SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 WWW.OCCC.EDU/PIONEER COVERING OCCC SINCE 1978
INSIDE IONEEROKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGEP
EDITORIAL
OPINION, p. 2
Staff Writer Christy Johnson has some some advice for President Obama: Stand up for yourself. Read more inside.
BOEHNER THE BULLY; OBAMA THE PUSHOVER
To comment on stories, or to access the latest news, features, multimedia, online exclusives and updates, visit occc.edu/pioneer.
CAMPUS LIFE
NEWS, p. 7
Learn how OCCC’s Richard Steere is helping automotive students get ahead of the curve — and how it earned him Employee of the Year. More inside.
STEERINGSTUDENTSRIGHT
Keeping in shape is tough during holiday foodfests. It can also be expensive. Luckily, OCCC has every budget type covered. Exercise your eyes, read on.
FITNESS, WELLNESS FOR ALL
PIONEER ONLINE
CAMPUS LIFE
COMMUNITY, p. 10
Campus clubs and organizations recently held a student fair, hoping to get your attention. Did it work? Find out inside.
CAMPUS CLUBSSEEK MEMBERS
OCCC site set for redesign
See WEBSITE page 9
DIRECTOR KEY IN BRINGING PROGRAM TO OCCC
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Design major Emily Cooper picks up her backpack from security student employee Megann Kroenert, at a security check-in station Aug. 31, outside the Bookstore. The security office offered this service free of charge for individuals who leave items outside of the Bookstore while they shopped inside.
In good hands
Plan is to make college’s onlinepresence more ‘welcoming’
SPORTS, p. 8
Program exclusive to collegeThere are students and patients
that need services and there are a limited number of providers.”
—Kathy J. Wheat Speech-Language pathoLogy program Director
“
JEREMY [email protected]
SARAH [email protected]
ThedigitalpresenceofOCCCisgettingacomplete makeover, said John Richardson,onlinemarketingcoordinator.
Thecollege'snewwebsitedesignhasaten-tativelaunchdateofNov.15,andisintendedtostreamlinethecurrentsite,makingitmorenavigabletoincomingstudentsandcurrentstudents,aswellasfacultyandstaff.
Richardsonsaidalthoughthesitewasup-datedroughlysevenyearsago,theupdatedidn’tchangeanyofthebasicdesignorstructuralelements.
“Whenwebuiltthesite,itwasonepage,andwedidn’texpecttoeverdoanythingwithit,”Richardsonsaid.
But that’sall changed,as the Internethasbecomeoneoftheforemostportalsforinfor-mation.Andasthewebsitehasgrowninsize,its increasing complexity has made it moredifficulttouse,Richardsonsaid.
BehrangAllahyar,OCCCstudent,saidhelikes the current design, but acknowledgesthatitdoeshaveproblems.
“Itseemslikeit’sallcrunched,andit’snotassimpleasitcouldbe.(And)Iwouldthinkabetter,morewelcominginterfacewouldbegood,”Allahyarsaid.
Richardsonsaidobtaininga“better,morewelcominginterface”isoneofthemajorrea-sonsbehindtheredesign.
But the team behind the redesign hasn’tstoppedatjustupdatingtheinterface.
Inordertoupdatethetechnology,andsolvemultipleissuesatonce,theteamdecidedtobuildthenewwebsitefromthegroundup.
“Ithinkitwouldbefairlyeasytousethenew
JOEY [email protected]
Oklahoma’sonlySpeech-Language Pathology As-sistant program has nowenrolleditsfirstclassof25studentsatOCCC.Thepro-gramblendson-siteclinicalexperiencewithpredomi-nantlyonlinecoursework.
One of the individualsinstrumental in develop-ingtheprogramatOCCC,in partnership with theOklahoma Speech andHearing Association, isnewSpeech-LanguagePa-thologyProgramDirectorKathyJ.Wheat,whobeganher tenure on campus inJune.
Wheat has 18 years ofexperienceworkinginthefield of speech-languagepathologyservices.
Wheat said right nowthere are severe and per-
sistentshortagesofspeechpathologistassistantsinthestateandthenation.
“There are students andpatientsthatneedservicesand there are a limitednumber of providers,” shesaid.“Sojobopportunitiesareabundant.”
Wheat said speech-lan-guagepathologyassistantsworkunderthesupervisionand licensureofaspeech-language pathologist. To-gether they work to treatadults and children withcommunicative impair-ment.
“Thefieldisbroad,withlots of opportunities,” shesaid. Speech-language pa-thology assistants might
work with a patient whohas had a stroke, mightworkwithapatientwhohashadswallowingdifficultiesorissues,mightworkwithstudentsinpublicschoolswho have had difficultieslistening,speaking,readingorwriting.
Wheat said students inthe program are partici-patinginthreespeechlan-guage pathology assistantcourses this fall, targetingtheirdegreeprogram.
“Thereare61creditswith18 of general educationcoursesand42inspeech-languagecontentwork.Ofthat, they will have two
See LANGUAGE page 9
HouseSpeakerJohnBoehnerhasdissedthePresi-dentoftheUnitedStatesagain.
For those who are unaware, President BarackObama wanted to make a speech before the joint
sessionofCongresstounveilhisneweconomicplaninregardstocreatingmorejobs.
Obama sent a message toHouseSpeakerBoehnerinre-gardstoaspeechObamawantedtooriginallymakeSept.7,butwasrescheduledforSept.8.
Boehnerandhisofficewerenoted as saying the denial ofthepresident’srequesttospeakonSept.7wasbecausehedidnotwantthespeechtointerferewiththeGOPdebate,whichwas
scheduledforthesameday.Thistypeof“politicaldissing”isleadingmanyto
ponderanumberofquestions inregards to thesetypesofissues.
WouldBoehnerhavedonethistoanyotherpresi-dent?
Former Presidents George Bush Jr. and GeorgeH.W.Bushwouldnothavebeentoldto“kickrocks”byBoehner.
AccordingtoanarticlefromFoxNews,Rep.SteveIsrael(D-NY),theheadoftheDemocraticCongres-sional Campaign Committee, declared Boehner’s
Political war of words doesn’t benefit citizensEDITORIAL | Politicians should stop playing games and focus on the people
YOUR VIEW | Professor Robertson recommends her own in-depth discussion
move “disgraceful” and accused Republicans of“playingpoliticalgames.”
ManyfeelBoehnerisgoingabittoofarwiththisandfeelheisbecomingpartoftheprobleminsteadofthesolution.
According to The Huffington Post, an Obamaadministration aide told the website, “The wholethingissilly.
“WearefinewithThursday[Sept.8]andwouldhave proposed that to begin with if Boehner hadtoldusWednesday[Sept.7]didn’twork…Whyhedidn’tisjustamystery.”
People make up their own minds and in somecases,understandably,havetoagreetodisagreeinordertokeepthepeace,buttotellthePresidentof
theUnitedStates“no”toaspeechonaneconomicplanthatcouldimpactanout-of-workcountryyouclaimtolovemaybegoingtoofarinthepoliticalgrandstandingbyBoehner.
IsBoehnerblatantlybeingdisrespectfulbydeny-ingthePresident’srequesttospeak,orisheplayinghardballforagreatercause?
Boehnerneedstostandfirmwithhisbeliefsifhefeelsheisrightonanissue—butheneedstocutout95percentofhispoliticalbullying.
Also,manyObamasupportersarewondering ifthepresidentislyingdownforBoehner,orifheissimplytakingthehighroadinthissituationinordertokeepthepeace.
Some of those supporters have been saying, al-thoughtheystilllikethepresident,theyfeelheneedstobemoreforceful.
Heneedstostopaskingpermissiontobepresidentandjust”be”thePresidentoftheUnitedStates.
Obama needs to realize he is the president andstopbeing“politicallypunked”byBoehnerortherestofCongress.
NomatterwhereU.S.citizensstandontheissues,itgoeswithoutsayingprettymuchallsidesfeelthatthe people who are put in office to represent thepeopleofthiscountryneedtogettheiracttogetherorgivetheirjobstosomeofuswhoareinneedofemployment.
—Christy JohnsonStaff Writer
To the editor:Regarding Ms. John-
son’s review of “TheHelp,” I would like tomakeseveralcorrections.
The character Skeeterwas not raised by Aibi-leen.ConstantinewasthenameofSkeeter’snanny.
Skeeter did not selecther topic for a story in
the newspaper as yourreviewerimplies.
The newspaper jobwasasimplecolumnonhow to clean and cook.The book project wasunrelatedtoSkeeter’sdayjobasacolumnistforthenewspaper,andhertopicfor a book project wasselectedafterwitnessing
thepoortreatmentofthedomestics by Skeeter’sownpeers.
Therehasbeenagreatdeal of interest in “TheHelp,”(bothpositiveandnegative.)
In August, the (web-site)OralHistoryH-Net(www.h-net.org) pub-lished an official state-
ment by the Women’sAssociation of BlackHistorians which con-demned the movie foritsnegativeportrayalofBlackAmericanmaids
Inresponse,OralHis-toryH-Netpublishedmyalternativeview.
Ifyourreadersarein-terested in an in-depth
discussionofthemovie,theymaysendarequestfor my article to [email protected].
Regardlessofsomeofthe Hollywood libertiestakenin“TheHelp,”thestory gives an excellentportrayaloftherealities
History prof corrects mistakes in ‘The Help’ reviewofJimCrowin1960sMis-sissippi.Irecommendthebookandthemovie.
AssoonasitcomesoutonDVD,I’llbeshowingittomy#1493U.S.His-toryclass.
—Claudette Robertson
Adjunct History Professor
Christy Johnson
No matter where U.S. citizens stand on the issues ... the people
who are put in office to represent the people of this country need to get their act together or give their
jobs to some of us who are in need of employment.”
—chriSty JohnSon
Staff Writer
“
2 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
OPINION
IONEEROKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PWhitney Knight...................Online EditorCasey Akard.....................VideographerRobert Bolton.....................Online WriterCybele Hsu..........Graphics/WebmasterAaron Donahue......Circulation ManagerRichard Hall..............Acting Lab DirectorShawn Stawicki.................Lab AssistantSue Hinton....................Faculty Adviser
7777 S. May Oklahoma City, OK 73159
phone:405-682-1611, ext. 7307
email:[email protected]
The PIONEER is a publication of Oklahoma City Community College through the Division of Arts and Humanities. It is published weekly during the 16-week fall and spring semesters and the eight-week summer session.
Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the PIONEER, the college or the publisher.
The PIONEER welcomes letters to the editor and encourages the use of this publication as a community forum. All letters must include the author’s name, address, phone number and signature. E-mail letters should include all but the signature. The PIONEER will withhold the author’s
name if the request is made in writing. The PIONEER has the right to edit all letters
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Letters to the editor can be submitted to the PIONEER office, located in room 1F2 on the first floor of the Art and Humanities Building, mailed to 7777 S. May Ave., Oklahoma City, Okla. 73159, or submitted via e-mail to [email protected] with a phone number for verification included. The PIONEER ONLINE also can be accessed at www.occc.edu/pioneer.
Vol. 40 No. 4Jeremy Cloud................................EditorEmily Schorr.......................Senior WriterChristy Johnson.....................Staff WriterSarah Hussain.......................Staff WriterPriscilla Colley.......................Staff WriterMike Wormley............Community WriterSean Tolbert.......................Sports WriterRachel Morrison...............PhotographerCynthia Praefke.....Advertising Manager
DreamRift presents a monstrous ‘Tale’
SALON REVIEW | Déjà Vu serves up enough style to make the Kardashians jealous
VIDEO GAME REVIEW | ‘Monster Tale’ reminiscent of ‘Megaman’ games
Salon visit anything but a repeat
DreamRift’s“MonsterTale” is a fairly newgame with a messagethat’s been around forthousandsofyears.
The message is thatpeoplesetrulesandtellyou what to do for areason.
Why is a moralitytale in a video gamethough? Classically,moralitytalesweretoldtoimpartalesson.
What I got from thegameisthatyoushoulddo your chores, don’tplay so rough withyour toys,andthatyouaren’t the center of theuniverse.
There is one morelesson, though, and
Students!PleaseputWednesday,Oct.5,onyourcalendars.TheOCCCJobFair&HealthJobFairwillprovideagreatopportunitytotalkwithoverone-hundredemployersfromacrossOklahoma.
Traditionally, close to 4,000 job-seekersattend this largest employment event in theOklahomaCitymetroarea,anditisopentothepublic!Nopre-registrationisrequired.
Approximatelyseventygeneralemployerswillbe located intheGeneralDiningareaof theStudentUnionfrom10a.m.to2p.m.andthirtyhealthemployerswillbeavailable inCollegeUnionRooms1and2fromnoonuntil6p.m.Ican’tthinkofabetterprocessforinvestigatingfuturecareerfieldsthanactuallytalkingwithpotentialemployers.Manyemployerswillbehiringonthespotandseveralareconductinginterviewsthedayoftheevent.
Job Fair Success Tips:•Dressprofessionally•Turnoffyourcellphone•Nevertextwhiletalkingwitharecruiter•Covertattoosandremovedecorativebody
piercings•Bringextraresumesprintedonresumepaper•Planyourstrategyandtimetotalkwithas
manyemployersaspossible• Prepare your 15-second “Who I am” in-
troduction•Smileandexhibitapositive“Cando”attitude•Utilizeafirm,notcrushinghandshake• Research the employers that will attend
thejobfair•Becourteousanddon’tover-stayyourvisit
withtherecruiter•Pick-upthebusinesscardoftherecruiter•Thanktherecruiterfortalkingwithyou• Step away from the recruiter’s table and
makeanoteofthevisit•Ifinterestedinemployment,sendathank-
youemailtotherecruiter•Removenon-professionalphonemessages
fromyourcellandhomephonePleasevisittheofficeofStudentEmployment
andCareerServices,MainBuilding,firstfloor,Room1G7foradditionalinformationandre-member,studentsmayprintuptotenresumesperdayonfreeresumepaper.Youmayalsopickupacurrentlistofparticipatingemploy-ers.Goodluck!
—Debra VaughnStudent Employment & Career Services
Director
Arecentvisit toDéjàVuSalon&Spalocatedoff Interstate-240 andWalkerleftmereminis-cent of my past experi-encesinhairsalons,andthatfeelingwasanythingbutdéjàvu.
Too often my experi-encewithhairstylistshasbeenabeautydisaster.
Either they cut toomuchofforhavestyleditintosomethingthatre-sembledaFrenchpoodle.
Never a good combi-nation when you are ayoung woman aimingtohavestylethatwouldmake the Kardashiansenvious.
DéjàVuisyourstereo-typicalhairsalon:stylistssportingthelatestinhairtrends,thearomaoftop-of-the-line professionalhair products, and thesound of blow dryersmixed with the uselesschatterofsalongossip.
All of the things that
give you warm fuzzyfeelings.
Beyond the commonhaircutsandcolors,thissalonalsooffersproductsand services such asan infrared sauna, hairextensions, permanentmakeup, massages, fa-cials, hair straighteningtreatmentsandsoon.
DéjàVushowcasestal-entedstylistswhoappeartobepassionateandquiteskilledintheircraft.
ThestylistsatDéjàVuall had clients in theirchairs that appeared tobequitepleasedwiththeworkbeingdone.
Thestylistwhoworkedonme,Tammy,gavemeabriefconsultationbeforeshebeganherwork.WediscussedthehaircutthatI desired, and she gaveme input on what shethoughtwouldworkwellwithmyfacialshapeandstylepreference.
Tammy, who also
worksforbighaircom-panies such as CricketandBionic,hasthebestprices for the skills sheperforms.
Withthisinmind,myonlycomplaintwouldbethatIwasundercharged.
Though I didn’t par-ticipateinanyofthespatreatments, my initialimpressionhaswonmeoverasarepeatclientandwalkingadvertisement.
With an increased
boost in confidence, Iwalked away loving myhair and feeling sexierthanIhadinawhile.
Alas, I could finallygive the Kardashians arunfortheirmoney.
ThoughIcanbecyni-cal and critical withmost places of businessand products, Déjà VudeservesanArating.
Rating:A—Casey R. Akard
Videographer
this is a big one: Thereare some things thatyoucan’tdo,nomatterhow badly you want todo them. And, while itlookslikeyoucoulddoit, it’s probably a badideatotryit.
The concept of themorals in the gameweren’t lost on me.However, the moralof the story isn’t whatmakesthegamefun.
The game itself playslike “Super Metroid”,andnewer“Castlevania”games.There isa lotofbacktracking involved,lots of upgrades andgeneral itemcollection,aswellasapet.
The pet is Chomp,
and he’s your ownpersonalguard.
He gains experienceforhelpingkillenemieswhile he’s on the topscreen and uses food,toys,andequipment.
You can improvethe effectiveness ofhis fighting throughlevelingandgivinghimitems.
He also evolvesdepending on if youfeedhimcertain foods,though the maximumlevelforhimis30.
Some things arebetterforevolvingthanothers though,sogototheevolutionpagewithselectfrequently.
The graphics remind
me of some of thelater “Megaman”games, especiallyas the protagonist’sranged attack involvesshooting energy fromanarmband.
The action isentertaining, and theabilities Chomp picksup from his evolutionsare fairly good, thoughonce you get “Musashisomersault,” you won’tbe using much else. It’sthatawesome.
There is even apercentage completedby the end of it, soyou can set quirkychallenges for yourselflike with most“Metroid”games.
Overall, I reallylikedthegame.Ithasaclassic feel to it,evenifitdoes looka lot likea“Megaman”copy.
I would suggestplayingthegame.
Rating:A—Robert Bolton
Online Writer
Stacy Mckinley, Déjà vu stylist, cuts a client’s hair.
Photo by casey akaRd
PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 • 3
COMMENTS AND REVIEWS
4 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
Disneyhasalwaysbeensynonymouswithfamily-friendlyfun.
Inrecentyears,however,thatfamily-friendlyfunisnowheretobefoundinflickslike“HighSchoolMusical”and“HannahMontana,”whichamusethetween crowd but leave the rest of uscringing.
Andthen,therewas“Prom,”releasedonDVDandBlu-rayAug.30.
Assimpleas that titlemightseem,don’tletitfoolyou—foramoviere-volving around a high school dance,thisonesurehasalotofheart.
Afterafiredestroysthepromdecora-tionsshepouredherheartintocreating,overachieving senior Nova Prescott(Aimee Teegarden) is saddled withanunsympatheticbadboytohelpherrebuild.
ThatbadboyisJesseRichter(ThomasMcDonell), whose character goesmuchdeeperthanhisleather-wearing,motorcycle-ridingpersonafirstletson.
AnyonewhohaseverseenaromanticmovieorheardthestoryofRomeoandJulietcanprobablyguesshowNovaandJesse’sstorywillend,but it’sasweet,enjoyableride.
Evenifyou’renotasappyromanticatheart,don’tworry:“Prom”isn’tallrainbowsandbutterflies.
While the movie may focus onNovaandJesse’sbuddingrelationship,“Prom”alsoincludesahandfulofsidestoriesaboutothercharacters.
Theseb-storiesrangefromthesilly,such as blissfully clueless Rolo (JoeAdler) preparing for a date with asupermodel, to the serious, like pre-sumptive prom queen Jordan (KylieBunbury)strugglingwithherlongtimeboyfriend’sinfidelity.
Suchtopicsaren’tthenormforDis-ney—andthat’swhatmakes“Prom”standout.
It’sgreatforparentsseekinghealthyalternativestoshowslike“GossipGirl”and“PrettyLittleLiars”—showsthatare marketed towards teenagers butcontainsex-soaked,booze-ladensto-rylinesthatmightaswellbelonginanR-ratedhorrorflick.
Buteventhough“Prom”issuitablefor teens and tweens, it is perfectlyenjoyableforadults,too.
Especiallyifyou’resickofhoweverymovie nowadays is full of smut that
Movie offers family-friendly fun
Music venue adds color to college town Astheweekend iscoming toanendandSundaynightapproaches,peoplearewindingdownandgettingreadyfortheweekahead.ButnotthepeopleinNorman—forthem,it’sjustanothernightatTheDeli,309WhiteSt.
ItisnotarulethatapersonhastobeastudenttopartakeinwhatTheDelioffers.Therearemanylocalsthatareat The Deli every Sunday night. It isnotevenarulethatyouhavetobeanOUstudenttobeallowedin:Thereareoftenstudentsfrommanymetro-areacollegesatTheDeli.
Don’t be discouraged with the oc-casionallonglineatTheDeli,becauseitwillmovequicklyandthereisaviewtoeverythinggoingonintheinside.
Thecost is$5at thedoorand it is21toenter,butthosewhoareunder-age have been known to watch fromoutsidethroughthewindow.
Onceinside,thepopulardrinkTheDelioffersisthelegendary“RedCup,”essentiallythreedraftsworthofbeerinasinglecup,forareasonablylowprice.
MikeHostyisastapleatTheDeli
everySundaynight“until theendoftime,” so says Big Bill Mulligan, TheDeli’sbartender.
Hosty’smusicisfunandfunny,and
letsthemindwonder.Titleslike“EatYer Mac and Cheese” and “FraidyHole”bringout the laughterandthedancing of the crowd. While titles
like “Took the Train” and “ MarriedMan”getalittlebluesy.Thenthesongs“Chewbacca”and“Pterodactyl”comeonandthecrowdjustscreamsrandomsounds.
ThemaintreatoftheentireSundaynight Deli experience is “The DeliLight Show.” Hosty begins playing“OklahomaBreakdown”andnomatterwherepeopleareinthebar,everyonecomes running to the stage. It is thepointinthenightthatcommemoratesa “Deli Night” for most. The songplaysandthenitgoesintoachant,“abreakdown,”“acrescendo,”“ascream,”and“alightshow”fourtimesover.Thered,yellowandgreenlightsofTheDelibegintoflashandthecrowdgoeswild.
It might not sound like much, butbeingcaughtupinthemomentwithaRedCupandsomegreatfriendswillbeaSundaynightthatyouwillwanttorepeatoverandoveragain.
HostyplayseverySunday.Rating:A+
—EMILY SCHORRSENIOR STAFF WRITER
producerstrytopassoffasaworkofart.Sosavethedate—oratleastanhour-
and-a-halfofit—andgrabacopyof“Prom” at your local Blockbuster orRedbox.
Don’tworry:Nobodybreaksoutintoamusicaloncethecreditsroll.
Rating: A—WHITNEY KNIGHT
ONLINE EDITOR
TOP 20 MOVIES weekend of Sept. 2 through 4
www.yahoo.com
1. The Help 2. The Debt3. Apollo 184. Shark Night 3D5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes6. Colombiana7. Our Idiot Brother 8. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark9. Spy kids: All the Time in the World10. The Smurfs11. Crazy, Stupid, Love12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 213. Captain America14. Cowboys & Aliens15. 30 Minutes or Less16. Final Destination 517. One Day18. Fright Night19. Cars 220. Bodyguard
MUSIC REVIEW | The Deli offers the legendary ‘Red Cup’ and local music for a five dollar cover
FILM REVIEW | ‘Prom’ is a movie with a lot of heart and isn’t all rainbows and butterflies
Courtesy Mike HostyMike Hosty plays at 10 p.m. every Sunday at The Deli, located at 309 White
St. in Norman.
PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 • 5
atedwithanassociatedegreeinbroad-castingandlaterreceivedabachelor’sdegree in public relations from theUniversityofCentralOklahoma.ShecontinuedhereducationatOklahomaState University where she earned amaster’sdegreeinSpeechCommunica-tionConsulting.
CorffgotherstartasaneducatoratUCOwhensomeonesheworkedwithsuggestedshelookintoteaching.
“Iimmediatelyresearchedthediffer-entuniversitiesandprogramsoffered,andappliedatOSU,”Corffsaid.“Iwasoffered the speech teaching assistantjob for two years while I was in theprogram.Ifellinlovewithteachingandbeingwithmystudents.”
OnethingCorffsaidshelovesishercommunicationclasses.Recently,shedesignedanewtechnologyusingheriPad,andshe’susingthattechnologyinherpublicspeakingcourses.
“TheInterpersonalCommunicationclassisnearanddeartomebecauseitchangeslivesforthebetter,”Corffsaid.
Laterthisyear,Corffwillshareherideas and technology at the NISODConference, The National Institute
Julie Young voted OCCC Employee of the Year
Speech Communications professor wins award
ACCOUNTING LAB TUTORIAL ASSISTANT HONORED AT THE COLLEGE’S OPENING YEAR CONVOCATION
EDUCATOR JULIE CORFF GOES THE EXTRA MILE
SARAH [email protected]
Julie Young, OCCC’s accountinglab tutorial assistant, received theEmployeeoftheYearAwardforhourlyworkers at the school’s opening yearconvocation.
“Ifeltveryhonoredandgrateful[towin the award],” Young said. “Someof this award belongs to the greatpart-timestudenttutorsthathelpmeevery day in here. Their hard workanddedicationmakeme‘lookgood.’”
Fellow faculty and staff membersnominateemployees.Thereareformsavailable online for nominating anindividual.
Young said, though accountingclassesdonotrequirelabtime,manystudentsusethefacility.
“We help students understand theconceptsthatthey’relearningintheiraccounting class,” Young said. “Wehelpthemwiththeirhomework,createpracticetests,wejusthelpthemdowellintheiraccountingclasses.”
PRISCILLA [email protected]
Speechandcommunicationsprofes-sorJulieCorffsaidsheissurprisedanddelighted to receive the Elven GrayAward.
“AsIreadaboutwhat typeofmanElven Gray was, I am humbled any-onewouldperceivethatIemulatehischaractertraits,”Corffsaid.
Thoseeligible to receive theawardmusthaveservedatleastfiveyearsatOCCCandbenominatedbyapeer.
Human Resources RepresentativeElaineSvecsaidanElvenGrayrecipientmustembodythedevotionandspiritthatgainedhimrecognition.
AllwhomethimrecognizedGray’stotaldevotion to the institution.Thecriteriasays:
“TherecipienthasdisplayedthespiritofElvenGrayby:Consistentlygoingtheextramile;Displayinga friendly,positiveattitude;ExhibitingdevotiontotheCollege;Becominganinspirationtoothers.”
CorffisOCCCalumna.Shegradu-
forStaffandOrga-nizationalDevelop-ment, an organiza-tionwithamember-ship of more than700 communitycollegesaroundtheworld.
Attendingclasseshere, and meetingher husband of 22years in an OCCCsummertheaterpro-ductioninspiredhertoteachhere.
“I have always desired to teach atOCCCsothatI could givebackwhatsomanyprofes-sors pouredinto my life,”Corff said,“Especia l lyD r. L i n d aT h o r n t o n ,P r o f e s s o rGwin Faul-c one r- L ip -
pert, and Professor SueHinton.”
The veteran educatorhas taught for more than22years.She taughtasanadjunctprofessorfor14ofthoseyears,andisgoingonher sixthyearas full-timefaculty.
“[Winning this awardmeans] that my motto inlifeprovestrue:“If it is inyourpowertodogoodtosomeone,alwayschooseto
begood.Peopleareimportantandweshouldtreatthemassuch.”
Julie Young
“I try to do more than what is required of me, a lot of the
things I do is not listed in my job description.
—JuLie young
accounting Lab tutoriaL aSSiStant
“
Julie Corff
Young has helped many studentswhohavecomeintothelab.Shesaidsherunsintothemyearslaterandtheyrememberher.
“Iamalwayspleasedwhenaformerstudentrecognizesmeandsays‘hello’and‘howareyou?’Ifeellikewemusthavemadeagoodimpressiononthem.”
OCCC student Erick Almaguer iscurrentlyenrolled inaccountingandsaidhehasusedthelabahandfuloftimes.AlmaguersaidYoungisalwayshelpful.
“Shechecksonyoueverytwoorthreeminutes,shewalksaround,youdon’thave to get up to ask her anything,”hesaid.
“Inaccountingtherearealotofstepsandshe’sbasicallythereeverysteptocheckonyou.”
Young has worked at OCCC forsevenyears.
Prior toOCCC,Youngworkedforseveral certified public accountingfirmsandcorporations.
“WhenwemovedhereIleftyetan-otherjob.…Accountingmovesbetterthanmyhusband’sjob.Whenheretired
IdecidedIwantedtogobacktoworksohereIam,”Youngsaid.
Youngsaidsheencouragesstudentstobecomeproficientataccounting.
“[Inthelab]weareveryprofessional,weteachthemthisisaverygoodskilltohave.It’sveryrelatedtoabusinessdegree.”
“Itrytodomorethanwhatisrequiredofme.AlotofthethingsIdoarenotlistedinmyjobdescription.
“Itrymybest.Justcheckinghome-work is not going to teach you whatyou’resupposedtoknow,”shesaid.
MyraDecker,accountingandbusi-nessprofessorandfacultyadvisertotheaccountinglab,hasworkedcloselywithYoungsinceYoungarrivedatOCCC.
Deckersaidstudentshavelikedtheir
experienceswithYoung.“Iknowthatanumberofstudents
do take advantage of the accountinglab, [and] they typically offer veryhighpraisedtoJulieforherassistance,”Deckersaid.
“Julie is very professional, veryknowledgeable and very student-oriented,soshehasdoneaveryfinejobinhelpingstudents.”
For more information, visit www.occc.edu/Business/AccountingLab.html.
6 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
MIKE [email protected]
ThisLaborDayweekendap-proximately23,700peopleandover320vendorsgatheredonOCCC’sgroundsforthe33rdAnualArtsFestivalOklahoma.Spiritswerehigh,thedisplayswere vibrant, and the foodwas reminiscent of old-timecountyfairs.
The crowd’s kinetic en-ergy mellowed into an auraofrelaxationastemperaturesleveledoffontheseconddayand welled up again for theperformancebytheOklahomaPhilharmonicandthemulti-mediaexperiencethatwasthefireworksextravaganza.
Manyoftheartistssaidtheywere positive about the im-pactoftheirworksandsomeof them would comment onindividualpieces.
“That’s White Rock Lake,”saidClarkCrenshaw,photog-rapher from Garland, Texas,aboutthepieceofhisthatwonapurchaseaward.
Festivalgoers pack OCCC campus Labor Day Weekend
“Iwentout thereonarealfoggyday,whichI liketodobecause it makes everythinglooksodifferent.”
Crenshawsaidhehasbeenshowingatthefestivalforthelast10yearsbecause“usuallybythetimeallthesmokeclearssaleshavebeengood.”
BradW.Fostersaidhisworkis“doodlingtotheextreme.”
“I’macartoonistwith illu-sionsofbeinganartist,”saidFoster,penandinkartistfromJabberwockyGraphix.
Henotedthatbeingablackandwhiteartistallowedhimtostickoutofthecrowdwithfestivalgoers.
Something that also stoodoutwithfestivalgoerswasthefood. In the foodcourtwerevendorspreparinganassort-mentofdishesincludinggyros,pulled pork, Indian tacos,gelato,cinnamonrolls,fajitas,andmuchmore.
“Roasted corn, anywherethere is roasted corn I showup,” said Doug Swope fromEdmond.
AmongthoseattendingwereOCCCstudents.
“ThisisoneofthegoodonesinOklahoma,”saidJacobNiles,festivalgoer and diversifiedstudiesmajorwhofrequentlyattendsartshows.
Stephanie Jackson plays the guitar and entertains a jovial crowd of fairgoers on Sept. 3. Jackson announced that she also enjoys performing for weddings.
Arts Festival Oklahoma another success
JaimeRodriguez,visualartsmajor,saidArtsFestivalOkla-homawasimportanttohim.
“Itendtogetalotofinspi-rationwhenI’maroundotherartists. So seeing their workgives me ideas for my ownwork,”Rodriguezsaid.
Overalltheeventwasamajorhit with artists, visitors, andvolunteersalike.
For more information onArtsFestivalOklahoma,con-
A panda-faced Lacy paints her small pot at the Paseo Pottery booth Sept. 3 during the Arts Festival. Individuals paid a small fee to paint their pottery and have it fired in an onsite kiln.
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
ARTS FESTIVAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
WINNERSFINE ART 1 – CAROLYN MEJSTRICK
FINE ART 2 – RUSSEL COOPERFINE ART 3 – KIM NORTON
FINE ART 4 – C. J. BRADFORDFINE CRAFT 1 – DALE ROBBINS
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Regina (left) and Rebecca Samual of Oklahoma City admire the hand-carved, southwestern art showcased by artist Ron Martin. Many of Martins pieces included Native American depictions. Over 23,700 people gathered on OCCC campus to enjoy art, food, and enertainment.
tact the Arts Festival Okla-homaOfficeat405-682-7576or at artsfestivaloklahoma@
occc.edu.ForvideocoveragevisitthePioneeronlineatwww.occc.edu/pioneer.
PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 • 7
Director honored with OCCC Leadership AwardSHELLEY BRANUMNewsWritingStudent
This year’s recipient of the
college’s annual leadershipaward directed a multi-yearproject to move the ChildDevelopmentCenterandLabSchool to its current loca-tionaboutonemilenorthofcampus.
Dr. Mary McCoy, directorof the CDCLS, was recog-nizedwiththeRobertP.ToddLeadershipAwardatthe2011Convocation and EmployeeAwardsCeremonyoncampusinAugust.
The CDCLS was formerlyhoused on campus but re-located to larger quarters atthe Family and CommunityEducation Center in January
afterWesternHeightsschooldistrictdonatedanoldelemen-taryschoolthroughtheCityofOklahomaCity.
McCoysaidshewasinvolvedineveryinchoftheplanningand designed the best use ofthenewfacility.
“I was very surprised andpleasedtoreceivethisaward,”McCoysaid.
“I have a tremendous staffandtheydoanamazingjobofmakingmelookgood.”
Theprocessofmovingtookseveralyearsandapproximate-ly20staffmemberstoplanandcoordinate,McCoysaid.
Originated in 2006, thisaward is named for the lateRobertP.Todd,whoservedasOCCC’seighthpresident,saidMarionPaden,vicepresident
ROBERT P. TODD AWARD GOES TO MARY MCCOY
Prof recognized for teaching tech
Dr. Mary McCoy
DREW HARTNewsWritingStudent
ThemostrecentrecipientofOCCC’s Faculty Employee oftheYearaward,RichardSteere,hashelpedhundredsofstudentsget off and running on a newtechnologicalfrontier.
Steere,AutomotiveTechnol-ogy coordinator/professor, isteaching his students how toconvertautomobilesfromgas-guzzling combustion-poweredmachines, to cost-efficientnatural gas-powered wondersoftheroad.
Compressed natural gas(CNG)conversionmayberela-tivelynew,butSteerebringswithhimalifetimeofexperience.
Armedwithnearly40yearsoftechnicalexpertise,16yearsofteachingexperience,andaclass-room brimming with cuttingedgetechnology,itbecomeseasytoseewhysuchanhonorwasbestoweduponSteere.ThoughSteerewasacknowledgedforhisteaching,heremainshumble.
“If you do something longenough,youareprobablygoingtogetrecognizedforit,”Steeresaid. “Not to downplay it, butIdon’tfeellikeIdomorethan
of Enrollment and StudentServices.
Thisaward isgiven toem-ployeeswhodisplayoutstand-ingleadershipintheirwork.
Candidatesforthisawardarenominatedbytheirpeersandselected based on leadership
qualitiesincludingexcellence,respect,honestyandintegrity.
Paden spoke to some ofthequalitiesthatshebelievesmadeMcCoyperfectforthisrecognition.
“Dr. McCoy made this asmoothtransitiontothenewfacility and provided leader-shipforthefamilies,staffandsupporters of the CDCLS,”Padensaid.
But the move was not theonlyaccomplishmentMcCoydeservescreditfor,Padensaid.
“Dr. McCoy accepted thechallengeoffindingawaytoprovidehigh-quality,low-costchild care to the students of
OCCC.Shedevelopedwhatwenow
refertoasStudentScheduledChildCare.”
As a result of McCoy’sdevelopment of the StudentScheduled Child Care pro-gram,studentsatOCCCmayenrolltheirchildintimeblocksof three hours for $5 to $8,dependingonwhethermealsareservedduringtheirsession.
This program has creatednewopportunitiesforstudentswithchildrentobeabletoat-tendschool,Padensaid.
McCoyisinherninthyearservingasdirectoroftheCD-CLSschool.
anybody else in the college.I was just very pleased to berecognized.”
Though Steere may feel asthoughhe’sdonelittlemorethanhis coworkers, his friend andcolleague Brad Walker woulddisagree.
“Ithinkit’smuchdeserved,”Walkersaid.
AsaformerstudentofSteere’s16yearsago,WalkerwasabletoseefirsthandwhatmakesSteereemployee-of-the-yearmaterial.
“Anytime I had a question,Rich was right there for me,”Walkersaid.“Comingintothefirstyearoftheprogramishard,butRichwasalwaystheretogivewordsofencouragement.”
The accolades are nice, butit’s what’s taking place in theclassroom that has Steere andWalkerreallyexcited.TheCNGconversion course they teachhasgainednationwidesupportand reach, attracting studentsfrom nearly every state in theU.S. These classes are in highdemand,fillingupasquicklyastwomonthsinadvance.
Sowhatisitthatmakesnaturalgas-powered vehicles the nextbig thing on the road? Steeresaid natural gas is the future,
becauseitcouldquitepossiblybe an answer to the growingconcernsaboutdwindlingfossilfuels.Steeresaidnaturalgasisgoing to stick around because“it’splentifulandcheap.”
How cheap is it? So cheapthatSteerecanfilluphisownconverted‘59Fordpickuptruckforamere78centspergallon.His tank is 10 gallons, so itcostshimlessthan$8tofillup.Though it cost Steere roughly$2,000toconverthisvehicle,itquicklypaidforitselfandthensome, saving Steere $22 everytimehefillsup.
While combustion enginesbellow out tons of pollutantsintotheatmosphere,naturalgashas a cleaner burn with fewerharmful emissions. Not onlycouldnaturalgasvehiclespro-videananswertoaworldwidefuel shortage, the implicationsfor a greener tomorrow arestaggering.
That’swhySteereenjoyswhathedoessomuch.It’snotaboutthe money or the acclaim forhim,butratherhisloveoftech-nology,hisloveofteachinganda45-year-oldloveofcars.
“IstillgettodowhatIlovetodo,andthat’sworkonthecars.”
RICHARD STEERE RECEIVES AWARD
SPORTS | Wellness Center offering multiple classes with a single pass
Have sports news you want to share?
e-mail Sean at:
Aug. 23 - Oct. 19: Registration for O-Trip 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament takes place Oct. 28 For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Sept. 17: Pepsi Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition — girls and boys age groups from 8 to 15. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Sept. 17: OCCC Youth Soccer. Ages 6 to 8 and 9 to 10. For more information, call the Well-ness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Oct. 15: OCCC will be spon-soring a Zumbathon. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Oct. 18: OCCC will be sponsor-ing the Senior State Games. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
All event news is due Monday by 5 p.m. for inclusion in
the next issue. Email [email protected].
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
EMILY [email protected]
Theholidaysarejustafewmonthsaway and that usually means goodhome-cooked meals with the family.Andwiththatcomesthedifficultyofstayinginshape.
GoodthingOCCC’sWellnessCen-terisaroundtohelp.
For a nominal fee, there are manydifferent types of fitness classes of-feredinarangeoftimeslotsdesignedtoworkwithstudentschedules.
The facility offers a group fitnesspass for $50. Jessica Hughes, occu-pationaltherapyassistantmajor,saidthepassisgoodfortheentiresemes-ter and allows students to take anyaerobicsclassOCCCoffers.
Thegroupfitnesspassallowsastu-denttoparticipateinasmanyclassesas desired while avoiding additionalfee.
All of the classes are available forthe group fitness pass. Classes rangefrom$20to$30each,sothepassal-lows students to get more for their
money.“It’sabetteroptioninsteadofpay-
ingindividually,”Hughessaid.“Thegrouppasspaysforitselfafter
justtwoclasses.”Kaitlyn Rider, physical therapy as-
sistant major, said the best aspect oftheWellnessCenterisit’salreadypaidfor.ThefeesatOCCCsupportthefa-cilities.
“I think [the facilities have] goodequipment,” Rider said, about theequipmentintheWellnessCenter.
The center offers different ways tostayhealthyatavarietyoftimes.
TheWellnessCenterisopen6a.m.to8:30p.m.MondaythroughThurs-day,and6a.m.to6p.m.Friday.
Thecenteroffersacardioareawiththree treadmills, two elliptical crosstrainers, and recumbent bikes. Theweightroomhasavarietyofmachineand free weights. The center alsofeatures a gymnasium and aerobicsroom.
The classes offered in the centerrangefromthenewaquaZumbaandsilvercardiotobodysculpting,cardiokickboxing,andPilates.
In addition to the classes and ser-vices offered, OCCC also operatesan Aquatic Center, which featuresan Olympic-sized swimming pool,which is available for recreationaluse.
The Aquatic Center offers recre-ationalswimhoursfrom6:45p.m.to8:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday andFriday.TheAquaticCenteralsoofferswaterfitnessclasses.
ForafulllistandschedulevisittheOCCCrecreationandfitnesswebsite.
MeganWoody,occupationalthera-pyassistantmajor,saidsheenjoysthefactthattheWellnessCenterisopenmost of the year, only closing whentheschooldoes.
“The center’s accessibility duringwintertime is key to its involvementinstudents’health,”shesaid.
“Ithinkit’sgreatthateverythingisinside.Winterisnottoofarawayandit’snice tohaveaplace to swimandworkoutduringthewinter.”
For further information aboutevents, hours and class schedules,visit www.occc.edu/RF/, or call 405-682-1611,ext.7860.
Stay fit on a budget with group passes
Improving motor fitness
Political science major Christine Phung uses the elliptical machine in the college gym Aug. 31. The facility is available to students with valid ID and community members with a valid membership card.
[email protected], call 405-682-1611, ext. 7676, or drop by 1F2
in the Arts and Humanities building.
LOG ON TO THE PIONEER ONLINE FOR
BREAKING NEWS, ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AND TO
ACCESS ARCHIVES DATING BACK TO 1998.
WWW.OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
8 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
SPORTS UPCOMINGINTRAMURALS
EVENTS
PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 • 9
www.facebook.com/OCCCPioneer
www.twitter.com/
OCCCPioneer
KEEP UP WITH CAMPUS NEWS FROM ANYWHERE!
Every day, you see more and more people using
their phones or tablets ... We need the site to reflect
those changes.”—John richarDSon
occc onLine marKeting coorDinator
“
Have news to share?How about a story idea
or a suggestion fora review?
Send an email to Editor Jeremy Cloud: [email protected], or call 405-682-1611, ext. 7675.
Website: Ease of use, mobile friendli-ness issues addressed for website redesignContinued from page 1
designedsite,”saidJessicaHughes,occupationaltherapyassistantmajor.
Hughessaidwhileshe’sneverhadanissuewiththesite,she’slookingforwardtothenewone.
Amongtheissuesaddressedbythenewsiteis the increasing need for web content to bemobilefriendly,Richardsonsaid.
“Everyday,youseemoreandmorepeopleus-ingtheirphonesortabletsinsteadofdesktops,orMacs.Weneedthesitetoreflectthosechanges.”
Thenewsitewillhaveafreshlook,makingitacleanbreakfromtheold.
“Wewantthatvisualcue,”Richardsonsaid.“Wedon’twantpeoplewho’veusedtheold
sitetocomein,seewhatlookslikethesamesite,andnotrealizethattherehavebeenchanges.”
Language: Program mostly online, contains hands-on clinical component
semesterswheretheywillcompleteaclinicalexperience,”Wheatsaid.
“Theprogramisallonline,exceptfortwosemestersofclinicalexperience.”
This entails 50 hours of clinicalexperience with a speech-languagepathologist either in a public schoolorahealthcaresetting.
Wheathasherbachelor’sdegreefromtheUniversityofSciencesandArtsofOklahoma, her master’s degree fromthe University of Oklahoma’s HealthSciences Center and her doctoratefromOU.
Associate Vice President for Aca-demicAffairsGregGardner said theSpeech-LanguagePathologyAssistantProgramwasdevelopedattherequestof the Oklahoma Speech-LanguageHearingAssociationafterOCCChad
beenlookingtodeveloptheprogramforseveralyears.
“The Oklahoma Speech-LanguageHearingAssociationcametouswithaneedinthisstateforspeechpathologyassistants,”Gardnersaid.
GardnersaidtheclinicalcomponentOCCCprovidesissetupwhereverthestudentsarelocatedacrossthestate.
“Ifyoulookatallofourhealthcareprograms,”Gardnersaid.
“Allofthemhaveapracticalexperi-ence in that clinical setting. It’s justreally important in creating a well-roundedpersonwhoknowswhattheyaredoinginaworkenvironment.
“Nursing, Occupational TherapyAssistant,PhysicalTherapyAssistant,and now SLPA have that clinical ex-perience.”
Accordingtopotentialemployersinhealthcare,anticipatedsalariesinSLPAvarygreatly.Reportsindicatesalariesrangingupwardfrom$25perhour.
Commensurate with degree level,thosewhoworkinpublicschoolscanexpectsalariesinlinewithteacherpayandbenefits.
Gardner said he has potential em-ployerscontactingOCCCtoaskwhengraduatesaregoingtobeready.
“Ifwecouldgraduate25studentsto-morrow,wecouldputthemalltowork.”
Wheatsaidineducationsettings,anSLPAcanbeateacherofrecord,theyareconsideredcertifiedstaff.
“SLPAsarenotconsideredsupportstafflikeOccupationalTherapyAssis-tantorPhysicalTherapist.Theyqualifyforteacherretirement,insuranceben-
efits,andcertifiedteacher’spay.”Wheatsaidherpassionis teaching
andteachingotherstodowhatspeechpathologistsdo.
“If we do that we can impact thecommunications needs for studentsandpatientsacrossthestateofOkla-homa,”Wheatsaid.“It’saphenomenalopportunitytoimpactsomeone’slife.”
Whether the client is a student oran adult, the speech therapist startsopeningaworldforthemorre-opensaworldforthem,Wheatsaid.
Wheatsaidinthespring,OCCCwillbelookingfor25to30newcandidatestotheprogram.“We’retargetingapos-sibleJune1dateforthoseapplications.”
Formoreinformation,contactWheatat405-682-1611,ext.7395,[email protected].
Continued from page 1
Forthatreason,Richardsonhasbeenwork-ingcloselywithdesignconsultantsfromNoel-LevitzHigherEducationConsulting.
Foralookatthenewdesign,visitwww.occc.edu/redev/.
Fair draws many studentsCOMMUNITY | Students gather in General Dining area to discuss Organization membership.
MIKE [email protected]
Representatives fromOCCC’sstudentclubsandorganizationsgatheredfortheirsemiannualStudentOrganizationsFairattheendofAugust.Thebackwallofthegeneraldiningareawaslinedwithboothsallowing each club topromoteitselfandattractnewmembers.
According to many inattendance,theeventwasquitesuccessful.
“It’s been a blockbuster,”saidZackSumner,business major andrepresentative for theCollegeRepublicansandChristCampusFellowship.
Hesaidthathewassurprisedattheturnout,whichechoedthesentimentofmanyotherclubrepresentatives.
“I would definitely sayit’s a success,” said CandiceParker, music major andrepresentativefromtheNativeAmericanStudentAssociation.
“It’salwaysasuccesswhenyougetanybodyinterestedinwhatyourclubiswantingtoaccomplishthissemester.”
Someclubswereonlypresentthefinalday,suchastheGamerGuildofOCCC,butthatdidnotseemtohurtinterest.
“I’m actually very happy with theattentionwe’veattracted,”saidMathewCaldwell,gamedesignmajorandGuildMasterforTGG.
“Justonlyhavingtheonedaytogetitouttheresofar,besidesthePioneeradvertisement … it’s a wonderfulturnoutrightnow.”
SupportservicesoncampussuchasStudentLifeandTrioStudentSupportServiceswerealsorepresentedanddrewattention.
“Wehaveactuallygivenoutseveralapplications,” said Laura Newton,advisorforTrio.“Wealsohaverequestedandgottenalotof informationfromstudentssothatwecansendthemmoreinformationafterthefairisover.
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Kappa Beta Delta President Michael Southerland encourages economics major Carolina Daza to join the business honors club during the Student Organization Fair Aug. 31. Twenty-three clubs participated in the Student Organization Fair Aug 31 and Sept. 1.
“I would definitely say it’s a success. It’s always a success when you get anybody interested in what your club is wanting to accomplish this
semester.”—ZacK Sumner
the coLLege repubLicanS/chriSt campuS feLLoWShip repreSentative
““We are really excited for the
opportunitytobeatthisfair,thisyear.”Ben King, business major and
representative for Baptist CollegiateMinistries, said his club is open toanyone, an acceptance that everyonestewardingatablecarried.
Some representatives commentedpositivelyabouttheeventasawhole,notjusttheirownexperiences.
“Itgivesthepeoplewhoarehereandrepresentingtheorganizationstohaveexposuretothestudentbodyandtoaskquestions,” said Heather Pemberton,psychologymajor,ofPhiThetaKappahonor society, who was assisting theotherhonorssocieties.
ChaseParsons,communitysponsorfor Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship,saidtheenergyofthepeoplesigningup mirrored the energy of the clubmemberspresent.
“Mostoftherepresentativesthatareexcitedabouttheirorganizations,theyputoutexcitementsotheygetothers
excitedandbeingapart,”hesaid.
“Ifitgoesinlinewithwhat they are doing incollegeoraneedthattheyhave, then excitementbreedsexcitement.
“Itdepends,youkindof throw your net outthereandyoutrytocatchpeopleandsomepeoplekindofwarmuptoyou.”
For moreinformation,contact theStudent LifeOfficeat405-682-7523, orv is it www.o c c c . e d u /StudentLifeandselecttheJoin-a-Cluboption fromthemenu.
MLA Style: A Royal PainThe Communications Lab is holding a
documentation workshop over the frustra-tions many writers have with MLA style. The workshop will be at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, in College Union 2. For more information, please call 405-682-1611, ext. 7678, or go to www.occc.edu/comlab.
GSA Popcorn SaleThe Gay Straight Alliance will be raising
funds for various events the club will be host-ing. This will be from 10 a.m. to noon Mon-day, Sept. 12, in the Union Foyer. For more information visit their webpage at occc.cam-pusgroups.com/gsa or their Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/OCCC.GSA.
Brown Bag: Part-time Jobs & InternshipsStudent Life is hosting a workshop on em-
ployment for students at 12:30 p.m. on Tues-day, Sept. 13, in College Union 1. For more information contact Student Life at 405-682-7523 or www.occc.edu/StudentLife.
Club raising funds for Somalia peopleThe Multicultural Business Club is raising
funds to support the people of Somalia. The fundraising event will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 15 near the Communications Lab and the General Dining area.
Hispanic Heritage DayMariachi Orgullo will be performing at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 in the General Din-ning Area. Contact Student Life for more in-formation at 405-682-7523.
OCCC planning garage saleThe Faculty Association Scholarship Com-
mitee will hold its annual garage sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6 and Friday, Oct. 7, in CU 1, 2 and 3. All proceeds will go toward student scholarships. Those who would like to make a donation should contact Librarian Linda Boatright at 405-682-1611, ext. 7468.
All Highlights are due Monday by 5 p.m. for inclusion in the next issue.
Highlight forms can be picked up in the Pioneer office, located in 1F2 of the
AH building, just inside Entry 2.
10 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CAMPUSHIGHLIGHTS
Pioneer classified advertising is free to all enrolled OCCC students and employees for any personal classified ad. Ad applications must be submitted with IDs supplied by 5 p.m. Mondays prior to the publication date. For more information, call the Ad Manager at 405-682-1611, ext. 7674, or e-mail [email protected].
FOR SALE: Limited edition wakeboard, still packaged: $200; new, limited edi-tion Jim Beam bean bag/cornhole toss game, $150. 405-818-0083.
NEED HIGH QUALITY CHILD CARE ON CAMPUS
WHILE YOU ATTEND CLASSES AT OCCC? For more information
contact: Dr. Barb Carter at the
OCCC CDCLS. 405-682-7561
READ THE PIONEER ONLINE FOR ALL THE LATEST IN CAMPUS NEWS!
www.occc.edu/pioneer
RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDResearchers at OU Health Science Center need
healthy volunteers ages 18 to 30, who have a parent with, or without a history of an alcohol or drug
problem. Qualified participants will be compensated for their time.
Call (405) 456-4303 to learn more about the study and to see if you qualify.
FOR SALE: 1994 Mazda Protege’, over 200,000 miles, but very well main-tained, good a/c. Stan-dard. Priced to sell. Call: 405-840-5334.
FOR SALE: Entertain-ment center/bookshelf/TV stand has multiple uses for books, photos, etc. Maple color engineered lumber. $50. Email: [email protected] for photo.
FOR RENT: Nice bedroom in a house with other stu-dents. $380 per month with all bills paid, including internet. Located in good neighborhood near 104th and Western,$100 depos-it. No pets or indoor smok-ing. Call:405-794-9999.
DO YOU ENJOY WRITING STORIES? ARE YOU A POET? IS PAINTING YOUR
PASSION? CAN YOU CAPTURE
LIFE ON FILM? Why not submit your
entry to the OCCC Absolute literary anthology for possible
publication?Applications are avail-
able on the table outside the Arts and Humanities
Division office.
INTERESTED IN VIDEO GAMES, pen and pa-per games, trading card games, board games or just gaming in general? Check out the OCCC Gaming Guild. Contact: M a t h e w. J . C a l d w e l l @email.occc.edu.
FOR SALE: Pecan, Bald-win, upright electric piano. Great sound. Call: 405-840-5334.
CAR FOR SALE: 2004, VW Beetle, GLS. Two door, power windows,locks and steering. Leather inte-rior. Sun roof. Cruise con-trol. 71K miles. Excellent condition inside and out. Gets great gas mileage. $9,995./OBO.Call:405-863-4195.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 • 11PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
CLASSIFIEDS TODAY’S CROSSWORD PUZZLE
12 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
FACULTY TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE PROVIDES UNIQUE ACCESS TO COLLEGE TECH EXPERTS
Convergence event comes together nicelyJEREMY [email protected]
Faculty and staff gatheredrecentlyforashowcaseofthetechnologies, both new andcurrent, that are the college’slifeblood.
Named “Convergence,” theshowcase featured a conven-tion-style setup, with thoseresponsible for the technolo-giesbeingdemonstratedandpresented sitting at tablesaroundtheroom.
Convergence is the brain-child of Robin Ying, Infor-mation and InstructionalTechnologyServicesvicepresi-dent, and Tim Whisenhunt,instructional video services
coordinator.“Iwantedtodoan
openhouse,togivepeople a chance tolearn more aboutwhat Informationand InstructionalTechnologyServicescando,”Yingsaid.
“But when Tim (Whisen-hunt)gotaholdoftheidea,hejustranwithit.AnditbecameConvergence,whichwasreallybetterthanwhatwe’dplannedtodoinitially.”
WhisenhuntsaidhefeelsthenameConvergenceisagoodexplanationoftheevent.
“Convergenceiseverythingcomingtogetheratonepoint,”hesaid.
“And that’swhat this event
does. It brings all the newtechnologies and services,andmanyofthecurrentones,togetherinoneplacesofacultyandstaffcanlearnaboutwhattoolsareavailabletothem.”
Convergencewasasuccessforanumberofreasons,saidTamara Carter, mathematicsdepartmentdirector,whoat-tendedtheevent.
“Itallowedmetojustwalkfromtabletotable,talkingdi-rectlytothepeoplewhohandle
thesetechnologieseveryday.
“Togetthatkindof expertise, I’dnormally have toschedule a dozenor so meetings,”Cartersaid.
Ying said inlightofConvergence’ssuccess,heplanstomakeitarecurringevent.
“We’re hoping to do thisagainatleastonceayear.Butif thebudgetallows,wemayeven be able to do it once asemester.”
Carter said she’s pleased itwillrecur,andlooksforwardtofutureConvergenceevents.
“It’s just incredible to beabletowalkaroundtheroom,
pickingupideasfromexperts,andbouncingideasoffthem.Icameawaywithagreatmanynew thoughtsonhow tousethese technologies in myclasses,andmydivision.”
Whisenhuntsaidthehewaspleasedwiththeturnout,bothofpresentersandattendees,asentimentCarterechoed.
“I’djustliketosaythankstoallthepeoplethatshowcased,”Cartersaid.“Ithinkitsparkedalotofideasamongthefacultyand staff, and I heard posi-tivereportsfrompeopleevenbefore I made it back to mydivision.”
FormoreinformationaboutConvergence, emailWhisen-hunt at [email protected].
“ To get that kind of expertise, I’d normally have to schedule a
dozen or so meetings.” —tamara carter
math Department Director