the workshop, see page 5. The next CAS performance is Feb. 26 with the HotClub of San Francisco taking the stage. Call 405-682-7579 for ticket information.
“Although our numbers showed a slight decrease, we do show anolder student body. This indicates an increase
in older student enrollment.”—Stu Harvey
Executive Director of Planning
See “Enrollment,” page 12
IONEERPOklahoma City Community College
www.occc.edu/pioneer
2 • PIONEER • February 4, 2008
Editorial and OpinionEditorial
The PIONEER is a publica-tion of Oklahoma City Com-munity College through theDivision of Arts and Humani-ties. It is published weeklyduring the fall and spring se-mesters and the eight-weeksummer session.
All opinions expressed arethose of the author and do notnecessarily represent those ofthe publisher.
The PIONEER welcomes let-ters to the editor and encour-ages the use of this publica-tion as a community forum.All letters must include theauthor’s name, address,phone number and signature.However, the PIONEER willwithhold the name if the re-quest is made in writing. ThePIONEER has the right to editall letters and submissionsfor length, libel and obscen-ity.
Letters to the editor can bedelivered to the PIONEER of-fice, mailed to: Pioneer Editor,7777 S. May, Oklahoma City,Oklahoma 73159 or faxed to405-682-7843.
Letters may also be e-mailedto [email protected]. A phonenumber for verification mustbe included.
The PIONEER can be ac-cessed on the Internet at:www.occc.edu/pioneer.
New library resourceavailable to studentsTextbooks costly,
options availableThe high cost of textbooks is something many stu-
dents find distressing. They don’t have a choice aboutbuying them because, if they want to do their best,they will need the textbook.
Many times, when students go to buy textbooksthey have to buy the new book as a packet, withcomputer software. This can get quite expensive.
For one computer science course, the packet is$245.10, while the Organic Chemistry I textbook is$170.25.
Some students may be able to get by using a pastedition textbook for their class.
Some books that are past editions are not thatdifferent from the new ones. The old book may notbe as good, but it sometimes will do.
Some students choose not to buy books at all be-cause they just can’t afford it.
Thankfully, some professors have their course text-books on reserve at the circulations desk of the library.
Students may check out reserve textbooks for twohours at a time. A time limit is set because there aremany students who come in and need to use thetextbooks. The only disadvantage is that being areserve textbook, you will only be able to use it whileyou are in the library.
What also doesn’t seem completely fair is that whenyou turn in your textbook to receive cash back atthe end of the semester, you may get a responsethat a new edition is being issued and you will notreceive any money back for your book.
And if you are lucky enough to receive money backfor your book, it is often drastically less than theprice you paid for it.
Students may have noticed that new stores arebeing opened, such as Textbook Brokers, where youcan sell textbooks, and buy books for much cheaperthan what the college provides.
One girl announced to our class that she boughtall five of her textbooks needed for the semester forunder $200 from Textbook Brokers.
Textbook Brokers also gives a 5 percent discountto students if you are on their MySpace “friends list.”
This is just one place that has begun to receivebusiness when it comes to buying and selling text-books. There could possibly be more opening.
Textbook Brokers will buy back books all yearround and sometimes will give you more money backthan the college will. Students may also sell andbuy textbooks from www.half.ebay.com andwww.amazon.com. There may be a small shippingor processing fee.
It’s not that students don’t want to buy and selltheir textbooks at the college bookstore, but a collegestudent will want to save money any way possible.
And avoiding our own college bookstore to go else-where, sadly, is what some students are beginning todo.
—Yvonne OberlyStaff Writer
To the editor:The Library is pleased to
announce the launch of anew online resource,Culturegrams.
With the ever growingdiversity of the OCCCcommunity and our fo-cus on improving globaland cultural awareness,Culturegrams is an ex-cellent resource for bothstudents and staff.
Culturegrams is an ex-cellent starting point forresearch or quick factsabout other cultures, dailylife, history, food, people,countries and much more.
This new resource com-
pl iments another re-source the Library addedlast year called Country-Watch.
Culturegrams is cur-rently the “Featured Re-source” on the Library'swebsite located at www.occc.edu/library.
It can also be found un-der “Find Web Sites.”
Hopefully students andstaff will find Culture-grams useful in answer-ing a multitude of ques-tions and inquiries relat-ing to the various culturesaround the world.
resource, please contactthe Library AssistanceDesk at 405-682-1611,ext. 7251.
—Barbara KingDirector of Library
Services
February 4, 2008 • PIONEER • 3
Comments and Reviews
‘There Will Be Blood’ agritty, dramatic movie
When is it perception and when is it reality?When someone hears the words Academic Advis-ing, what does that really mean to them? Manybelieve Academic Advising is a one-size-fits-allapproach. The reality is that each student’s needsare different.
It has been interesting to listen to some of thestudent responses as they visit with an AcademicAdviser at our Triage desk. Here’s one examplethat I’ve heard several times:
Adviser: Hi, how can I assist you?Student: Yeah, I need some classes.Adviser: What type of classes are you interested
in?Student: I don’t care, just give me 12 hours.Adviser: Have you taken any college courses?Student: Not that I know of.Adviser: What are you interested in for a degree?Student: I have no idea; I figured you would pick
some out for me.Adviser: Why would you think this?Student: Isn’t that what an Academic Adviser
does?Can you envision the donut shop with 100 dif-
ferent varieties on the wall and the customer asksfor a dozen donuts and the baker turns to thedonut wall and wonders where to start?
Of course, not all of our students have this ap-proach. However, for the ones that do, we openthe doors to the world of Academic Advising. Wetake the time and look with the student at thepuzzle pieces.
We start with the course catalog, class sched-ule, credit hours, degree options and then moveinto the interview process.
The reality is the Office of Academic Advisingserves many purposes. Many students go to ad-vising because they are concerned with the classschedules.
However, students are encouraged to go to Ad-vising and Career Services for other various rea-sons. For instance, students may need to:
•Confirm or change their program/major•Request to be assigned a Faculty Adviser•Request a Degree check•Write a Diversified Studies Contract•Obtain information on career exploration•Get help with course selections•Get their assessment tests evaluatedWhen students are looking for assistance with
their class schedules or using MineOnline, we in-troduce them to a Peer Adviser.
A Peer Adviser is a fellow student who is suc-cessful in their courses, understands how to builda class schedule, and uses MineOnline for manyof their academic record needs.
We want students to take ownership of their fu-ture and their education and we are willing to helpthem do this by putting the puzzle together onepiece at a time.
—E.J. WarrenAcademic Advising Director
“There Will Be Blood” isa well-crafted, grippingdrama loosely based uponUpton Sinclair’s 1926 novel“Oil!”
From the opening sceneuntil the last line of dia-logue the audience isdrawn slowly, deliberatelydown the path of un-checked human greed andambition to the destructionthat ultimately accompa-nies ruthless determina-tion.
“Blood” is the fifth moviefrom director Paul ThomasAnderson (“Boo-gieNights,” “Magnolia”) and itis by far the best.
Intense, gritty, and darkthe acting, cinematogra-phy, and score are all in-terwoven in meticulousfashion.
The film begins in 1898in the bottom of a mine-shaft in Texas, but quicklytransitions to the oil fieldsof California.
The story spans a 30-year time period during theearly days of the oil indus-
try, but the movie is not ul-timately about the oil in-dustry. It is about the riseand fall of Daniel Plainview.
Daniel Day-Lewis’s per-formance as DanielPlainview is truly mesmer-izing.
As with anything it iscontrol of the little thingsthat really make a differ-ence and Day-Lewis’s con-trol of the smaller parts ofhis role are what make thewhole package so complete.
His facial expressions,speech patterns and seeth-ing raw emotion allow himto assume the role with anauthority, an entirety thatis truly amazing.
Through Day-Lewis’seyes and his mannerisms,we are allowed to see intothe soul of Plainview, whichseems as black and as ex-plosive as the oil that hedrills for.
Throughout the moviePlainview is seemingly con-sumed by tension, perpetu-ally ready to explode intoan animalistic rage.
Although at times he isreserved, this is only if itwill help him get what hewants. Always the viewercan see the monster in hiseyes—greedy, insatiableand unstoppable.
“I have a competition inme. I want no one else tosucceed….”
With these words, DanielPlainview best describeshimself: a driven, obses-sive man who alienates ev-eryone around him and ul-timately destroys the worldthat he creates.
The movie, while spec-tacular, is not necessarilyeasy viewing with a run-ning time of approximatelytwo and a half hours.
It requires that the au-dience pay attention andwait for the story to be told.
If you want an actionflick, then go see Rambo,but if you want to see agreat dramatic film go see“There Will Be Blood.”
Rating: A—Scott Glidewell
Staff Writer
4 • PIONEER • February 4, 2008
By Stephen SossamonStaff Writer
Fire alarms on campuscaused students to evacu-ate buildings 10 times lastyear, said Ike Sloas, Safetyand Security director.
And, if the fire alarm doesgo off, everyone shouldhead to the nearest exit,without getting on eleva-tors, and proceed to theparking lot, according tothe safety and security pro-cedures poster.
“No fire alarm is a falsealarm,” Sloas said. “Wedon’t question why analarm goes off.
“It’s very important every-one take fire alarms seri-ously and treat all of themequally.”
Sloas’s records show lastyear there were a total of 31incidents involving a firealarm.
By Lynsey SuchyNews Writing Student
Faculty Associationmembers were divided intheir view of whether OCCCshould add a two-day fallbreak in October.
About half voted for thebreak with half votingagainst it.
The topic of fall breaktook a good part of thegroup’s meeting Jan. 22 oncampus.
FA Chairman and MathProfessor Paul Buckelewtold the group PresidentPaul Sechrist had askedthe Faculty Association forits opinion on adding a fallbreak.
Views were expressed onboth sides. Several facultymembers said taking off aThursday and Friday inOctober would create prob-lems in some classes.
Jay Malmstrom, mathprofessor, said concernsare mostly for science andnursing students who have
All fire alarms shouldbe heeded official says
Fall break proposedlabs. The labs are on astrict schedule and arehard to make up.
Other professors saidtheir students need sometime off earlier in the se-mester, that Thanksgivingweek is too late.
Student Chris Stewart,chairman of The Leader-ship Council, said not hav-ing a fall break in Octobercan be an issue for stu-dents who have children.
Public schools are out forfall break, meaning parentswould have to pay extramoney for their children tobe watched or parentsmight even have to missclass.
The Leadership Councilvoted unanimously for a fallbreak on a Thursday andFriday in October and totake away one day ofThanksgiving Break.
Three options were pre-sented to the faculty andvoted on:
• Leaving the college cal-endar as it is, with fall
break being Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday andFriday of Thanksgivingweek,
• Add a fall break by can-celing classes on a Thurs-day and Friday in Octoberwhen the public schoolstake a fall break, then con-duct classes on the Mondayand Tuesday of Thanksgiv-ing week instead of havingTuesday, Wednesday,Thursday and Friday off,
• Add a fall break by can-celing classes on a Thurs-day and Friday in Octoberwhen the public schoolstake a fall break, and keepthe Thanksgiving holidaysas they are now.
The faculty voted with 13professors voting for leav-ing the schedule as it is and13 voting for a change to bemade.
Two voted to add thebreak in October withoutmaking any changes to theThanksgiving schedule.The split decision will begiven to Sechrist to review.
If the alarm sounds, thebuilding in which the alarmwent off is evacuated imme-diately, Sloas said.
“Usually, if the libraryhas to be evacuated, theMain Building doesn’t nec-essarily have to.”
Sloas said many of thealarms idicated an actualfire.
We investigated all ofthose alarms,” he said. “Ionly remember four or fivebeing something minor, likeburnt popcorn.”
All fires have the poten-tial to be dangerous, Sloassaid.
“Any fire in areas wherechemicals are used orstored are extremely dan-gerous,” he said.
Sloas said some of themost costly fires have beenvehicle fires.
“They caused severalhundred dollars in damage
to electrical systems,” hesaid.
Sloas added that lossesduring building fires havebeen minimal.
Though the system is ef-ficient, Sloas said the sys-tem sometimes goes offunnecessarily.
“Dirty smoke heads, andsometimes the water pres-sure, can cause an alarmto go off,” he said.
Sloas said roughly$50,000 a year goes tomaintenance of all the firedetecting systems on cam-pus.
“The annual inspection isdone during spring break,when students are off cam-pus,” he said.
He also said that his of-ficers do daily checks of thewater pressure for the firesuppression systems.
Sloas said SimplexGrinnell is the company
Collisions resultin minor damagesBy Stephen SossamonStaff Writer
Two accidents in three days resulted in slight dam-ages to all the vehicles involved.
At around 7:35 p.m. Jan. 24, two vehicles wereinvolved in an accident on the east side of J.L. KeelsBoulevard according to a report by Officer JacobRoby.
The first vehicle, a silver 1996 Saturn driven byJonathan Hole, was traveling eastbound in the leftlane when he was hit by Luke Westover, in a black2003 Dodge Ram 1500.
According to the report, Westover was leaving LotA when he failed to yield to oncoming traffic whilemaking his left turn.
“My foot slipped off the brake and I couldn’t stop,”Westover told Roby.
Information was traded between Hole and Westoverand pictures were taken.
Another non-injury accident occurred earlier in theweek. At 5:10 p.m. Jan. 22, Officer JohnathanWalker was dispatched to May and Faculty Circle toinvestigate.
A 1991 Chevy Camaro, driven by CorbinMassengale, was heading eastbound on faculty circleand failed to come to a complete stop at the stopsign, according to Walker’s report.
A second vehicle, a Chevrolet 1500 Extended Cabdriven by Larry Barnes, was eastbound, about tocross Faculty Circle, when it was hit by Massengaleon the driver’s door and rear corner panel.
Both vehicles were able drive from the scene afterboth parties exchanged information and photos weretaken of both vehicles.
“No fire alarm is a false alarm. We don’tquestion why an alarm goes off.”
—Ike SloasSafety and Security Director
Have a story idea?Have a story idea?Have a story idea?Have a story idea?Have a story idea?Call 405-682-1611, ext.Call 405-682-1611, ext.Call 405-682-1611, ext.Call 405-682-1611, ext.Call 405-682-1611, ext.
7409, and tell Chris7409, and tell Chris7409, and tell Chris7409, and tell Chris7409, and tell Chris
February 4, 2008 • PIONEER • 5
Earn college credit while in MalaysiaBy Amanda McCutchenStaff Writer
There is a first time foreverything, and OCCC’sCenter for InternationalBusiness has created itsown first. OCCC studentscan now study abroad fora semester or even a year,and earn credits for gradu-ation.
The college has recentlysigned two articulationagreements with colleges inMalaysia, said V.J. Rama-chandran, center co-direc-tor and OCCC businessprofessor.
An articulation agree-ment was signed Dec. 3between Jim Schwark,OCCC business dean, andthe business dean at theManagement and ScienceUniversity in Shah Alam,Malaysia.
Also, Schwark signed anagreement with the busi-ness dean at the UniversityCollege Sedaya Institutionin Taman Connaught,about six miles south of thecapital, Kuala Lumpur.
“The first reason why Ichose Malaysia is becauseI am from there,” Rama-chandran said.
He said the high-qualityeducation in Malaysia andthe fact English is spokenthere figured into hischoice.
He said the country ismulti-cultural and friendlyto foreigners.
Ramachandran recentlytook a two-week trip toMalaysia and met with sixpotential colleges for this
program. Ramachandran isspent 10 years there as aprofessor.
“I looked at colleges withsimilar business curricu-lums, matching classesand textbooks,” Rama-chandran said. “We don’ttake classes from just any-body. They need to be wellqualified to teach our stu-dents.”
There are eight businesscourses listed at both MCUand USCI that also are of-fered at OCCC. Classes will
be taught in English, andwill consist of local and in-ternational students, aswell as American students.
Ramachandran saidspeaking English is a re-quirement in schools andcolleges in Malaysia.
The estimated cost for a12-credit-hour semester is$1,000 per month. Thatincludes lodging, food, en-tertainment, classes andmedical insurance. The twoschools also offer intern-ships and tours of compa-
nies.The estimated cost does
not include air fare. Around-trip flight will costabout $1,200.
From Oklahoma, thereare two layovers, Rama-chandran said, and the to-tal flight clocks in around20 hours. Students will bepicked up at the airport.
Malaysia is located in thesouthern Asia region nearIndonesia. Malaysia hastwo primary territories —East and West Malaysia.
“Malaysia is a favoritevacation spot because of allthe small islands, theweather is very tropical,and it is very similar toHawaii,” Ramachandransaid.
Both MSU and USCI havecampuses that are near thecapital.
For more information,contact Ramachandran [email protected],or 405-682-1611, ext.7220.
Trio shares joy of music with studentsBy Jessica ShadidNews Writing Student
“Discovering the Joy of Music”would be the title of choice for thelecture presented by Allégresse, themusical trio who performed atOCCC on Jan. 29.␣ Allégresse is atrio that consists of Annie Gnojek,Margaret Marco and Ellen Bottorff.
They called it a play on words,seeing that Allégresse means “joy”in French.␣ This trio of women cre-ate a unique classical sound pro-duced by the piano played byBottorff, the oboe played by Marcoand the flute played by Gnojek. ␣
The women said they have beenclose friends and colleagues formore than a decade. Allégresse, asa group, however, only has beentogether for a year. Residing inLawrence, Kan., the trio has playedall over the world.
During the educational lectureearlier in the day, the women per-formed pieces mainly from artistsJohann Joachim Quantz from the
Baroque period (1600 to 1750) andMadeleine Dring, a modern artistof the 1960s.␣
Both outstanding performances,they created similar sounds, yetalso unique melodies which relateto the times in which they wereproduced. ␣
Many who attended the lecturewould agree one of the most inter-esting parts was to watch Marcocasually clean out the saliva build-up from inside her oboe with ciga-rette papers.
Smiles emerged across the room,as the group not only entertainedthe students and professors withtheir musical talents, but also withtheir charming personalities.
In an interview, they were askedwhere some of their greatest per-formance experiences took place.
Gnojek replied she had per-formed as a soloist in Beijing,China. Gnojek and the others said,as a group, performing at OCCC isalways an honor.
The group is looking forward to
commissioning new work with art-ist Gabriella Frank, and plans toperform in Manchester, England,in 2009 at the International DoubleReed Convention. Allé-gresse alsois planning to have a CD availablethis spring.
After the lecture, Gnojek ex-plained how the group came uponthe name Allégresse, which shesaid came from her husband. Hewas inspired by one of his favoriteartists, Maria Snyder, who had asong titled “Allégresse.” The womennoted, as a result of their success,the word is now associated withthem.
“Now, when you Google ‘Allé-gresse,’ our group is the outcomeof the search rather than MariaSnyder,” Marco said.
The performers have years ofmusical training and experience totheir credit.
Marco received degrees fromNorthwestern University, the Uni-versity of Iowa and the Universityof Illinois. She currently is a co-
principal for the Kansas CityChamber Orchestra, and she oftenperforms with the Kansas CitySymphony, the Kansas City LyricOpera, and the Kansas City BalletOrchestra.
Bottorff is a graduate of the Uni-versity of Missouri-Kansas CityConservatory of Music and Mis-souri Western University.␣ She hastraveled all over the United Statesand Canada.␣ She also has per-formed on live radio broadcasts, re-gional and national conventions,and cruise ships. Bottorff presentlyis an interim piano professor at theUniversity of Kansas.
Gnojek obtained undergraduateand master’s degrees from theUniversity of Kansas. She managesa flute studio in the Lawrence andKansas City area. Gnojek also wonnational titles at the MusicTeacher’s National AssociationCompetition in 2003, 2004 and2007.
For more information about thegroup, visit www.allegresse.com.
6 • PIONEER • February 4, 2008
History-makingblack
Oklahomans
What does Black HistoryMonth mean to you?
Albert Comstock Hamlin(1881 to 1912)
Hamlin was the first black to be elected to the statelegislature in 1908. He was the only black to serveuntil 1964.
Roscoe Dunjee(1883 to 1955)
Dunjee was the editor of Oklahoma City’s only blacknewspaper, The Black Dispatch, and led the way inthe struggle for civil rights in Oklahoma, and in theOklahoma City black community.
Amos T. Hall(1896 to 1971)
Hall is one of Oklahoma’s most significant civil rightslawyers. He was the first black to be elected to acounty-wide office, and the first to be elected as ajudge in Oklahoma.
John Hope Franklin(1915 to present)
Franklin is one of Oklahoma’s leading historians.He has been president of numerous organizationsincluding the Southern Historical Association. Hehas written and edited more than 10 books.
Charles Henry Christian(1916 to 1942)
Christian contributed to the world of music in a bigway with his skills on the electric guitar. He playedprimarily with the Goodmen Sextet.
Clara Shepard Luper(1923 to present)
Luper is a recognized Oklahoma educator and CivilRights leader. She became an advisor for the Okla-homa City NAACP Youth Council in 1957. She hostedher own radio show for 20 years.
Leona Pearl Mitchell(1949 to present)
One of the nation’s most-regarded opera singers,Mitchell is known for her performances in operasby Puccini and Verdi. She’s the recipient of numer-ous Oklahoma awards, including induction in theOklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
J.C. Watts Jr.(1957 to present)
Watts was Oklahoma’s first black congressman,serving as a Republican in Washington, D.C fromJanuary 1995 to January 2003.
By Cynthia PraefkeStaff Writer
“Salvation for a race, na-tion or class must comefrom within. Freedom isnever granted; it is won.Justice is never given; it isexacted and the strugglemust be continuous forfreedom is never a final fact…” Those are the words ofA. Phillip Randolph, a civilrights activist of the early1900s.
The month of Februaryhas been set aside to cel-ebrate the history of blackAmerica.
Why February? Accord-ing to Infoplease.com,Black History Month beganin 1926 when Carter G.Woodson, the second blackman to get a doctorate fromHarvard, objected to theway the black populationwas portrayed in historybooks.
He decided, because Feb-ruary was the birth monthof Frederick Douglass and
“It means a lot to me, to us.”—Lavaris HendersonVisiting former student
“It’s about time we alllearned more about each
other. I was in a MartinLuther King Day parade and
it make me feel great.”—Monique Barfield
Nursing
“Black History Month is atribute. ... It means a lot to
me.”—Corrion Martin
Psychology
“... It is important torecognize all history, and notto be selective.”—Kristi CoxSociology
Month has long, rich historyAbraham Lincoln, it wouldbe appropriate to studytheir influence on blackhistory.
But, there are many otherimportant historical eventsthat happened in February.
• The 15th Amendment,granting blacks the right tovote, was passed Feb.3,1870.
• Hiram R. Revels, thefirst black U.S. senator,took his oath of office Feb.25,1870.
• The National Associa-tion for the Advancement ofColored People (NAACP)was founded in New YorkCity on Feb. 12,1909.
• Feb. 1,1960, a group ofstudents from Greensboro,N.C. began a peaceful sit-in at a segregated Wool-worth’s lunch counter withMartin Luther King.
• Three black Muslimsshot Malcolm X to death onFeb. 21, 1965.
Woodson thought, be-cause of the elimination ordistortion of facts through
the years, there was a greatdeal Americans might notknow about the impact ofblacks in the country. Hewanted Americans to knowfacts such as:
• During the Indian warsof the 1800s, black soldiersearned the respect of Na-tive Americans who namedthem Buffalo Soldiers.
• Black soldiers were in-strumental in critical winsin the Civil War.
In fact, many formerslaves who had fought dur-ing the Civil War helpedsettle the state of Okla-homa thinking it to be a“black paradise.”
Staff Writer CynthiaPraefke can be reached [email protected].—Source: digital.library.okstate.edu
For more aboutBlack History Month:
www.infoplease.comwww.history.comwww.enchanted
learning.com
February 4, 2008 • PIONEER • 7
Student Life hosted a Leadership work-shop that provided an entertaining and
education day for all student club members.The workshop was held Jan. 19 at the new
Human Body Exhibit at the Science MuseumOklahoma.
Chris Stewart, Leadership Council chairman,said the workshop was intended for trainingclub leaders and to encourage members to takeleadership rolls.
Stewart said 42 representatives from all theclubs and organizations from OCCC attendedthe event by way of a charter bus for $5.
The $5 also included a T-shirt, door prizes,drinks and a food buffet, Stewart said.
A conference was held for all club membersto get to know one another better.
“TLC held an icebreaker,” Stewart said. “Itwas called ‘working a room’ and was designedfor everybody to get up and moving to meet newpeople.”
Meredith Dake, guest speaker for the leader-ship workshop, went over different aspects ofclub leadership.
Dake won first place in the Business Profes-sionals of American National Prepared Speechcompetition in 2007, Stewart said.
He said the workshop also covered the nutsand bolts of club leadership.
The guidelines taught club leaders how toplan for events and how to meet deadlines forcertain occasions, Stewart said.
Along with the business part, Stewart said,everyone who attended had a great time.
“Most people explored the body exhibit,”Stewart said. “Others went to the OmniDomeor just walked around and looked at differentstuff throughout.
“It was a very educational experience.”Isela Perez, TRIO peer mentor, said she
thought the experience was interesting andwould do it again.
“We got to know they new students and towhat they do.”
Take me to your leader
Above: OCCC club representatives RebekahGreen, Philip Aken and Heather Creekmore hangout during the Leadership Workshop. Student Lifehosted the workshop Jan. 19 at the new HumanBody Exhibit at Science Museum Oklahoma.
Right: Among other displays at the museum,there was a life-size buffalo statue for
representatives to learn about.
Bottom: Mia Diaz, Records and GraduationServices clerk, and Grace Spears, representative,also attended the workshop. At the workshop,representatives were able to get to know oneanother, as well as hear a speech on leadership.
Right: Aunique
staircase inthe museum
took travelersto their
destinations.
Text byMatt BishopPhotos byLaWanda
LaVarnway
8 • PIONEER • February 4, 2008
Sports
UPCOMING
OCCCINTRAMURALS
EVENTS•Feb. 5: Intramural Basketballwill tip-off its regular season. Formore information about signingup, contact Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watson at405-682-1611, ext. 7786.
•Feb. 9: Registration for PowerVolleyball League ends. This isa competitive league open for allmen and women ages 18 and up.The league starts on Feb. 19 andgames will be held on Mondays.The league fee is $200 per team.For more information about howto sign up, contact Recreationand Sports Specialist EricWatson at 405-682-1611, ext.7786.
•Feb. 11: Registration for Intra-mural Club Soccer will begin. Forinformation about signing up,contact Recreation and SportsSpecialist Eric Watson at 405-682-1611, ext. 7786, or K. B.Yeboah at 405-255-7735.
•Feb. 13: The Free Throw HotShot Basketball Contest will beheld inside the Wellness CenterGymnasium. For informationabout signing up, contact Recre-ation and Sports Specialist EricWatson at 405-682-1611, ext.7786.
•Feb. 18 to 22: Intramural Bil-liards Tournament will be held inthe Wellness Center Gymna-sium. For information about howto sign up, contact Recreationand Sports Specialist EricWatson at 405-682-1611, ext.7786.
•Feb. 20: The 3-point and SpotShooting Hot Shot Basketballcontest will be held inside theWellness Center Gymnasium.For information about how to signup, contact Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watson at405-682-1611, ext. 7786.
Photo by Amber McBride
Eyes onthe rim
Soccer team seeks playoff runBy Matt BishopStaff Writer
OCCC’s Club Soccer is hoping tomake a run at the playoffs thisspring. Preparations are under wayfor the spring season starting inFebruary.
K. B. Yeboah is returning for an-other year as the club soccercoach.
Yeboah said he is excited for theseason to start and hopes to seethe team make the playoffs.
The soccer team showed poten-tial last season, but finished in afive-way tie for the three remain-ing playoff spots and were left outby way of tiebreakers.
“We put ourselves in that posi-tion for the tiebreaker,” Yeboahsaid. “I think this year we can makethe playoffs if enough people comeback.”
The soccer team had about 17players who showed up to practiceand games on a consistent basislast fall.
Yeboah said he encourages all hisplayers from last season to returnbecause the team had success.
“We had a good team going, andI hope we can get everybody backand pick up where we left off,”Yeboah said.
“If they are in school, I hope theycome and play again.”
The date of the first game is un-decided yet, he said.
Jalal Daneshfar, director of theOklahoma Collegiate Club SoccerLeague, said the season will com-mence either Feb. 23 or March 1.
Registration for the season willstart on Feb. 11.
Yeboah said he plans on start-ing practice on Feb. 11 as well.
Players may sign up by showing
up to the practices.The soccer team holds its prac-
tices at the south field on theOCCC campus near the May Ave.entrance.
Recreation and Sports SpecialistEric Watson said he will be post-ing fliers around the campus giv-ing students information abouthow to join the soccer team.
Players interested can also con-tact Eric Watson at 405-682-1611,ext. 7786 or Coach Yeboah at 405-255-7735.
A schedule has not yet been re-leased because the number ofteams participating is not known,Daneshfar said.
“After the deadline for team reg-istration passes, we will make aschedule as soon as possible,”Daneshfar said.
Student Jordan Jenkinson workson her shooting form inside the
Wellness Center gymnasium.The Intramural Basketball
season will tip-off on Tuesday,Feb. 5. For students wanting totest their shooting skills, OCCC
will host two days of HotshotBasketball.
The Hotshot Free ThrowContest will be held Wednesday,
Feb. 13, and the 3-point and SpotShooting Hotshot Contest will be
held the following weekon Feb. 20.
Students may check outbasketballs with a valid student ID
to practice their shooting or takepart in a pick-up game.
For more information aboutsigning up for these competitions,
contact Recreation and SportsSpecialist Eric Watson at 405-682-
1611, ext. 7786.
•It pays to advertise inthe Pioneer, call the Ad
Manager at 405-682-1611,ext. 7674•
February 4, 2008 • PIONEER • 9
OCCC students offered résumé helpBy Brian SchroederStaff Writer
While looking for a job, anOCCC student stumbledupon a free service thathelped her in producing arésumé better than sheimagined. After completingthe résumé with the help ofCareer and EmploymentServices, she posted itonline and was called by anemployer soon after toschedule an interview.
On Feb. 12, career andemployment services will beoffering a free OptimalRésumé Creation workshopto help students preparerésumés and post themonline.
Judi McGee, Employ-ment Services coordinator,said the workshop will al-low students to see how theOptimal Résumé softwareworks, so they can comeback at their leisure to drafta résumé.
“It’s an easy way studentscan learn how to put arésumé together,” she said.
“It also allows you to saveup to five different résumés
that can be changed andupdated at the user’s con-venience.”
Cathy Hutchens, Careerand Employment Servicesassistant, said the softwareused for developing rés-umés and cover letters isextremely easy to use.
“We use the program ev-ery day,” she said. “It walksthe students right throughand gives them examples touse if they get stuck ordon’t know how to wordsomething. It is very userfriendly.”
The software is availableto OCCC students free ofcharge. Students are wel-come to use the software towrite a résumé, and thestaff at Career and Employ-
ment services is there toassist, McGee said.
“We are here to help any-one who needs the help,”she said. “Anytime, if any-one needs assistance, thereare four of us in this depart-ment who can help.”
McGee said the softwareis not limited to people whoare writing résumés for thefirst time. Those who haveput together a résumé inthe past can bring it in toget suggestions on how tomake it stronger.
Lyndsie Stremlow, Ad-missions assistant, saidshe learned how to write arésumé by using toolsfound online. She said theclass would benefit herrésumé as well as résuméwriting skills.
“I know I would learn howto write a more organizedand professional résumé,”Stremlow said.
“I would be able to in-clude several things em-ployees would want to seeon a résumé.”
Once a résumé is com-plete, students are able topost it on the OCCC job
website, as well as theOklahoma EmploymentSecurity Commissionwebsite.
“I’ve had more peoplethan anticipated call meand tell me they just got ajob because they postedtheir résumé on our jobboard,” McGee said.
“One student who posted
“It’s an easy waystudents can learn
how to put a résumétogether. It also allowsyou to save up to five
résumés …”—Judi McGee
Employment ServicesCoordinator
a résumé on our job boardcalled and said the com-pany that contacted herwas one she had alwayswanted to work for, and thereason they contacted herwas because her résuméwas so well done.”
Students are invited to take a tour of colleges they might wantto transfer to. Upcoming transfer tour dates: University of Okla-homa College of Journalism, Tuesday, Feb. 5; OU, Wednesday,Feb. 6; Oklahoma City University, Tuesday, Feb. 12; Universityof Central Oklahoma, Friday, Feb. 15; Southern Nazarene Uni-versity, Monday, Feb. 18. There is limited space available foreach tour. For more information or to reserve a spot, contactLeslie Jones at 405-682-7567, or e-mail at [email protected].
Help support Pathways StudentsPathways Middle College High School students will sell Blue
and Gold sausage, bacon and chicken to support yearbook pub-lication and senior class events. Blue and Gold products can bepurchased in Room 3L6 in the Main Building beginning Feb. 7.
Free speed learning sessions offered to OCCC studentsThe Corporate Learning Department at OCCC will offer a four-
hour speed learning course free to OCCC students. The coursewill be from noon until 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, and Wednes-day, Feb. 13; or from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, March 1. Allsessions will be taught in Room 407A of the Keith Leftwich Me-morial Library. For more information, contact Francine Gissy at405-682-1611, ext. 7856.
Make a difference in the life of a childThere are more than 12,000 children in the custody of the
Department of Human Services who need loving and safehomes. If you can help by providing temporary care to a child ingreat need, contact Rita Williams, foster care recruiter, at 405-767-2657, or e-mail at [email protected]
Free income tax assistanceDrop by and receive free income tax preparation assistance
between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Feb. 4 through April 14 at theVolunteer Income Tax Assistance booth across from StudentLife. Bring your W-2s, 1099 tax forms, Social Security cards forall members of the household, a photo ID card, a copy of lastyear’s return and any information concerning other income aswell as information for deductions or credits.
Future Teachers Organization meetingsThe Future Teacher Organization will hold meetings from 5 to
6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, in the OCCC Coffee Shop and fromnoon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, in the College Union Clubsand Organizations Room. The meetings will focus on welcom-ing new members and organizing activities for the spring se-mester. For more information, please e-mail faculty sponsor DavePalkovich at [email protected].
Health Professions Club announces officer electionsThe Health Professions Club will hold a general meeting from
noon to 12:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6, in Main Building room1C4. Students will have the opportunity to join the club, paydues, elect new officers and discuss spring semester activities.Free pizza will be provided. For more information, please contactSteve Kamm at 405-682-1611, ext. 7268.
Student newspaper seeks workstudy student employeeThe Pioneer student newspaper has an opening for a qualified
workstudy student employee to serve as circulation manager.The job entails picking up the newspaper from the Edmond printeron Friday, so a valid driver’s license is required. The circulationmanager places the newspaper on the stands and keeps thestands filled during the week. The job also requires some officeand typing skills, and record keeping. Applicants must be certifiedfor workstudy employment by the Student Financial Aid office.For more information, or to apply for the position, please contactPioneer Lab Director Ronna Austin at 405-682-1611, ext. 7307.
All Highlights are due Tuesday by 5 p.m. for inclusion inthe next issue.
Student Tina Naff helps herself to some free food provided by Baptist Collegiate Ministrieson Monday, Jan. 28. BCM meets at noon every Monday and Thursday in room 3N0.
Photo by Amber McBride
By Scott GlidewellStaff Writer
The Office of Student Lifewill host a Volunteer Fairfrom 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in theCollege Union.
Community Engagementcoordinator Jon Horineksaid the fair is an opportu-nity for community serviceagencies to explain whattheir organizations do andto recruit new volunteers.
“The fair is designed tohighlight opportunities forvolunteer service whereOCCC students are nee-ded,” Horinek said.
Horinek said he expectsa turnout of between 12and 15 different agenciesthis year.
The Regional Food Bank,American Red Cross andHabitat for Humanity,among others, will bepresent at this year’s fair.
Horinek said volunteer-ing is a great way for stu-dents to learn life skills andto challenge assumptionsabout the world aroundthem.
“Participation in commu-nity service is the best way
Lend a helping hand“Volunteering is one of the few things people cando where they can make an immediate, tangibleimpact on people’s lives.”
—Jon HorinekCommunity Engagement Coordinator
Brown Bag Lunch Schedule
Test Taking Skills12:30 p.m. - Tues. Feb. 5 - CU2
noon - Wed. Feb. 6 - CU3
Relationships12:30 p.m. - Thurs. Feb. 14 - CU2
Mine Online 12:30 p.m. - Tues. Feb. 19 - CU2
Enrollmentnoon - Wed. Feb. 27 - CU1
12:30 p.m. - Thurs. Feb. 28 -Oklahoma Room
Drop by and register to win a$500 gift card from Wal-Mart.
Club smorgasbord
to become a well-roundedstudent and citizen,” Hor-inek said. “Volunteering isone of the few things peoplecan do where they canmake an immediate, tan-gible impact on people’slives.”
Horinek said studentswho volunteer report hav-ing a greater understand-ing of themselves and theircommunity.
“Plus, it is often a lot offun,” he said.
Another way that volun-teering can help students iswith their résumés and col-lege applications, Horineksaid. Many applicationsnow provide areas whereapplicants can fill in volun-teer work. Horinek saidmany scholarships and em-ployers are even beginningto require some volunteerwork.
According to figures fromthe Office of Student Life,
OCCC has more than 2,000students offering morethan 10,000 hours of vol-unteer service each aca-demic year.
Pioneer Classified Advertisingis free to all enrolled OCCC stu-dents and employees for anypersonal classified ad. Adsmust be submitted in writingwith IDs supplied or work areaand college extension in-cluded. Deadline for advertis-ing is 5 p.m. Tuesday prior tothe publication date. For moreinformation, call 405-682-1611,ext. 7674, or fax 405-682-7843.
FOR SALE: Three-year-oldLudwig Doetsch violin with soft-side case. In excellent condition.A real buy at $1,500. 405-306-3290 or 405-306-1396.
Class ifi eds
FOR SALE: ’05 50cc YamahaZuma. Blue, less than 100 miles,garage kept, recently tagged.Great for quick trips to the store,or running errands around town.Approx. 60-65 miles per gallon. Iam wanting a smaller scooter, butneed to sell this one first. Asking$1,500. Call Tammy Davis 405-524-9429 or 405-210-7438.
FOR SALE: ’01Toyota CamryL E , 4 c y l , m a r o o n , 1 0 3 kmiles,4door,AC,power locks/windows,Automatic,AM/FM/CD,great tires,exc.condition$7400. ALSO 1995 Green ToyotaCamry,4cyl,Automatic,AC,powerlocks/windows,AM/FM,cruisecontrol,great tires, in great condi-tion $3700. Call 405-255-5144.
FOR SALE: ’93 GMC extendedcab pickup. PW, PDL, AM/FM CDplayer, chrome mags, nerf bar.198,000 miles. New transmissionw/ 8000 miles, New crate motor2003 w/ 60,000 miles. All docu-mentation. $4,875. Call Terri at405-413-1058. Leave message.
NANNY NEEDED: Trustwor-thy, dependable nanny service orlive-in nanny to care for and lovemy 2-year-old son. Credentials,references and background checka must. Call Chris: 405-473-1267.
FOR SALE: 61-keyboardCasio. Like new, 137 tones, 100rhythms, and more w/stand. $95Call Ray at 405-485-3382.
FOR SALE: Cannon scannerin good condition. Includes CDand cables. $20. Lexmark printerin good condition. Includes CDand cables. $20. Call Sherry @405-600-8605.
.
TEXTBOOK FOR SALE: I havean introductory & intermediateAlgebra book, 3rd edition, for sale.Great condition! 405-206-4125.
TEXTBOOKS FOR SALE : Introto Sociology $45 and Living withDemocracy $45. Please call Terri@405-413-1058.
FOR SALE : Fundamental Ac-counting Principles, 18thedition,set of 2 books. $75. Call405-387-3629.
CITY OF EDMONDSummer positions@
Pelican Bay Aquatic Center:Asst. Pool mgr,
Cafe Mgrs,Cafe Staff/Cashiers,
Lifeguard Staff, Water Safety Instructors.
Golf Course,Arcadia Lake, Parks &
Recreation jobs also open.Job info line 405-359-4648
Parish Secretary needed atTrinity Lutheran Church, 57thand S. May, OKC. 12 hours perweek, committment to Christ, com-puter, organized. Call 405-685-3432. Leave your name a call-back number.
HELP WANTED: Part-time shiftmgrs., grill cooks and counter helpneeded for upscale food restau-rant in Mustang. Friendly atmo-sphere. Both day and night shiftsneded. Experience desirable.Please apply at: Lino’s Gelatoand Grill, 327 W. Hwy. 152,Mustand Victory Plaza, next toCarnival Pizza. Or, contact Rob at405-326-8424.
$7.50/HR-NO SELLING!DO PHONE SURVEYS
INSTEADIdeal for students.
Permanent PART-TIMEMon.-Fri. 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.Ask for Jane 405-525-3412.
FOR SALE: Bunk bed w/4drawers, bookshelf and desk. 3years old. $250. Lower bed frameneeds minor repair but is usable.Call Sherry @ 405-600-8605.
ATTN. SCRAPBOOKERS:Sizzux Die Cut Machine, SizzletsConverter, “Girls are Weird” al-phabet set, 16 Misc. Sizzlets incase, 3 misc. Sizzux dies. Over$300 worth of equip.All for $150.Call Barbara at 405-226-4004.
FOR SALE: Lady Trek CruiserBicycle. Red, Heavy duty, new inbox. $150. Call 405-677-3714.
FOR SALE: One used Lifestyle300 multi-action rowing machine.Smooth rowing action. Call 405-326-8134.
Dark Room Equipment ForSale: Dry table, darkroom lights,cameras, Nikor lenses, large printprojector.pans,darkroom timer,tarminating press. $300 OBO. CallPatrick at 405-496-6529.
2 ROOM MATES WANTED :To share clean,3 bedroom homewith female student. Non smok-ers. 3min from OCCC. Quietarea.Washer/dryer.Garage avail-able. $250 monthly plus sharebills. Call Ethel 405-361-0251.
FREE GIFTS AND DIS-COUNTS on merchandise forhosting a Pampered Chef party.Student working p/t to bring youAmerica’s favorite kitchen iitems.Call for details on becoming ahostess or making some extramoney selling part time.Call Jody757-295-1517.
12 • PIONEER • February 4, 2008
Enrollment numbers down slightly while student diversity increases “Enrollment,”Cont. from page 1
Volunteer tax preparers to offer free assistance for those with low incomes “VITA,”Cont. from page 1
volunteer that has beenhere for the last 15 years....”
Because of their experi-ence and training, Wigleybelieves the tax preparationVITA provides is just asgood as any pay service outthere.
“Every volunteer has to gothrough IRS training,” hesaid. “We all have to be cer-tified by the IRS before wecan do anyone’s tax returnfor them.”
Wigley said it is importantthat anyone interested inusing VITA to prepare theirtaxes this year should besure to bring their W-2s,1099 tax forms, Social Se-curity cards for all mem-bers of household on the
return, a photo ID card anda copy of last year’s tax re-turn.
Student Life AssistantMarcy Roll said the VITAprogram has been availableto students and local com-munity members for morethan 15 years.
She said the earlier in theday students come, the bet-ter.
“Because it’s a volunteerservice, there won’t always
be five people to provideassistance,” she said.
“Sometimes there mayonly be two or three volun-teers at the booths.”
Wigley said February is avery busy month for theVITA volunteers so longlines can be expected.
“Usually, people areantsy to get their refundbecause they have waitedfor it all year, he said. If theycan wait until March the
lines are usually a littleshorter.”
Student Life DirectorDarin Behara said VITA isa great service for thepeople in the local commu-nity and for OCCC stu-dents.
Behara said he wants tocaution students whomight consider using a ser-vice that charges money fortax preparation or one thatoffers an instant refund.
“It’s great to get a refundright away, but it is a ser-vice that you have to payfor,” Behara said,
“If there is any way thata student could wait a fewweeks for their refund Iwould advise them to do so,instead of giving up a per-centage to receive themoney immediately.”
He said the federal gov-ernment estimates onlinecourses will grow 10 timesfaster than all other collegecourses.
“[Online enrollment] con-
tinues to grow,” he said.“More and more studentsare discovering that theycan take college classeswhile balancing all theother areas of their life withease through our onlinecourses.
“It’s an extremely impor-tant part of this college.”
