THE CAMPUS
February 3, 2016 – Volume 110 Issue 15
The Man Behind the Grill
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Ali Wonderly Student Publications
Willie Butler, Sodexo employee, loads a basket with fries. Butler mans the grill station in the caf during the weekends. Butler deviates from the menu, allowing students to create their own specialized meals. “I’ve been working for 37 years and this is the best job I’ve ever had,” Butler said. “I get hyped when I see that line at the gate and you see the people run toward me at the grill. It doesn’t scare me. I’m ready to roll.”
Caf worker tells of his life experiences, his love for students Sage Tokach LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Willie Butler, the weekend grill man in the caf, feels grateful for students. Butler deviates from the menu, allowing students to create their own specialized meals. He takes any requests, but for Valentine’s Day, he goes all out. “It’s my responsibility to treat you well–like a name, not a number,” Butler said. “You’re not a meal plan. You’re a person.” Butler said his background taught him how to treat people, especially women. He grew up in a house with a mother and 14 sisters who taught him “domestic chores and gentlemanly behavior.” He lives alone now, but has a lot of family, including his sisters, nieces, and students. “I know my place on the food chain: elderly, children, women, then me,” he said.
“Blood is not thicker than water. All women are my sisters, and we wouldn’t have anything without them.” After moving out of his childhood home, Butler joined the Army and served in Saudi Arabia and in Germany. He spent three years in Saudi Arabia during the ‘90s. When he returned, he said he kissed the ground. “You learn to appreciate ladies when you spend three years in Desert Storm without them,” he said. “I thank God for my ladies and for you students. Without y’all, I don’t know if I’d be here.” Butler’s 12 years of military service caused him to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Working at OCU has helped his spirits immensely, he said, but it has been difficult. “I haven’t been to my therapist in two and a half months,” he said. “Know why? You guys.”
It’s my responsibility to treat you well–like a name, not a number. You’re not a meal plan. You’re a person.
Willie Butler
Sodexo employee
Before joining the Sodexo staff, Butler worked in a managerial position that paid $18 an hour. He quit that job to come to OCU because this job makes him happier, he said. In the eight and a half years he has been at OCU, he has missed two days. “I’ve been working for 37 years, and this is the best job I’ve ever had,” Butler said. “I get hyped when I see that line at the gate and you see the people run toward me at the grill. It doesn’t scare me. I’m ready to roll.” Each time Butler gets a paycheck, he pays his bills and uses the rest of the money to help his nieces. He has made car payments for them and even
paid one niece’s way through college. It’s his duty to help them out with anything, he said, no questions asked. “I’m not trying to be a millionaire. I have a million dollar heart, and I need to spread it out,” he said. “You can’t put a price on happiness. I won the jackpot already, being here.” One student said she appreciates Butler’s attitude. “When I go see Willie on the weekends, it makes my whole weekend better,” said Callie Dewees, acting freshman. “It does. I love the man.” Besides manning the grill, Butler caters events, attends basketball games and helps with sorority philanthropy weeks. During the week when
he’s not working, he takes walks and checks on his sisters and nieces. He also loves spending time with President Robert Henry and meeting students’ parents because he feels like their parent away from home. “ Take Amanda Wright (acting senior) and her parents, for example,” Butler said. “They make me want to move to California with them. Think they’d adopt a 52-year-old man?” Butler will turn 52 on Feb. 25. He said he plans to cook brunch and bring in sheet cakes for everyone, including students without a meal plan. “They think I’m crazy to want to work on my birthday, but I’ve got to spend my day with my family,” Butler said. “Since I see you the most, y’all are my first family.” To express his gratitude and show OCU men how to properly treat a lady, Butler will host a Valentine’s Day brunch with chocolate-covered strawberries,
cupcakes, candies, stuffed animals, and heart-shaped red velvet and strawberry cheesecake pancakes, he said. Butler also plans to print Valentine’s cards to spread on the caf tables. The Valentine’s Day festivities will include the Feb. 14 brunch in the caf, as well as Valentine’s dinner from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. The formal dinner requires two meal swipes, points, StarsCash, cash, or credit. Students can R.S.V.P. for the dinner by emailing Sherri Cain, catering director, at sfcain@okcu.edu by Feb. 10.
Officials review academic programs for elimination, changes Emily Wiley EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Academic programs still are being evaluated for prioritization. Programs placed in the “phase out” or elimination category, and some that were not, will be reviewed this month to see if they are functioning well enough to keep. “Most people don’t realize this, but academic programs are reviewed on a cycle every year,” said Kent Buchanan, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Prioritization was a little different in that we reviewed all the programs at the same time.” Prioritization allowed
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officials to see where university money was being spent and determine if changes should be made to academic and support programs. In the past, the program review was done by a strategic planning committee. After the prioritization process was complete, officials decided there needed to be a different plan for how to review programs. “We learned so much from prioritization that we felt that we needed to update the plan,” Buchanan said. “So instead of the strategic planning committee reviewing these programs, we decided to review them the same way we did during prioritization.” The deans of the programs that are to be evaluated will meet
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Visit MediaOCU.com for more on prioritization and to see the full list of programs being reviewed.
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with Buchanan, the vice president of enrollment management and the chief financial officer of the university. They will begin reviewing the academic programs that fell into the “reduce funding” or “phase out” category of the final report. They also will review programs that were not on the list but have reasons to be reviewed such as lower enrollment or changes already happening to the
programs. These programs include studio art, criminal justice and film production. See the full list at MediaOCU.com. If a program is found to be in need of deactivation, they will follow the normal procedure of faculty and administrators reviewing the courses. Once the program has been approved for elimination, it will then move to academic committee for final
approval. “Any time a program is proposed or deactivated it has to go through several steps,” Buchanan said. “What we will be doing is looking at the similar data from the prioritization process and be evaluating programs that may need to be deactivated or may need additional resources.” After this year, the review process will go back to its normal rotation of programs to be evaluated. “I think students are tired of the constant feeling that our programs are going to be cut,” said Joseph Smith, exercise science senior. “Reviewing is good but let’s not drag it out anymore than it already has been.” The cabinet will host an open forum for the campus community
to ask questions about prioritization and initiatives the cabinet has set to “guide their future planning.” Some of these initiatives include investing in upgrades for campus facilities, evaluating athletic programs in terms of head count and revenue builders, and creating a positive campus climate. See the full list at MediaOCU.com. Buchanan and President Robert Henry will lead the forum at 2 p.m. Feb. 17 in KerrMcGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business.
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Officials encouraged to consider all majors in GPA discussion For some students, their GPA is more than a number. Scholarships, membership in student organizations and graduate school admissions can depend on one’s GPA. Some students are stressed by the numbers, calculating what they can make on final exams down to the decimal point to keep or raise their GPAs ,while others know that making a C in a certain class will not harm their GPA. Our GPAs are important to us. That is why Student Government Association officials began a discussion about changing the plus/ minus grading system we use. Read the full story on Page 3. Students have differing views about the potential change. The plus/minus system changes the way our GPA is
weighted, meaning our A is a different weight than an A at a school where they use the traditional grading system. This is a problem for students who apply to grad school. Their GPA might be lower than someone coming from another school, even though they have the same grades. It also is a problem for those students who rely on getting a plus or minus to determine if they can move forward in their degree programs, such as nursing students. For some other programs, it doesn’t matter if you get a plus or minus to advance, just as long as you pass. So changing the system wouldn’t really affect those students, it would just change the way their GPA is calculated. The question becomes: if
“What is your favorite thing to order from Willie?”
officials decide to change the system, what would they do to make sure the change works for all degree programs? It is good that they are starting this discussion, but they need to listen to the needs of every program on campus to come up with a plan that works for the entire university. SGA plans to distribute an online survey to get students’ opinions on the removal of the plus/minus grading system. Students should participate in the survey and give their honest feedback, even if their feedback is that they don’t care either way. Change can be good sometimes, but let’s make sure we don’t leave anyone behind at the expense of others.
“Specialty pancakes, strawberry or peach”
“Reese’s pancakes. He asks me what my favorite chocolate is.”
Michael Vercoe-Curtis mass communications senior
Ali Bryant biomedical science/Spanish senior
“I like to get an egg white omelette.”
“Specialty pancakes, red velvet”
Anastasia Fields dance freshman
Sara Moore early childhood education junior
“I like to get the sunny side up eggs.”
“Breakfast burrito”
Mia McGinn acting freshman
Joel Andrews dance freshman
Editor remembers fraternity brother’s legacy “What are you going to do after you graduate?” That is the question many of us, particularly seniors, are asked more frequently as graduation approaches. This question causes stress, especially if you cannot provide an answer. At a funeral for an alumni member of my fraternity, two even more important questions crossed my mind: “How are you going to be
remembered?” and “What will your legacy be?” George Vaclavek became an honorary initiated brother of Lambda Chi Alpha in the ‘70s during his tenure as head groundskeeper at OCU. At his funeral service stories were shared about how he helped students get through college. He provided many students with jobs and housing, and he taught everyone around him the value
John Hiller is a religion senior from Ringling, Okla. He enjoys running, spending time with his fiance, Hannah and sarcasm.
of hard work. He literally left his mark, not just on OCU by landscaping around campus, but also on the Bricktown canal and various
other landscapes around the state. His legacy goes beyond the beautiful scenes of nature he left us. It lives on in every young man he showed the proper way
to trim a tree and with every person he encountered. Generations of men’s lives were touched by George. Unfortunately, I never got to know George. From time to time current members of Lambda Chi Alpha would take him to the grocery store or doctor’s office. I always made excuses as to why I couldn’t go, like “I’m too busy,” or “I have too much homework.” I missed
the opportunity to meet a brother and a great man. What you do after graduation is important. After all, why put in four years or more of hard work to get a degree if you don’t do anything after college? How you live your whole life is even more important. What made George’s legacy so meaningful is not what he did but how he did it, with hard work, dedication and compassion.
Critic finds lead ‘kind of person audiences root for’ An interesting lead character can make or break a film, especially when a spectacular actor portrays the lead. If the story doesn’t hold your attention, your love for the character keeps you invested. This magical combination of character and actor in addition to a moving story is what makes Philomena a wonderful film. Directed by Stephen Frears, Philomena stars Judi Dench and tells the true story of “Philomena Lee,” who turned to an abbey for help after a
surprise pregnancy in her teens. Forced to work in the laundry for years as penance and to pay her debt to the abbey, her son, “Anthony,” is later adopted by Americans. Fifty years after the tragic separation, she decides to try to find her son. Her search eventually leads her to Steve Coogan’s character, “Martin Sixsmith,” a former reporter just fired from his government job. In an attempt to immerse himself in anything he can to take his mind off his troubles, he decides to write a human
reveal the inner turmoil of a woman dealing with decades of repressed guilt. She makes Philomena a truly interesting person to study and a character that keeps the audience hooked. It’s difficult not to fixate on her during her scenes with Coogan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Pope. He doesn’t seem to mind though, giving a solid, relaxed performance while letting “Philomena” remain the key part of every scene. It almost seems as if he’s just there to accentuate Dench, as many of his best
moments come from reacting to her. He is perfectly content to sit back and watch her work. This is her movie and Coogan knows it. Keep some tissues close because it definitely isn’t the happiest story, but it is by no means a hard watch. Philomena is able to take moments that would devastate most people and somehow cheer everyone else up. That’s the kind of person audiences root for and want to spend time with, no matter what type of movie.
Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center
Center SUNDAY “The Lunchbox” film screening at 2 p.m. in Kerr-McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business
Cora Winstead’s junior voice recital at 8 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center
Danielle Petersen is a music theater senior from San Jose, Calif. She likes playing the violin, playing with her cat and watching films.
interest story on “Philomena” and her search for her long-lost child, as he accompanies her to America. The story is touching, and “Philomena” is a great character on her own, but Dench’s performance is what makes this film a must see. Dench is able to
provide the audience with a full spectrum of emotions that are honest, captivating and overall relatable, even as the situation itself may not be one that many of us could understand at a personal level. “Philomena” is a delightful woman, and Dench finds many great moments to
Campus Calendar Calendar items must be received in the Newsroom or stupub@okcu.edu by noon Friday for inclusion in the following Wednesday issue.
THURSDAY The Giver at 11 a.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Chapel with the Rev. Dr. Lisa Wolfe as speaker at 1 p.m. in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel Baseball vs. Evangel (Mo.) at
noon at Jim Wade Stadium
Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center
Women’s basketball vs. MidAmerica Christian at 6 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center
FRIDAY The Giver at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center
SATURDAY Monica Thompson’s junior voice recital at 8 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center.
Men’s basketball vs. Mid-America Christian at 8 p.m. in Abe Lemons
Sergio Monterio’s piano recital at 8 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in
The Giver at 8 p.m. in Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts
The Giver at 2 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center
MONDAY Gateway to Graduation at 10 a.m. in the Campus Store in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center
Columnist comments on misunderstanding of ‘democratic socialism’ I am curious to know how many college students and millennial’s are “feeling the Bern.” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is a presidential candidate and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, but I wonder if Sanders was too quick to label himself as such. Sanders has not defined what he means by “socialism” very well. People need to realize the difference between democratic socialism and social democracy.
Democratic socialists reject capitalism in favor of state ownership for the means of production, combined with political democracy. This offers democratic choice over political leadership, which differentiates democratic socialism from authoritarian-style socialism. Social democracy is different. This system retains capitalism, but attempts to smooth down the unfair costs and inequitable outcomes on some
Tatum Nelson is a mass communications/religion sophomore from Tulsa, Okla. She enjoys spending time with her sister and eating tacos.
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segments of society that capitalism would cause. The basic idea is that we will all benefit from a flexible and innovative economy. To me, Sanders falls more in line with social democracy.
This man’s ability to inspire and mobilize many young people to pay more attention to politics is admirable. It is obvious that Sanders is popular because, like many in my generation, he is idealistic.
THE CAMPUS
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Photographers: Anna Andersen, Lauren Berlingeri, Donovan Lawson, Andrew Robling Staff Writers: Alex German, Prisca Lynch, Elina Moon, Tatum Nelson, Taylor Rey Columnists: Tatum Nelson, Madelyn Parker
People want Sanders as President because they have a strong passion for change in what they feel is a corrupt government and think that he is the one to make that change happen. While I will not vote for Sanders, I can understand why so many college students want him as President. He gives them something to hope for. But before declaring yourself a democratic socialist, research what it means.
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.
February 3, 2016, Volume 110, Number 15
Editor-in-Chief: Emily Wiley Web Editor: Maleyia Vaughn Lifestyles Editor: Sage Tokach Multimedia Editor: Miguel Rios Photo Editor: Ali Wonderly Copy Editor: John Hiller Community Managers: Sara Coleman, Lauren Berlingeri
He advocates for solving climate change, fixing wage inequality, affordable college education, and on top of that, he seems genuine. With the rising cost of attending college and students graduating with insane amounts of debt, affordable college education is something we are passionate about. Sanders plans to make all public universities free. We have to figure out for ourselves if everything he promises is realistic.
The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-
Film Critic: Danielle Petersen Circulation Director: Allie Glazner 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.
The first issue of The Campus is free. Each additional issue costs 25 cents. Contents copyright, 2016. All rights reserved.
February 3, 2016
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news
Making plans:
SGA vice president proposes change to plus/minus grading system Sage Tokach LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Nic Rhodes, Student Government Association vice president, will present a plan to remove the plus/minus grade system. The plus/minus system allows professors to add a plus or minus to students’ grades, effecting their GPA. OCU adopted a plus/ minus grading scale in the ‘90s for the purpose of professor autonomy and grade differentiation. Rhodes ran for office with a platform that supported the system’s removal. Without the plus/minus system, a 90 percent grade and a 100 percent grade are
both an A and worth the same GPA, but an 89 percent is a B. With the plus/minus system, an 89 is a B-plus which lessens the effect on the GPA. On the other hand a 92 is an A-minus which lowers the GPA from a 4.0. The estimated 0.2 GPA subtraction makes enough of a difference, Rhodes said. “The current system might benefit C or D students, but it takes away from high-achieving students, since there’s no A-plus,” he said. “The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University don’t run on plus/minus systems, so if students from each university had 92 percent in a class, the OCU student would have the only GPA less than 4.0. We
The current system might benefit C or D students, but it takes away from high-achieveing students, since there’s no A-plus. Nic Rhodes SGA vice president
compete against these universities for jobs, so we should be evaluated the same.” Rhodes said he plans to meet with faculty this week to develop and distribute a survey to the campus community. The survey, sent via email, will ask students what they know about the plus/minus system, if they are in favor of the switch, which students they think it will benefit or disadvantage,
and if they currently receive more minus or plus grades. A separate survey will ask faculty if they typically give more pluses or minuses to students, as well as if they think changing the system will benefit students, if it will erase differentiation between grades, and if they are in favor of the change. One student agrees with Rhodes that the system needs
change. “My classes are already difficult to the point that grade distribution is pretty even,” said Arrash Allahyar, cell and molecular biology junior. “As a prospective med school student, my GPA is very important. At OU or OSU, my GPA would be a 4.0.” Another student disagrees and wants to keep the current system. “With my major, I am in favor of the plus/minus system,” said Emily Watson, nursing junior. “I have to make certain grades in order to pass my classes, and the plus/minus system is how they determine that.” The survey results will determine if SGA continues to push
for changes to the system. Rhodes said, if the survey results favor removal of the plus/minus system, students would need to band together to push university officials to change the system. The soonest the university could make the change is Fall 2016 Any change to the grading system would require the approval of the Faculty Senate. “There wasn’t much time for this first semester, but we’re gauging student and faculty interest now,” Rhodes said. “We’re in the research stage. We’ll find out people’s reactions and go from there.”
SGA approves resolution to address student concerns with food service Miguel Rios MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
The Student Government Association’s Sodexo Resolution was passed by consent last week. The resolution includes six requests, some of which made the Top 10 list of issues on campus during the STAR Summit last year. STAR Summit is an annual gathering of student leaders hosted by SGA. During the event, students share their concerns and goals for the year. “We actually sent a draft of the resolution to Nirali Mickow, who is the director of food services on campus, and I essentially gave her and her staff a chance to look it over,” Johnson said. “We hope that, in the next few days, we’ll be getting a response from them about the possibility of setting up negotiations here in the next few weeks.” Mickow was unavailable for comment regarding SGA’s resolution at presstime. One of the requests is that information in the Sodexo contract relating to student concerns be disclosed. “We have questions pertaining to the policy proposals that are listed in the resolution and we would essentially like to know how the contract interacts with some of our requests,” Johnson said. “Hopefully that information will be helpful to us in pursuing specific policy proposals put forth in the resolution.” Another request is to allow students to take hot food out of the cafeteria. “One of the rules that I personally like the most is the idea of being able to take food out of the caf,” said Minh Ton, cellular and molecular biology sophomore. “I know that sometimes I just want
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Visit MediaOCU.com to watch a news video about the food service resolution.
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to stay in my room, and not being able to take food out of the caf stops me from actually going there to get food.” Johnson said SGA also would like to see meal plans developed for students who aren’t able to go to the cafeteria as often. “What we’d really like to see is perhaps a more equal disbursement between the funds that you pay for your meal plan going to more points in Alvin’s,” he said. “We want greater flexibility, not such a heavy emphasis on cafeteria meals.” There is movement taking place in regards to developing new meal plans, Johnson said during the Senate meeting. At least one student thinks new meal plans would benefit everyone. “I think that by creating new meal plans, it would really help with the leftover meals at the end of the year,” Ton said. SGA’s fourth request is to refund unused meals. “I do see that as one of the bigger challenges for us to get implemented, but we’re doing right by the students by at least raising the issues and maybe opening up the idea with Sodexo of finding more ways for students to get a value from their meal plan that’s consistent with the price they pay,” Johnson said. Johnson doesn’t know how this would work, but is optimistic that SGA and Sodexo can at least have a conversation about the
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possibility of refunds. SGA also wants Sodexo to allow other food vendors, such as food trucks, on campus for reasonable occasions, like small organization events. This was the No. 1 issue at last year’s STAR Summit. “We’re sort of walking into uncharted territory here,” Johnson said. “I know while I’ve been involved in SGA and for at least a couple of years before, there hasn’t really been an attempt to do a comprehensive reform of the relationship between students and Sodexo.” The sixth request is for prices to be clearly displayed on prepackaged items at Alvin’s. Prices are displayed in Alvin’s behind the counter for hot food items, but there aren’t marked prices for things like pre-packaged candy, chips or drinks, Johnson said. SGA officials don’t know the timeline for these changes to take place. “I would like to have these issues resolved by the end of the spring semester, by the end of my term,” Johnson said. “So hopefully we can see some of them implemented by the end of the spring, but hopefully for sure by the beginning of the next academic year.” Johnson said he thinks SGA will get a few of these requests through and that they have a compelling case to put forth, especially in changes regarding taking food out of the caf and displaying prices in Alvin’s. “We feel like these are reasonable, common sense solutions to some problems that students have,” he said. “Based on our research, there’s no reason to think that it would be an undue burden on Sodexo for them to fulfill these requests.”
Donovan Lawson Student Publications
NOCC cancer down Above: Reily Preston, acting freshman, and Jacqueline Hirlinger, English/education sophomore, write addresses for Gamma Phi Beta sorority to send letters about ovarian cancer awareness Jan 26. The sorority provided postcards for participants to write a small message to a female loved one. Left: Members of Gamma Phi Beta sell shirts to raise money for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and talk with other members of different Greek organizations on Jan. 26. More than 20,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. NOCC week encourages knowing the symptoms of ovarian cancer for early diagnosis.
Film Institute to show international film Elina Moon STAFF WRITER
The Film Institute will show the sixth movie of their season next week. The next international film in the Film Institute’s series is an Indian film about an unexpected friendship. The screening of The Lunchbox is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday in Kerr-McGee Auditorium in the Meinders School of Business. Admission is free. “It will be a crowd pleaser,” said Dr. Harbour Winn, director of the Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature. “It is friendly to people who are not aficionados of film.” It’s the Film Institute’s 34th season. Based on audience surveys, Winn picks eight international films from different countries to show for the series. Each film centers around a common theme. This year’s theme is “the search for meaning and value.” The Lunchbox was one of the two most requested films. The movie’s plot centers around a housewife named “Ila.” February 3, 2016
The screenings bring together a very diverse group of individuals, and hearing what each person thought of the movie both artistically and culturally helps bring clarity to my own opinions.
Matthew Hester film production junior
She sends an elaborately prepared lunch to her husband at work, but it gets delivered to a different man by mistake. He receives notes from this wife to her husband and eventually starts writing back. An unexpected friendship blossoms. It is a romantic film, but in a different way, Winn said. A post-screening discussion will follow the film. Amrita Sen, professor of English, will help lead the discussion. One student said he enjoys staying for the discussions. “Whenever possible, I like to stay for the discussion after each film,” said Matthew Hester, film production junior. “The screenings bring together a very diverse group of individuals, and hearing what each person thought of the movie both artisti-
cally and culturally helps bring clarity to my own opinions.” About 150 to 200 people attend the Film Institute screenings, Winn said. About a third of attendees are students and faculty. Many people come from all around the Oklahoma City area for this experience. There are two remaining films in the institute’s season. They will both honor the season’s theme of “Man Searching for Meaning,” which Winn says is intended to help audiences understand suffering. On Feb. 21, they will show Asghar Farhadi’s About Elly, which follows the relationships between middle class families in Iran. The last film will be shown March 6 and will be Adrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan, which deals with political corruption in Russia. “If you view film as an art form, like a great poem or a great novel, you’re cheating yourself if all you see are Penn Square Mall showings,” Winn said. “When you see a great international film, you’re really entering into another world. You’re looking at the world from another perspective with different cultural textures.”
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news
Show adapts young adult novel to stage Taylor Rey STAFF WRITER
TheatreOCU’s first production of the semester will use sets and costumes in black and white to represent a colorless world. The show is a stage adaptation of the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, which also has been turned into a major motion picture. The story follows “Jonas,” a young boy growing up in a utopian society. Upon turning 12, the youth of the community are assigned their career paths, and Jonas is chosen for special training with the Giver. He must hold the memories and the pain of his community, learning the harsh reality of life. The Giver is a coproduction between TheatreOCU and the Oklahoma Children’s Theater. OCT is a professional children’s theater company for Oklahoma. Each year, TheatreOCU and OCT collaborate on one mainstage show. Past shows include And Then They Came for Me and Jackie and Me. “It’s really compelling for all audiences, including young audiences, because it’s easy to
It’s really compelling for all audiences, including young audiences, because it’s easy to relate to characters when they’re Courtney DiBello your age. director
relate to characters when they’re your age,” said Courtney DiBello, director of The Giver. “But they’re struggling with big issues, not just ‘how to wear the right jeans,’ but becoming more awake and realizing the people around them have lost their humanity.” Morgan Haney, music theater sophomore, plays “Fiona,” “Jonas’s” close friend. “It’s a very creative team, and we are trying to stay as true to the book as possible,” Haney said. The original play adaptation of the novel cuts scenes from the book. TheatreOCU’s production will reintroduce the otherwise removed passages. “It’s difficult to truncate an epic novel into a one act play. Parts had to be eliminated, but
my worry was that it would become too brief and the audience wouldn’t care about the characters,” DiBello said. “The memory scenes will be a visual and wordless representation with movement pieces to supplement the experiences.” The show opens at 11 a.m. Thursday in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. Audiences will have nine opportunities to see the show through Feb. 13. Tickets are on sale in the box office in the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Art Management or online. Student tickets are $10 and general admission is $12.
Lauren Berlingeri Student Publications
Enjoy the show
Blake Lemmons, political science freshman, grabs his movie pass from Angelina Bower, vocal performance freshman, and MaryAnn Grover, marketing senior, for Free Movie Night on Jan. 28 at Harkins Theater in Bricktown. It was the first of three Free Movie Nights that Student Activities Council has planned for the semester. Harkins recently raised prices for Free Movie Night. Visit MediaOCU.com for more information.
Career Services to host week of employment events Tatum Nelson STAFF WRITER
Students can connect with potential employers and get more information regarding various fields and job opportunities next week. Career Services invites all students and alumni to attend the events hosted during next week’s Career Week. The purpose of hosting a career fair is “to connect employers in diverse fields with our awesome students,” said Amelia Hurt, director of Career Services. “Students should see this as a chance to get comfortable in an environment where the employers want to meet you.” There will be three events during Career Week, each offering
students exposure and opportunities. The Human Services and Health Careers Fair will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Employers looking to recruit students in the fields of nursing, behavioral studies, education, social work, and non-profit will be there to speak to students. The second event is an etiquette dinner at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10. The cost of the dinner is a meal card swipe. Students must R.S.V.P. to careerservices@okcu.edu. The last event during Career Week is the General Career and Internship Fair from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 11. The General Career Fair and Internship event attracts employers within the realm of management, finance, accounting, marketing, sales, and the justice system. All events will be in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel
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University Center. Career Services helps students develop a professional resume, articulate career goals and practice interviewing techniques. Students should make the most out of Career Week because it is not an experience they will have in the post-graduation job market, Hurt said. Students are interested in what they may gain from the week. “It could really help students find jobs, which we need because we’re all poor,” said Kayla McKenna, mass communications sophomore. For more information about Career Week email careerservices@ okcu.edu.
Scam emails trick students into disclosing personal information Prisca Lynch STAFF WRITER
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Donovan Lawson Student Publications
Fun in the sun
Students play a game of football Jan. 30 on the quad. The weather was sunny and breezy with a high of 76 degrees. It was the first time this year the weather reached the 70’s, according to the National Weather Service’s website, weather.com. Students play games and lounge on the quad during the warmer months.
Illegitimate emails recently tricked several students into providing private account information. The scam emails began in the second week of December with a phishing email that came from an outside source. The email contained a link that took recipients to a site where they were to confirm their account details. Once the student clicked the link and gave their username and password, their account was hacked. “It really seemed like it was from OCU, especially with the header and how official the email looked,” said Viviane Hähne, campus technology services employee. About 40 students clicked the link and gave hackers their account details. Once the student’s account was hacked, the same email was sent to their contacts. The scam emails continue to be sent from hacked accounts. “The way these phishing
I found out my email was hacked because I got about 80 spam emails from Microsoft Outlook and a bunch of people told me they got emails from me. Sarah Lapaz music theater junior
attacks work is they find a compromised email server and then they will send emails out to try to trick people into giving their information,” said Gerry Hunt, chief information officer. “We had numerous students that provided their information and then that wreaked havoc because then legitimate OCU accounts were being used to perpetuate the problem on campus.” Many students were misled by the emails and provided their login information. “I found out my account was hacked because I got about 80 spam emails from Microsoft Outlook and a bunch of people told me they got emails from me,” said Sarah Lapaz, music theater junior.
Campus Technology sent campuswide emails warning students to ignore the scam emails and not follow the links. Thomas Shaak, systems administrator, is filtering emails with key identifiers such as similar subject lines and email content. Once those emails are identified, they are intercepted and frozen so they cannot leave the email server unless released. If a student’s account has been hacked, Campus Technology disables the account and the student must visit Campus Technology to re-enable the account and reset the password.
University officials hire new director of housing Emily Wiley EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
A new director of housing is getting acclimated to campus this month. Michael Burns will replace Liz Donnelly, former director of housing who retired in October, taking charge of OCU residence life. Burns grew up in Oklahoma City and earned his master’s in higher education from the University of Oklahoma in Norman and is working toward his doctorate in higher education from Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City. “I love the college life,” Burns said. “Just being around this type of atmosphere is something I hope I can continue for a while.” Burns said he enjoys the outdoors, anything athletic and spending time with his wife and three children. February 3, 2016
I love the college life. Just being around this type of atmosphere is something I hope I can continue for a while. Michael Burns housing director
Burns worked as director of residential life and student development at OBU where he oversaw campus housing, including assignment and community buildings. Before that, he was the director of men’s housing. “I am excited for OCU,” Burns said. “I think it will be a great fit. Coming from a small university to another small university,
I am familiar with the culture of everyone knows everyone and all that.” Burns officially started his role Monday and said he will spend his first semester listening and asking questions. “I don’t have any big plans right now, but I think just getting the hang of everything is the best strategy for right now,” Burns said. One students said she hopes there will be changes to the way housing operates soon. “I hope he gets settled in and enjoys working here, but I also think there are some things that need to be addressed quickly,” said Sarah Cason, psychology junior. “Things like the state of the dorms and the way they assign rooms.” Burns said he wanted to come to OCU for a while but there was never an appropriate time. “I am so excited to be here now,” he said.
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