Apr 12 by MediaOCU

THE CAMPUS April 12, 2017 – Volume 110 Issue 51

Money Talks: Student senators question motives behind largest bill of semester Miguel Rios

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Student senators are questioning each others’ motives after what appears to be a conflict of interest involving top officials. The conflict began with a bill presented to the Student Senate on March 22 asking for $2,000 so three Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity members could attend a mandatory leadership conference in Nashville. The total cost of the trip was $4,000, according to the bill. Randy Gipson-Black, one of two Student Government Association presidential candidates at the time, presented the bill, but said he did not write it. Gipson-Black is a Lambda Chi Alpha member, but said he was only at the Senate meeting to learn about the way it works. He said Ben Patterson, Lambda Chi Alpha president, could not attend the meeting, so Gipson-Black was asked to present the bill. The conference would train fraternity members on a variety of things including rushing, hazing prevention and bystander intervention, Gipson-Black said. “The reason why we thought we could ask for money from SGA is because we’re going to bring these tools back to the campus. This isn’t just for our experience,” he said. The bill was tabled March 22 because senators wanted more information that Gipson-Black could not provide. The bill also contained discrepancies. It stated that three members must attend the conference, but listed the cost of attendance, plane tickets, food, and lodging for four people. Senators expected the bill to better explain the costs before it was brought back to them at a later meeting. If it had been rewritten, it would have been considered a different bill. Gipson-Black presented the Lambda Chi Alpha bill again April 5. By that time, he was the SGA president-elect. The bill still had the same cost discrepancy. “We were supposed to rewrite it. However, it never got rewritten by our President Ben Patterson, so the same bill got submitted twice,” Gipson-Black said. Patterson refused to comment on why the bill was not revised. Despite not being revised, the bill passed with a 9-1 vote, making it the largest bill passed this semester, said Holly Randall, former SGA vice president. Only one larger bill was approved this academic year, she said. Sen. Pierce Gordon (freshman at-large) voted against the bill. He said he didn’t want to establish a precedent where SGA would fund luxuries, like buying plane tickets for a short flight. “I argued that it was irresponsible, it established an irresponsible precedent,” he said. Gipson-Black is not a voting member of the Senate. But, his brother, Austin Gipson-Black, who also is a Lambda Chi Alpha member, voted for the bill. Austin Gipson-Black is the new SGA vice president, making him president of the Senate. Sen. Tommy Grossnicklaus (social sciences) said Austin Gipson-Black should have recused himself from that vote. Sen.

Grossnicklaus recused himself from a vote at the same March 22 meeting because it pertained to Kappa Sigma, which he's a member of. “It would have looked really shady,” he said. Zack Travers, business administration senior, presented the bill for Kappa Sigma fraternity during the March 22 meeting. It asked for about $1,600 for the fraternity’s 50th anniversary celebration, a weekend of events on and off campus for alumni and current members. The cost for the celebration is $17,151, according to the bill. After discussion, the Kappa Sigma bill was amended to $720 and passed. Despite recusing himself from the vote, Sen. Grossnicklaus said he suggested lowering the amount of money they would receive. Sen. Grossnicklaus was unable to attend the April 5 Senate meeting, but said he would have voted against the Lambda Chi bill. He said Lambda Chi senators being involved with such a large bill doesn’t look right. “It’s not the right thing to do,” he said. “The budget should be there for everyone.” SGA bylaws address conflicts of interest. Student Senate members shall recuse themselves of participation in any inquiries pertaining to themselves, according to SGA bylaws. Randy Gipson-Black said there is no conflict of interest because he wasn’t there as a member of SGA and it was not his administration at the time. In the past, he said senators recused themselves from a vote that pertains to them. “We’ve presented bills and Lambda Chis have always recused themselves,” he said. “Part of being SGA president is being objective, and, if I’m trying to promote my ideas just because I’m in that organization, that’s not what I’m there for. I’m trying to benefit each organization the best I can, but I’m not going to pay special attention to, say, Lambda Chi just because I’m a member. That’s totally against how I think it should be done.” Gipson-Black said he also does not think his brother Austin’s vote was a conflict. Randy Gipson-Black said Austin’s “constituency list” includes the members of Lambda Chi. Randall said a constituency list is just specific contacts for different organization leaders to have an easy contact in SGA. It has no bearing on the constituents they were elected to serve, she said. Gipson-Black later said the intention of the list seems to have been miscommunicated.

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Austin Gipson-Black previously served as the religion senator, meaning his constituents were students with majors in the Wimberly School of Religion. A different senator represents the Greek district. “To avoid a conflict of interest, Austin did not take part in debate. He just clarified questions, so he didn’t have a hand in debating or deliberating on the bill. He only voted and spoke on a clarifying question,” Randy Gipson-Black said. Sen. Gordon disagreed. He said Austin Gipson-Black should have recused himself from the vote. “When you have the possibility to vote and it’s something that is personal to you, I don’t think you can make as sound of a decision as you should,” Gordon said. “I think it would’ve been responsible, like Tommy Grossnicklaus did, to recuse himself from the participation of the Lambda Chi vote.” Nic Rhodes, former SGA president, had the ability to veto the bill, but did not. Rhodes, who also is a Lambda Chi, was not available for comment Monday. Editor’s note: News Editor Zoe Travers is the sister of Zack Travers, former Kappa Sigma president.

Senator finds discrepancy in fall budget during SGA audit Zoe Travers

NEWS EDITOR

Student Government Association was missing $1,492 in the most recent budget audit. Representatives found a miscalculation in the annual SGA budget. They figured out it was an error in the allocation of money to the School of Law. Sen. Pierce Gordon (freshman at-large) brought the issue to the Senate’s attention April 5. Gordon was reviewing the budget when he found a discrepancy in the money allotted to the Student Bar Association. “It was a simple algebraic error, but it was a lot of money,” Gordon said. This year’s budget has a lot of money left over, so the error shouldn’t cause any issues, even though it cannot be transferred back into the budget, Gordon said. “The error hasn’t affected anyone, but it was just kind

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of irresponsible,” Gordon said. SGA President Randy Gipson-Black said he would have liked the money to have gone into the rollover budget to be used for future projects. “That’s a pretty big mistake, and I’m not happy that it happened at all,” he said. Gordon wrote two potential bylaws to provide more oversight and transparency for future budgets. “All we can do is make sure we don’t make this mistake in the future,” Gordon said. The bylaws will be introduced at the next Senate meeting, which is scheduled for April 12. “This shouldn’t happen again,” Gordon said. “Institutionalizing the rules behind it to prevent actions like this is a step in the right direction.” The first bylaw calls for the signature of the SGA president, vice president and speaker of the Senate for the budget’s approval. The second bylaw calls for the presence of the secretary

The error hasn't affected anyone, but it was just kind of irresponsible, especially when the school provides us with almost $200,000 per year. Pierce Gordon freshman at-large senator

of finance while a bill is being held on the Senate floor. He or she should give a presentation of the budget and explain its importance. The current secretary of finance, as of April 11, is Joey Simpson, religion junior and new SGA chief financial officer. “I think this level of oversight will prevent any future errors,” Gordon said. Gordon said he hopes to postpone voting on the Fall 2017 budget until the appropriations committee, a part of the legislative branch of student government, reviews executive decisions made on the allotment of funds.

“I will put a high level of review on this budget in order to prevent any errors like this, especially with all of the things the executive is trying to push through, and I agree with, but we just need to make sure we do it the right way,” Gordon said. President Gipson-Black said he’s thankful that Gordon was able to catch the issue and is looking forward to changes. “People catch things and that’s good,” Gipson-Black said. “That’s how we grow off things. That’s how we learn to be critical when we’re trying to make the budget.” He said he’s aware that SGA needs to be transparent with

their budget and hopes they can be more diligent in letting students know what SGA is doing. “We’re not trying to hide anything,” Gipson-Black said. Gordon said student government officials are considering altering the budget so that there is one for every academic year and not one for each semester. He said the change would make the budgeting process easier, but it would be more time consuming. Student government officials also spoke about simplifying the SBA allotment process to allow for fewer mistakes. Former SGA president Nic Rhodes said he finds the process tedious. “It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever,” Rhodes said. He said he would rather SGA be given a certain amount of money and then communicate with SBA how much they will receive, based upon percentage and not student enrollment. For instance, instead of figuring the equation based

on student credit hours, 16 percent of the budget would be set aside for SBA. He said he thinks this change would be more productive than the introduction of Gordon’s bylaws. “The budget is passed through the executive before, so those bylaws are already enacted,” Rhodes said. “And it’s adding unnecessar y language.” He said clarifying the process of the SBA allotment will allow for more long-term success. Gipson-Black said he hopes that SGA can benefit the student body by being transparent and careful. “We know that we need to be more cautious going into this,” he said. “This is the students’ money, so it needs to be apportioned how everybody believes it should be apportioned.”

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opinion

SGA needs to avoid conflicts of interest, put students first Student Government Association should represent the student body and work to improve student organizations through funding, advice and support. Membership in multiple organizations is encouraged for SGA officials and involvement on campus increases the likelihood of getting elected. But, once elected, senators need to put biases aside and act in the best interest of the entire student body. After winning the election last month, then President-elect Randy Gipson-Black’s first move was to present a bill to Student Senate on behalf of his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. See Page 1 for more on the Lambda Chi Alpha bill. Though his inauguration had not yet occurred and he technically did not break any rules, the situation is unprofessional and poses a conflict of interest. Immediately after winning the campus’s support, Gipson-Black used his power to benefit his own organization. Austin Gipson-Black, Lambda Chi Alpha member, new vice president and brother of President Gipson-Black, served as the religion district’s senator at the time of the vote.

Austin voted in favor of the fraternity’s bill, despite the SGA bylaw that reads: “members of the Student Senate shall recuse themselves of participation in any inquiries pertaining to themselves.” While campaigning, President Gipson-Black said he would avoid conflicts of interests. He and the other senators should set a good, unbiased example. Student Senate also should avoid conflicts and should use SGA money in a fair way that benefits the most students because that money comes from students’ fees. Lambda Chi Alpha members have every right to ask SGA for funds, but Student Senate passed the bill at the full amount requested. Lambda Chi received $2,000, despite a discrepancy in the bill, which senators were aware of. This is a high contrast to the majority of other bills proposed this semester that the Senate amended and passed at lower amounts than requested. Gipson-Black said only three members would attend the conference the money was requested for, but the bill listed the costs for four people. Senators ignored the discrepancy during the vote, even

Talk Back “What is SGA?”

though they asked for a better explanation of the costs at the previous meeting. Not only did senators let Lambda Chi submit a poorlywritten bill with discrepancies, they didn’t make any amendments. They gave the largest allocation of this semester for an event that directly impacts only three people. This is unacceptable. Any extra money rolls over to next semester, so senators should have reduced the amount for Lambda Chi and saved the rest of the funds for a bill that affects more students. The bill shouldn’t have passed. Not when it had discrepancies the first time, and definitely not when there was no effort put toward explaning the costs in a more clear way. All members of SGA need to pay more attention to what they’re doing and think of the implications of their decisions. Bad decisions like this can be avoided if the student body keeps their representatives accountable. Pay attention and speak up when representatives are spending your student fees irresponsibly.

“The voice of the student body”

“Students Gain Awareness?“

Sierra Paul theater education freshman

Casey Andrews music theater junior

“I personally don't know, but I know the 'S' stands for 'students.'” Bailey Huerta acting freshman

“They're a herd of students who govern.” Addie Pollard acting freshman

“The Student Government Association, but I've got no idea what they do.”

“They do student governmenty things.”

Ashton Parrack vocal performance senior

Jonny Bloch design and production freshman

“A group of students who try and help positive change on campus.”

“They're a Student Government Association.”

Dustin Barlow acting freshman

Broderick McQuarters flute performance freshman

Hacksaw Ridge bogs down emotion with ‘generic scenes, clichés’ If you’ll allow me, I’d like to get somewhat serious for a moment before I start my review of Hacksaw Ridge. The movie is directed by Mel Gibson, who, if you don’t know, was a huge movie star and director for the last couple of decades before he was heard/ quoted as saying incredibly offensive things on separate occasions. He was rightly chastised by the public and media while his career took a massive hit and was basically nonexistent the past few years. I want to make this review as objective as possible, so while the answer to whether Gibson is a good person or not prob-

ably leans more toward the latter, let’s put that aside for a moment, give Hacksaw Ridge a blank slate and see where it leans on the good or bad scale itself. Directed by Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge tells the real-life story of Desmond Doss, a pacifist medic in World War II. Doss was criticized and ridiculed for not believing in violence or wanting to even touch a gun, but he proved himself at the Battle of Okinawa by saving 75 of his fellow soldiers, retrieving them one-by-one from the battlefield after the U.S. retreated. H u g o We a v i n g , S a m Worthington, Teresa Palmer,

Danielle Petersen is a violin performance graduate from San Jose, Calif. She likes playing with her cat and watching films.

and Vince Vaughn round out the ensemble cast. The movie is exactly what you’d expect. Our main hero stands by his beliefs, only to be persecuted against and then ultimately accepted by his fellow soldiers. The story doesn’t really deviate much from that basic plot line, and some parts can even be

cringe-worthingly cheesy, especially in the beginning. The film improves as it goes, hitting its highlights once Desmond gets to boot camp. Watching him work to save wounded soldiers on the battlefield really leaves you in disbelief at how far Doss went for his men and elicits a lot of respect for someone who

did something truly heroic. The film’s main problem is the lack of subtext, which also contributes to some of the cheesiness. Gibson makes any character who gets in Doss’s way, whether it be a Japanese soldier or one of Doss’s superiors in the Army, a caricature of a villain—you almost expect them all to have mustaches so they can twirl them as they laugh maniacally. The battle scenes are filmed to the extreme—lots of exploding bodies and screaming to the point where you start to lose any sympathy for any of the characters and end up just watching men shoot at each other. Sure, it

can be entertaining, but it gets old after a while. Acting-wise, Weaving is the standout of the group, and Garfield hits his stride once you get used to his southern accent and once he starts screaming on the battlefield. Few actors are better at letting their emotions run wild than Garfield. Overall, Hacksaw Ridge is a boilerplate bio-picture that has its moments of pure emotion and action, but then combines it with generic scenes full of clichés to make it an uneven experience.

Columnist discusses pressure on college students to drink alcohol I have never been to a college party. Not once. I have never had a sip of alcohol, and I’ve never smoked weed. Before I continue, I want to make clear that I am not trying to make myself seem better or holier-thanthou. Instead, I ask for your respect. I am not against risktaking. In fact, I think it’s an essential part of our existence. Unnecessary risktaking is where I become

disinterested. I have never been intoxicated because I know it will not better me. Since being in college, however, my abstinence from these substances has been met with so much disbelief, ridicule and comments like “well, we have to change that,” that I no longer like telling people this fact. Peer pressure is rampant and it’s awful. I was lucky, and my friends in high school never pressured me to drink

McAlyn Forbes is an acting sophomore from the beautiful mountains of Colorado. She loves petting any dog that she sees and reading in bed with tea.

or do drugs. College is a different story. I am pressured regularly into going to parties or coming over to someone’s apartment so I can “just try it,” and it is infuriating.

Fellow students often tell me I need to try alcohol just so I know what it’s like. What a ridiculous statement. If we needed to try everything just to know what it’s like, the

human race would have gone extinct long ago. Others tell me I’ll “never be able to play a character who’s drunk or high if I’ve never experienced it myself.” Again, what beautifully flawed logic. Anthony Hopkins’s portrayal of “Hannibal Lecter” in The Silence of the Lambs is widely renowned for being one of the most realistic and creepiest portrayals of a character, and, to my knowledge, Mr. Hopkins is not and has never

been a serial killer. Sh a m i n g p e o p l e f o r making safe choices needs to stop. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t walk around campus when it’s dark. I stay home instead of going out to parties, and I make sure I have a ride across campus, and that’s my business. You can think I’m missing out all you want, but a hangover-free Sunday morning sounds pretty nice to me.

cussion recital from 4-5:15 p.m. in the medium rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

MONDAY Jonathan Murrah's graduate trumpet recital from 6-7 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

Campus Calendar Calendar items must be received in the Newsroom or stupub@okcu.edu by noon Friday for inclusion in the following Wednesday issue.

WEDNESDAY Alcohol awareness golf cart obstacle course from 12:151:45 p.m. on Paul Hansen Drive

sity Center THURSDAY Chapel at 1 p.m. in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel

FRIDAY University closes at noon for Good Friday

National Librar y Workers Appreciation Day from 3-4 p.m. in the Rapp Reading Room in Dulaney-Browne Library

OCUPella concert at 6 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

SATURDAY Solveig Neseth's senior vocal performance recital from noon to 1 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

Campus Leadership Awards at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel Univer-

Project 21 concert at 8 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

Darren Heath's graduate percussion recital from 2-3:15 p.m. in the medium rehearsal hall in

Wanda L. Bass Music Center Karlye Whitt's senior vocal performance recital from 2-3 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Erica Punch's senior music theater recital from 4-5 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Ryan Robinson's graduate per-

April 12, 2017, Volume 110, Number 51

Photographers: Courtney Beyer, Donovan Lawson, Ali Wonderly Staff Writers: Taylor Rey, Prisca Lynch, McAlyn Forbes, Nathan Moelling, Adrianna DelPercio Film Critics: Danielle Petersen, Mary McLain Videographer: Emily Haan Ad/Marketing Director: Madison

Kelsey Day's senior music theater recital from 8-9 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

TUESDAY FCA meeting at 8:30 in the Leichter Room in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center Softball tailgate from 4-5 p.m. at Ann Lacy Stadium

The Campus has served the Oklahoma City University community since 1907. It is published Wednesday during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and exam periods.

THE CAMPUS Editor-in-chief: Miguel Rios Associate Editor: Sage Tokach Copy Editor: Chandler White News Editor: Zoe Travers Lifestyles Editor: Madelyn Parker Photo Editor: Elina Moon Community Manager: Lauren Berlingeri Web Editor: Nicole Waltman

Sophia Macias's senior music theater recital from 6-7 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-

Clark Circulation Director: Brianna Demuth Faculty Adviser: Kenna Griffin

ters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s phone number, address, major, and classification. The staff reserves the right to edit all letters. The staff also reserves the right to refuse letters without explanation. Letters can be sent online at mediaocu.com, emailed to stupub@ okcu.edu or dropped off at the Newsroom in Walker Center for Arts and Sciences. Submitted items may appear on MediaOCU and in the print edition.

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Elina Moon Student Publications

Love trumps hate Victoria Mayhall, political science freshman, laughs with Randy Gipson-Black, religion sophomore, as they tie-dye their free shirts at the Wesley Center’s Love Not Hate celebration from 5-7 p.m. April 5 on the quad. Above: Devaunjue Williams, religion freshman, and Ashleigh Robinson, music theater sophomore, prepare their shirts for dye. Love Not Hate began in 2008 when the Westboro Baptist Church protested a TheatreOCU show and it became an annual celebration that combats hate with love and acceptance.

Out of the Box students to perform play about love, identity Emily Wollenberg

STAFF WRITER

Rehearsals are underway for Out of the Box’s final production of the year, Consider the Oyster by David MacGregor. Performances will be at 10:30 p.m. April 28-29 in the admin tower. The play explores ideas of gender and human nature. It tells the story of “Gene,” played by Jordan Cobb, acting sophomore, who slowly changes from male

to female as an oyster does. The show questions ideas of identity and love. Sara Byerly, acting sophomore, plays “Marisa” and said she enjoys participating in a show with such a powerful message. “Consider the Oyster’s central message is about how to love yourself and one another,” Byerly said. The cast rehearses from 10:30 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday in the admin tower. Out of the Box produces three shows each semester.

The late night vibe sounds like it should make everybody tired, but I think it actually gives people a cool rush of energy. Katy Yates acting sophomore

“The late night vibe sounds like it should make everybody tired, but I think it actually gives

people a cool rush of energy,” said Katy Yates, acting sophomore, who plays “Jean” in the show.

Maddie Donatelli, acting freshman, is the liaison for Consider the Oyster. Her job is to oversee rehearsals, keep the production on schedule and enforce the rules of the theater school. She said the show fits well with the theme of this year’s Out of the Box’s season, “girl power,” which includes all female directors for their shows. The show is going to be a lot of fun, Yates said. “The cast and crew are all super positive and hardworking people,”

she said. “I can’t wait to really get into it.” Joe Bonfiglio, acting freshman and stage manager, said the show will be amazing because of the cast. “The cast is so immensely talented that this show is going to kick ass,” Bonfiglio said. For more information, go to Out of the Box’s Facebook page “OCU Out of the Box.”

Visual arts officials to host pottery workshops with community artist Taylor Rey

STAFF WRITER

The School of Visual Arts is hosting drop-in pottery workshops with the help of a community artist. Jarica Walsh, ceramics artist, curator and arts administrator, will assist with the pottery workshops, which are open to students and members of the community. Walsh lives and works in Oklahoma City, specializing in ceramics that explore personal identity themes. “When I came in January, one of the goals for the School of Visual Arts was to have a greater presence at OCU but also off campus in the arts community,” said Holly Moye, visual arts director. “So we started this arts/ artist series for the spring, and every month we have one or two workshops, public studios

or public arts commissions. We want to offer amazing arts opportunities for all.” In addition to the workshops themselves, Walsh will have open studio hours from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday until April 21 during which students can drop by. Students, faculty and members of the community can come by and create a pot, a coffee mug or a sculptural piece, and glaze it for free. Walsh said she had the idea because she knew there weren’t any current ceramic classes. “I knew Holly already, and we were talking about what she’s doing to increase awareness for the arts, and so I made a proposal to her to come in and use the ceramics studio to do a residency because there aren’t any classes being offered right now in ceramics,” Walsh said. “So we wanted to activate

the studio and allow students to come in and make work and see the process.” The next workshop will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 19 in the ceramics studio in Norick Art Center. The following one will be April 22 with the Native American Art exhibit “Spring Equinox.” One of the artists will be on campus to do a mixed media beadworking workshop where participants can beadwork on vintage postcards and learn about traditional Native American beadworking. For more information on upcoming workshops or guest artists, go to the Visual Arts Facebook page @ OCUSchoolofVisualArts. For more information on Walsh, go to her website jaricawalsh.com/ or follow her on Instagram @jjarica.

OCUEdge students prepare to perform staged reading about mental illnesses Harrison Langford

STAFF WRITER

The students of OCUEdge are preparing to perform their last production of this season. The Effect, written by Lucy Prebble, will be at 8 p.m. April 23 in the admin tower. The show will last two hours, including a 15-minute intermission. Admission is free. OCUEdge is a special installment of the School of Theater, in which students select a show and host a staged reading in the admin tower on a Sunday. Any student can submit to direct an OCUEdge show by completing an application April 12, 2017

process through Out of the Box. The organization chooses three shows for each semester’s season. The Effect is about two young adults who participate in a new clinical trial for an antidepressant. The two fall in love, and it becomes difficult to tell whether it’s the drug, the placebo or true love. Amanda Miller, design and production sophomore and the show’s director, said she picked the show because she is interested in mental illnesses such as depression. “This show says a lot of things that are really important to me. It has a great message, and it provides a lot of things for the audience to think about,” Miller said. “It is very relatable because it is modern and it talks

about medication and mental illnesses such as depression. There’s a little bit of everything in it.” Miller cast Alec Espinosa, music theater freshman, and Addie Pollard, acting freshman, as the principals. Additionally, Adelaide Ross, acting sophomore, is assistant directing, and Shelby McCarver, acting sophomore, is the stage manager. “Everyone is enjoying it so much,” Miller said. Miller said she hopes for a good turnout and recommends the show for those who like stories, science thrillers and dark comedy.

lifestyles

Walk for a cure Cancer survivors walk laps around the quad at Relay For Life. The event was from 7 p.m. April 7 to 7 a.m. April 8. This year’s theme was “Monopoly,” involving sidewalk chalk around the quad inspired by the popular board game. The fundraising goal was $24,000. Through different events and fundraisers, OCU’s Relay For Life raised $18,800, which will be donated to the American Cancer Society to help in cancer research. There were 18 teams and 173 total participants in this year’s relay, according to the Relay For Life website.

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Elina Moon Student Publications

Officials to host luncheon honoring young, successful alumni Nicole Waltman

WEB EDITOR

Officials are hosting a “30 Under 30” luncheon during All Alumni Weekend. The luncheon is to celebrate and honor 30 alumni under 30 years old who have made significant contributions to the community, their profession or the university. “We want to encourage alumni to come back on campus while also getting to recognize them,” said Marianne Hosler, coordinator of alumni relations. There was a submission period for nominations that ended in January, and winners were then selected by a committee.

“Current students can meet people in the fields they want to go into who are successful, in hopes that they will be inspired,” Hosler said. The luncheon will take place at 11 a.m. April 22 in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. “I think it’s important to see realistic examples of success from your school,” said Danielle Pike, acting sophomore. “It gives you an idea of the variety of successful paths that OCU can give you, and you can learn from the wisdom of those who have already gone out into the real world and had real world experience.” This will be the second time OCU hosts an All Alumni Weekend. Other activities during the weekend include sporting events, mixers and a distinguished alumni dinner.

All students, faculty and community members can purchase lunch tickets for $15. Ticket details and a full schedule of All Alumni Weekend can be found at okcu.edu/aw17. “I’d definitely be interested in attending an event like this just to see what I can learn from fellow stars who have had more time and distance from the school to learn how to apply all they learned here,” Pike said. View a complete list of the 30 honored alumni on MediaOCU.com. For more information, email alumni@okcu.edu.

Officials ensure student immunizations match state requirements Nathan Moelling

STAFF WRITER

Campus Health officials are auditing all student health records to ensure that each student complies with Oklahoma’s state immunization laws. “I have obtained a complete list of all currently enrolled students and have checked each individual’s medical chart, one by one, to verify that these immunizations have been received and completed,” said Alyson Dent, student health clinic manager. “If the student has not provided complete immunization records, we will be notifying them by email. If a student has any questions regarding this, they can contact the clinic and we will be happy to assist them.” The immunizations required by the state for all students are two doses of the MMR vaccination and three doses of the Hepatitis B vaccination.

I think the OCU clinic is a great resource for immunizations and minor illnesses, as it is convenient to have access to the facility and staff at the clinic directly on campus.

Abigail Padgett nursing senior

Students living on campus must have an updated Meningitis vaccination in addition to the vaccinations required by the state law, Dent said. All required immunizations are offered at the Campus Health Clinic. For students with university insurance, the payment for the immunizations is covered completely. Those without univer-

sity insurance are required to pay for the shots during their visit, but are still able to receive the full extent of these immunizations as they need. “I think the OCU clinic is a great resource for immunizations and minor illnesses, as it is convenient to have access to the facility and staff at the clinic directly on campus within walking distance of class buildings and dorms,” said Abigail Padgett, nursing senior. “In a pinch, I make appointments to be seen at the on-campus clinic, as I think the purpose they serve as being a fast and student friendly environment is accomplished. They provide same-day service, usually with a sick note for potential class absences.” See a list of student vaccine requirements at okcu.edu/ students/health/immunizations.

Students express concern about plan to replace Alvin’s Café with Chick-fil-A Zoe Travers

NEWS EDITOR

A new dining option is coming to campus, and some students are expressing concerns about lack of variety in new campus food options. University officials plan to replace Alvin’s Café with a Chick-fil-A. The decision was made based on a Jan. 12 dining survey asking students to voice their opinions on potential food providers. The Chick-fil-A will open in August 2017, Provost Kent Buchanan said. Some students have mixed feelings about the change of vendor. “I’m very excited about Chick-fil-A, but I am worried about the lack of variety,” said Kelly Pan, nursing freshman. “At least with Alvin’s, they had a good variety.” Not all students are excited about the food service option. Allison Sloan, music theater freshman, abides by a vegan diet and said she is concerned about having food options. “It kind of sucks because there were a lot of options that I had at Alvin’s that I didn’t really get from the caf,” Sloan said. “So either they have to step up their game at the caf or I’m going to have to eat off campus, which I really can’t afford.” Sl o a n s a i d s h e h o p e s April 12, 2017

Chartwells, the new campus food service provider, can meet students’ dietary restrictions like being vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or having certain food allergies. Chartwells will replace Sodexo in Fall 2017. Sloan also said it’s important for performance majors to have more options because they don’t have time to go to the caf, and they need quick, healthy food available. “Only being able to go to Chick-fil-A is going to really affect their performance,” she said. “Weight or not, it’s not healthy for you, and there aren’t really a lot of options at a Chick-fil-A.” She thinks it would be useful to speak with Chartwells representatives to discuss more variety, Sloan said. Lori Walker, director of auxiliary services, said students will have options and the ability to speak with Chartwells officials. She said students can voice their concerns starting May 15, which is when the transition between food providers will happen officially. In addition to the Chickfil-A, there are plans to include a market area for other foods, Walker said. Sierra Paul, theater education freshman, said she has a mild intolerance to gluten and prefers to have gluten-free options on campus, which she hopes will be available in the market area.

“I can eat Chick-fil-A and feel fine, but people with Celiac disease or those with more severe intolerance will probably not be able to eat there,” Paul said. Stephanie NozomiKrichena, music education/ percussion performance freshman, said she has been vegetarian for nearly four years. She said she became vegetarian because she saw health benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure. “I never enjoyed eating meat anyways,” Nozomi-Krichena said. “I feel like I have more energy that lasts longer and more focus.” She said she’s worried the addition of a Chick-fil-A will limit her food options. “I’ve only ever eaten in Chick-fil-A once, so I don’t really remember if they have any options for vegetarians, but I doubt it,” Nozomi-Krichena said. Nozomi-Krichena said taking away Alvin’s equates to taking away variety and convenience for students. “I don’t have time to make my own food or go out to eat,” she said. If the market place is added, Nozomi-Krichena said she would like to see more fruit and vegetable options.