Feb 1

THE CAMPUS February 1, 2017 – Volume 110 Issue 42

Meet the Robinsons:

Student’s family to create program for students with disabilities

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student and her family are working to create a new program for students with intellectual disabilities.

Ashleigh Robinson, music theater sophomore, her mother, Jennifer Robinson, and her grandmother, Patricia McGarrity, are the brains behind the new program called “Reach for the Stars.”

“Reach for the Stars is a four-year, inclusive program for students with intellectual disabilities,” Jennifer Robinson said.

“It will include students living on campus, going to traditional classes and some program classes. It will also include joining clubs and participating in social activities on campus, and, starting their second semester, the students will be able to have internships.”

When Ashleigh Robinson’s youngest sister, Danielle, who has Down syndrome, started researching and picking colleges she wanted to attend, her mother was inspired to investigate different programs that Danielle could be a part of in Oklahoma, Jennifer Robinson said. She quickly found there are more than 250 programs like Reach for the Stars across the United States, but Oklahoma is one of two states that doesn’t have any kind of program for students like Danielle who want to attend college.

The Robinson family plans on modeling the program after a similar one at the College of Charleston in South Carolina called “Reach.”

“My other three children have been able to stay in state to attend college,” Jennifer Robinson said. “Danielle shouldn’t have to go out of state either, and that’s why we’re creating this program.”

When Danielle started high school, the school offered her programs to attend, but her family felt they weren’t the type of programs that offered the things Danielle wanted to do, McGarrity said.

There were special education programs at Ashleigh Robinson’s high school, but they weren’t what she envisioned for her sister, she said.

“When I was in high school, the people I encountered in our

“

special education program went to different programs outside of high school that were all vocational and weren’t any type of education,” Ashleigh Robinson said. “They were just training them for janitorial work or plating food in a restaurant, and I saw so much more in my sister.”

The Robinsons’ current goal is to raise $200,000 so they can fund the program initially. The Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation manages the fund to support Reach for the Stars.

Anyone can donate through their website, reachforthestarsok.org.

They worked with academic affairs to create a proposal for the program that will be sent to the academic committees. After that, it will need to be approved by the board of trustees.

“There have been people trying to get a program like this started in Oklahoma for years, but they’ve never been able to make it work” McGarrity said. “But we think OCU is the perfect place for this.”

Once the program is approved, a director will be hired and fundraising will need to occur, Ashleigh Robinson said.

“With programs like this, the general population starts wanting to help and embrace the people and their abilities, rather than dwelling on their disabilities,” McGarrity said.

The Robinson family thinks that Reach for the Stars will not only benefit the students who participate in it, but the students who already attend OCU as well.

“Danielle talks all the time about wanting to be a businesswoman and wants to open her own nursery out of her home, and even being a music theater major and getting a business degree at the same time,” Ashleigh Robinson said.

“She’s just so ambitious, and she has the similar drive that I had in high school, and, in the end, I just want her to have the same opportunities because I think she deserves that.”

Nicole Waltman Student Publications

By Web Editor Nicole Waltman

Ashleigh Robinson, music theater sophomore, with mom, Jennifer Robinson, and grandmother, Patricia McGarrity, created “Reach for the Stars” together. It is a four-year program for students with intellectual disabilities.

Residents express frustration with maintenance woes Zoe Travers NEWS EDITOR

Some students are concerned about maintenance workers appearing in their dorms unannounced and about them leaving dorm room doors open.

The concern resulted in students wondering why they aren’t notified of maintenance work on campus and questioning how they can discern a facilities worker from a potentially dangerous person.

No heads up Kathryn Sugianto’s personal belongings were damaged Dec. 7 and her door was left open by people she assumes were maintenance workers.

Sugianto, a mass communications freshman, said she felt apprehensive about opening the door for workers because she wasn’t aware there would be construction happening.

“It was out of nowhere in the morning,” Sugianto said. “They could have been anyone. I didn’t want to be rude if they were maintenance workers, so I let them in.

If not for them wearing their shirts and holding gear, I wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Sugianto left her Banning Hall dorm room to go to class and returned to find two doors in her hall left open with no one inside.

There was debris around her room and a red wire hanging from her ceiling. On top of that, a ceiling tile was missing and one of her posters was ripped on the ground.

Sugianto said she would have felt more at ease if they had left a note apologizing for the damage.

She also said she was upset that her door was left open with all of her

M MEDIAOCU.com

If I had known before that they were coming, I would have put my posters away. I would have been awake. I just wish I had been notified.

Kathryn Sugianto mass communications freshman

personal property inside.

“If I had known before that they were coming, I would have put my posters away,” Sugianto said. “I would have been awake.

I just wish I had been notified.”

At the beginning of the semester, Sugianto said workers were perched on the ledge outside her window. She left her window open one night and awoke confused to find a man standing on the ledge.

Staying safe Marae Narvaez, acting sophomore, had her phone stolen while she was walking to the vending machine on the second floor of Methodist Hall. She left her door unlocked for a moment because the knob was broken at the time, and she noticed a man in a red hoodie had seen that she couldn’t lock her door.

“I came back after like three minutes, and my phone was missing from my room,” Narvaez said. “My roommate came in like three minutes after I had called my phone and it went straight to voicemail, which was weird because it had full charge, so it was very clear it had been stolen and someone turned it off.”

Narvaez filed a police report; then Harrison Langford, acting sophomore, noticed an uncon-

scious man who matched the description on the couch in the breezeway.

Langford and Jordan Dorsey, acting sophomore, called campus police. They arrested the man, but they did not see Narvaez’s phone until Langford found it wedged between the couch cushions.

Langford called campus police to let them know the phone was found. Narvaez decided not to press charges.

Darilynn Hammond, director of Banning Hall and housing coordinator, sent a Dec. 6 email to Banning Hall residents, urging them to exercise safety when allowing people in the dorms.

“I would like to caution, please ensure that you do not prop the entrance doors open or allow unfamiliar people into the building,” Hammond wrote.

“Please contact Campus Police immediately if you have suspicions and close any door that you notice being propped open.”

Maintenance workers and university employees should always wear some form of identification, said Michael Burns, director of housing and residence life.

For instance, facilities workers are required to wear an “OCU Facilities” shirt. Some workers wear a jacket during the winter, so their shirt may not be visible, but

they’re still supposed to carry identification of some sort, Burns said.

Any contractors hired by OCU are issued a contractor access card.

Burns said he is aware of doors being left open, and said students should close doors if they see this happening and to notify the nearest person of authority, whether that’s an RA or a police officer.

Burns also said students should refrain from allowing unknown individuals into buildings.

“No one should let anyone else in ever, not even another student,” Burns said. “There’s no reason.

Anyone who is supposed to be there has a card.”

Filing a report Remy Barnett, Title IX investigator, said students should file a Title IX report if they feel unsafe in their dorms or if they feel like their belongings are at risk.

Students can file a report by contacting Barnett or Joey Croslin, Title IX coordinator. Title IX deals with protection from discrimination on the basis of sex or gender.

Barnett can be contacted at rcbarnett@okcu.edu or (405) 208-6310.

Croslin’s office can be found in the President’s Suite in Clara Jones Administration Building, and she can best be reached at jcroslin@ okcu.edu or (405) 208-5075.

Barnett said students should contact campus police at (405) 208-5001 for non-emergencies and (405) 208-5911 for emergencies.

“It’s definitely a priority for us that people feel safe,” Barnett said.

Student posts online letter to facilities Chandler Hardy has a message for campus facilities workers after her rooms in Methodist Hall flooded twice this academic year.

Hardy, a mass communications junior, was moved out of her fourth-floor room during the fall semester due to flooding. She was moved to a room on the first floor, which flooded during Winter Break. Maintenance workers repaired the flood damage, but left a mess in Hardy’s room, resulting in her letter, which she posted Jan. 18 on Facebook. It reads: “Dear OCU Maintenance, It continues to blow my mind that you come into rooms without the resident there. It is an invasion of privacy and a clear lack of respect on your part. My room has flooded twice this year.

The first time it was fine and everything was taken care of. The second time I come back from break and my room is a disaster.

You left your molded coffee cups, trash and mud-caked footprints all over my apartment. What makes matters worse is you had access to pictures of my room to put it back how it belonged.

“The second flood ruined my door and it needed replaced.

Understandably that would take time. The problem is you entered my room while I was in class without notifying me that you were doing so, then proceeded to ruin my white bedding with some strange brown powder substance, which is everywhere. You did not even take the time to put my rug back. Leaving it in a wad on the ground seemed like the most reasonable thing to do. “[I pay] $3,447 a semester to live here. You can do better.”

Hardy said maintenance employees told her that fixing her door would take one to two days. She said she waited a week until the problem was fixed. One day she left for her 10 a.m. class and returned to find sawdust on her floor.

“It was just disrespectful,” Hardy said.

Hardy said she was pleased with the way housing officials handled the situation, but her frustration comes mostly from a lack of communication.

“It’s not housing’s fault,” Hardy said. “They responded in a private email, and they’ve been really accommodating. The person to blame would be the original contractors.”

Hardy said she would like to see maintenance workers take more responsibility going forward.

“There should be a direct financial accommodation to students’ things that have been damaged,” she said.

Michael Burns, director of housing and residential life, refused to comment about Hardy’s situation. Mark Clouse, director of facilities, was unavailable for comment last week.

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opinion Facilities, students need better communication The maintenance and facilities departments provide crucial services to the university and its residential students. Without all they do, the school wouldn’t look nearly as good. Our buildings would also suffer without the upkeep they provide, so be sure to thank them when you see them doing something that benefits the university.

Maintenance is important, but so is security. When students don’t know that a maintenance employee is coming to work on their room, they’re hesitant to let them inside.

Kathryn Sugianto, mass communications freshman, woke up to find maintenance workers in her dorm. She didn’t know they were coming, so she felt uncomfortable with the situation. When she returned from class, she found debris left on her floor, and one of her posters had been damaged.

See Page 1 for more on this story.

This breaches the student-university contract of trust. Students are meant to feel comfortable in their living situations without having to worry about unannounced visits.

They also shouldn’t need to worry about having to clean up after maintenance workers. Workers are supposed to leave students’ dorms just as they found them, only with the repair complete.

If there is a problem with a dorm, or if a work order has been filed for maintenance assistance, then, of course, a visit from maintenance workers is necessary. But there should be communication about when to expect their arrival.

Students should have nothing to be afraid of when it comes to actual maintenance workers. University employees are just people trying to help better students’ experience of campus. The problem is that, much of the time,

Dear Student Publications, I recently read the Editors’ opinion concerning whether felons should be accepted into OCU. There are a few issues with the editorial I would like address. Additionally, it is important to understand that I bring this to your attention, not for purposes of condemnation, but with the intent of education.

The first part of the article I would like to analyze is the statement “The university has a responsibility to its students-and their parentsto keep students safe. This includes communicating about things that could put them in danger.” While I do agree that the university is responsible for the safety of its students, it is imperative for us to understand that due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) the university is legally unable to release information about students. While it might seem like a reasonable action, we have to understand that there is no legal way for the university to release

Talk Back “What dining option do you want on campus?”

students have difficulty discerning a maintenance worker from an outright stranger due to the lack of identification.

Other than a university shirt, students have little to look for so as to identify a maintenance worker, and even this could be easily falsified. If there were another form of certification, such as a universityissued card or badge, then students could invite the maintenance staff into their rooms without uncertainty, knowing they have let the right people in.

On a campus as tightly-knit as OCU, students and campus employees should be perfectly at ease with one another.

If maintenance officials communicated more with the student body, the process would be smoother, safer and more comfortable.

“Taco Bell”

“Sushi”

Monica Mason business management sophomore

Isaiah Smith nursing junior

“Whataburger”

“Boba or tapioca”

Tanner Pflueger dance senior

Jordan Dorsey acting sophomore

“Chick-fil-A”

“Panera”

Sierra Paul theater education freshman

Caroline Allen music theater/vocal freshman

this information.

Additionally, I would like to address the editors’ statement on the expectations of our University. The editors can be quoted as saying “There’s a higher expectation of safety and protection when enrolling a student into a private, Methodist university like OCU.” I am not sure if any of the Student Publication staff know the history of the United Methodist Church, so I will share part of it now. John Wesley, who is credited as the founder of the United Methodist Church, was known to visit prisons and minister to those in the institutions. Wesley did not stop there. He went so far as to fight for prison reform. It is important to understand this when considering the Methodist mantra “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” This should be the expectation, not the exception, when attending a United Methodist university.

When analyzed in conjunction with one another, Wesleyan theology, along with United Methodist principles, show us that the expectation of safety we experience on this campus should be extended to all parties.

I am proud of how OCU has shown this to all individual regardless of background, political ideology, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or past transgressions. It is because of the pride I have in our university that statements like “but when a student has felonies, officials should reject their admission,” are disheartening. The callousness seen in statements like these are not conducive to inclusive environments that hold

United Methodist values.

In closing, if we look at this issue through a lens of legal principles working in conjunction with our University’s United Methodist values, it is imperative to understand that the current system our office of admissions upholds is one that should make us proud to be students of Oklahoma City University.

- Blake Lemmons, political science sophomore, in conjunction with Melaina Riley, religion junior.

Due to an editing error, Michelle Cook was misquoted in the Jan. 25 article, “Felons on Campus? Admissions committee accepts criminals on case-by-case basis.” Kristen Burkholder, access services librarian, actually said, “When it comes to drugs, the committee usually only deals with convicted felonies, since applicants aren’t required to report unproven charges. If we don’t think they’d be a danger, we’ll probably try to give them a second chance.”

Columnist studying abroad debunks Spain stereotypes Culture shock is a necessary experience. It is why studying abroad is so vital to understanding that the world is different and that we should not be afraid. Differences are something to celebrate. Most importantly, you will never be prepared, so the only way to find out accurate information about the world outside of where you live is to go out and experience it yourself.

Before I left for Spain, many people had advice and questions based on the knowledge they already had about the country. One of the funniest pieces of advice that people gave me about Spain is to “eat lots of enchiladas.”

Or they wanted to know if I’d have guacamole every night.

I never could tell if they were kidding, but this made me wonder how many people

know that the food we know in the United States as “Hispanic” food is not actually “Spanish” food. That food comes from Latin America and usually is Mexican.

In Spain, ham, or jamón, is a big part of the cuisine.

Stews and different kinds of cheeses are popular, but there are no quesadillas, burritos or enchiladas!

There were two things I continually heard from friends and family that gave me pause.

First, many people told me that I wouldn’t learn any Spanish because, in big cities, it was more likely that English would be more common. If people could tell I was struggling with my Spanish, it would make sense that Madrid would be the kind of place where people would just switch to English so that they could communicate

Madelyn Parker is an English and studio art sophomore who loves to rant about feminism and tell stories.

with me better.

Surprisingly, this isn’t true.

A few people know a little English, but they’re usually in the more touristy areas.

The number of people speaking English in Spain is fairly proportionate to the amount of people who know Spanish in the United States (who are native English speakers). Even then, English isn’t advertised in businesses on the street, and it’s a surprise when you do hear it.

The second and most common piece of advice that I heard was that you shouldn’t

drink the water. I’d almost wondered how much better it would be to drink wine every day (in Spain, 16 is the legal drinking age) rather than pay for expensive bottled water. In Madrid, however, the water is drinkable, though most restaurants will default to a bottle of water if you order agua.

The water comes from the mountains and actually tastes muy bien, just like all of the other things you can eat in Spain, according to my host dad.

What is true about Span-

iards is that they are warm in every sense of the word. They don’t like using formal pronouns, they greet with kisses and they have a low tolerance for the cold.

Here, the temperature in January is much like the middle of March in Oklahoma. Spain is a temperate country, but I can’t tell you how many times that I or one of my fellow students from the United States have been asked by a Spaniard (in Spanish, of course) “Aren’t you cold?” The weather here is beautiful and it

will only get better.

Spaniards, it seems, want to make sure you are warm.

Ustedes, a third person plural form used for talking to “You all,” or “Y’all” in many South American Spanish-speaking countries, is seen as cold and informal and is only used in cases when you’re talking to someone like the King.

Spaniards greet with kisses to the cheek. A handshake is stiff and unfeeling.

“Bienvenidos,” they always say, because in Spain, you are welcome. You are family.

Visit MediaOCU.com to follow Lifestyles Editor Madelyn Parker's column from abroad.

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 Chapel from 1-2 p.m. in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel TheatreOCU's Stage II presents Clybourne Park at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center FRIDAY Bass School of Music National Auditions from 8 a.m. to 7

p.m. in Wanda L. Bass Music Center Samuel Charlton's junior trombone recital from 6-6:30 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center TheatreOCU's Stage II presents Clybourne Park at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

SATURDAY Bass School of Music National Auditions from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Wanda L. Bass Music Center Women's basketball vs. Texas Wesleyan from 3-4:45 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center SGA's basketball tailgate from 4-5 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Well-

ness and Activity Center Men's basketball vs. Texas Wesleyan from 5-6:45 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center Black History Month celebration from 7-9 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center TheatreOCU's Stage II presents

February 1, 2017, Volume 110, Number 42

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Photographers: Courtney Beyer, McAlyn Forbes, Donovan Lawson, Kelsey Simmons, Ali Wonderly Staff Writers: Taylor Rey, Prisca Lynch, McAlyn Forbes, Evan Juedeman, Nathan Moelling, Adrianna DelPercio Film Critics: Danielle Petersen, Mary McLain

OCU Distinguished Artist Series presents: Olga from 8-9:30 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center SUNDAY My Life as a Dog film screening from 2-4:30 p.m. in Kerr-McGee

Auditorium in Meinders School of Business TheatreOCU's Stage II presents Clybourne Park at 2 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center Superbowl watch party at 5 p.m. in Shdeed Lounge in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center

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

Clybourne Park at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-

Videographer: Emily Haan Ad/Marketing Director: Madison Clark Ad Representative: Jonathan May 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.

The first issue of The Campus is free. Each additional issue costs 25 cents. Contents copyright, 2017. All rights reserved.

February 1, 2017

sports Women’s basketball team reaches high rankings Miguel Rios EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The women’s basketball team is at the top of its game.

They currently have a 18-2 win-loss record and have the highest rankings they’ve achieved in university history, Coach Bo Overton said.

Ranked seventh in the nation within the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics and tied for the Sooner Athletic Conference lead, the women’s basketball team has played tough to get to nationals.

“It feels accomplishing to be a part of a successful basketball team,” Senior Guard Leah Cheney said. “I love being able to strive for something greater with my team because we are capable of achieving it.”

Overton has only been the women’s basketball coach for two years, but he said he’s always thinking of ways to advance the team.

“This university and this athletic program–if you look at all the sports–we have a great tradition,” he said. “So when you take a job like this, there’s really no excuse for OCU not to be at a high level.

That’s what we believe, that’s what our players believe, and we work really hard to do that.”

Cheney said she thinks the team’s success is due to their chemistry.

“I think we play well together, and we know how to work together because we all want the same thing, which is to get to nationals and win,” she said.

Overton said their success also is due to the work ethic they develop as OCU students.

“This is a great school, and they come here for that education. I think, because of that, they already have a good work ethic, so that kind of just translates to the basketball court,” he said. “We did really

well in the classroom first semester, so they already have that hard work instilled in them.”

A certain player on the team also works hard to lead the team to victories, Overton said.

“We have a special player on this team. I’m pretty sure you know about Daniela Wallen,” he said. “She’s a really special player and has a chance to get a lot of honors this year. She’s doing really well.”

Senior Forward Daniela Wallen is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. She’s been on the team since 2015 and has already collected several accolades. This season alone, she’s been a two-time NAIA Player of the Week and a five-time SAC Player of the Week, according to OCUsports. com. She leads the country in scoring, Overton said.

“I have to give all the credit to my coach, only because he makes us work hard every single day to find the way to win,” Wallen said. “As he says, ‘some teams are going up, and some teams are going down; we have to be the team that always goes up.’”

Wallen inspires her teammates through her hard work and dedication to the game, Overton said.

“One of the things about Daniela that’s also great for this team is she’s probably our hardest worker as far as getting work on her own and studying the game,” he said. “When your best player is like that, everybody else follows.”

The team is only about halfway through with its season. Their next home game is against Texas Wesleyan 3 p.m. Saturday in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.

Submitted Senior Forward Daniela Wallen dribbles the ball during the Dec. 7 game against Benedictine College in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The Stars won the match 60-46. Wallen is a two-time NAIA Player of the Week and five-time SAC Player of the Week.

Men’s basketball player sets 50-point university record Miguel Rios EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Courtney Beyer Student Publications Junior Guard Louis Dunbar goes head-to-head with his opponent during the Jan. 26 game. Dunbar scored 50 points and was named the Sooner Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week. The Stars pulled out a buzzer-beating 95-93 win. The next home game is at 5 p.m. Saturday.

February 1, 2017

A basketball player set a university record during Thursday’s game against University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

Junior Guard Louis Dunbar scored 50 points during the game, something that hasn’t been done at OCU since the 1960s. It is the first time a player has scored that much in a game since the university became a part of the NAIA. “It was like, ‘okay, you can score 30.’ Then it’s like, ‘okay, he might be able to score 40.’ Then it’s like, ‘oh, shit, he might score 50,’” Dunbar said. “I just heard

everybody be like, ‘you won’t go for 50, you won’t.’ I’m just like, ‘I think I might, guys.’”

Once the team realized what kind of night he was going to have, they made plays just for him, Coach Vinay Patel said.

“Lou got hot, which is what he can do,” Patel said. “Once we figured out he was going to have one of those nights, we called a bunch of sets for him.”

Dunbar said the team helped him reach the accomplishment.

“Coach was very happy with us,” he said. “He thought we played our asses off and were just high energy the whole game. He said ‘see what happens when you

take good shots.’”

The Stars were thankful for the win, as they couldn’t afford another loss, Patel said.

“It was a great win. It was one we desperately needed,” he said.

“We had lost four out of five after a tremendous start to the season, so it was the first time in the season we really faced that much adversity. ” The final score was 95-93 with the Stars securing the game with a buzzer-beating shot by Junior Forward Ryan Wiley.

“It’s one of those where we needed everyone of those 50 points. If he has 47, we lose the game, so we needed everyone of

them for that night,” Patel said.

“It was a tremendous effort by the team and just a spectacular shooting display by him that night.”

Dunbar has shown that kind of skill during practice, Patel said.

“We see it everyday in practice,” he said. “Is it shocking he did that? Yes. But are we surprised by it? Not so much because we see it all the time in practice.”

The next home game is against Texas Wesleyan at 5 p.m. Saturday in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.

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news

Elina Moon Student Publications

Lunar New Year Lewis Liu, former president of Chinese Students and Scholars Association, and his family celebrate at the Lunar New Year Celebration. This is the 4715th Chinese year and the year of the Rooster.

Above: A group of guest performers from the children’s choir “Dove” sing and play traditional Chinese songs at the Lunar New Year Celebration on Jan. 27 in the Great Hall at in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. The celebration was sponsored by the Chinese Student Association.

Campus cook organizes month-long Valentine’s celebrations Sage Tokach ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Willie Butler, weekend campus cook, organized a Valentine’s Day celebration that will last all of February in the Caf. Butler’s birthday is in February, so he originally planned a joint birthday and Valentine’s Day party. He wanted the event to be Cinderella-themed, and he planned to buy shoes to give away to anyone whose feet fit them.

Officials asked Butler to tone it down, though, so he revamped his celebration idea and spread it across all four weekends of the month.

“I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, so I found a loophole,” Butler said. “Instead of one day, we’re going to enjoy the whole freaking month.”

The first weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday will be “Birthday Weekend,” during which Butler will celebrate everyone’s birthday. He has 25 gifts to hand out to students of his choice. Gifts include wallets, pajama sets and spa packages.

During Valentine’s Day weekend Feb. 11-12, Butler plans to serve Valentine-themed food and give away pedicures and manicures.

Butler said he named the third weekend on Feb. 18-19

“

Miguel Rios Student Publications

Willie Butler, weekend campus cook, works the grill Feb. 14, 2016 in the Caf. His Valentine’s Day celebration last year included special pancakes and a decorated room filled with small gifts and chocolate-covered strawberries.

“Ladies Appreciation: Little Debbie Day.” Members of FIJI volunteered to help him pass out Little Debbie snack cakes, clear tables and open doors. Butler said more than 20 male students volunteered to help with his celebration plans.

“They kept coming up to the grill and offering. I was amazed,” Butler said. “I thought if they were willing to take care of the ladies, I should take care of them, so I’m going to send them to Hooters. I don’t know where else to send them

legally.”

The final weekend brunch on Feb. 25-26 is also Butler’s birthday weekend. He plans to set up a “candy shop” in the center of the Caf, where students can choose from a variety of sweets to put in their pancakes. Each student can fill up two Dixie cups, which can then be brought to the grill so Willie can put them in the student’s pancakes.

Butler also has two “ultimate gifts” to hand out that weekend. One gift includes two AMC movie tickets, as well as a pedicure and/or manicure, and the other includes a gift card for dinner for two at Rococo, 2824 N. Pennsylvania Ave. “I think I’ll give the ultimate gifts to the two people who deserve it the most between now and then,” Butler said. “I have two people in mind, but I don’t know if they know each other, and that could be awkward. Maybe I’ll give them to the first person in line and the 50th person in line.”

Butler said he thought about taking his birthday weekend off but decided instead to celebrate it with students in the Caf. “Willie is so kind,” said Beth Woodall, vocal performance junior. “He’s willing to give so much, even if it means depriving himself.”

Career Services plans for upcoming post-college events Nathan Moelling STAFF WRITER

Career Services officials support and assist students on their pursuit toward post-graduation career possibilities, and will head many opportunities and events to introduce students to the professional world.

The department will host two upcoming events as a way to assist in the preparation for students’ success. First will be an etiquette dinner, followed by a career and internship fair.

“It is very important for

students to attend any professional development opportunities that are available on campus,” said Kanika Brown, career services coordinator. “Even if there is not an employer at the career fair that has a job a student is interested in, it is still a good opportunity to network and practice talking to employers.

“The etiquette dinner is important to attend because it can prepare you for a future lunch or dinner interview or outing with a future employer.”

The career and internship fair is open to all current

It is very important for students to attend any professional development opportunities that are available on campus.

Kanika Brown career services coordinator

students, as well as OCU alumni, while the etiquette dinner is open only to current students who RSVP via email to careerservices@okcu.edu.

Brown also encourages students who plan to attend

the career and internship fair to dress professionally and have copies of their resume to give to the present employers.

She also said there will be a professional photographer available to take headshots for

students’ personal use.

Zack Travers, business administration senior, said the fair is important, regardless of its outcome.

“I think it’s important because, even if it doesn’t end up in a job or an internship, it’s still networking practice and you still get more comfortable with presenting yourself in a professional manner,” Travers said.

The etiquette dinner will be from 5:30-6:45 p.m. tonight in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. The allcampus career and intern-

ship fair will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 7 in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.

More information on both events, a list of the employers that will be present at the fair and current job/internship opportunities can be found on the OCUCareers Facebook page or the Career Services website, okcu.edu/careers.

Campus Tech unable to retrieve help requests Zoe Travers NEWS EDITOR

C a m p u s Te c h n o l o g y officials are attempting to catch up on work orders and determine whose requests were missed following a program malfunction earlier this month.

Jessica Tyner, director of information technology operations, explained Jan. 20 in a campuswide email that voicemails left with the Campus Technology help desk did not convert to tickets in the system, which meant many of the messages were lost.

“Our system was designed to automatically for ward voicemail messages into our ticketing system, which was super cool and convenient for us,” Tyner said. “Somehow, the messages stopped forwarding and automatically creating tickets for us, and these requests were unknown to us.”

February 1, 2017

Tyner said she heard complaints from students about not receiving responses from the help desk. She investigated and discovered no record of the requests. Instead, she found there were messages in the voice mailbox that did not make it into the ticket system. When she realized the issue, she sent an email to the campus community.

C a m p u s Te c h n o l o g y officials now are researching the issue to determine what caused it, how long its been happening and who was affected, Tyner said.

Some students are confused about why they received the email if they weren’t affected.

Evie Simons, political science senior, said she thought she received the email because she is employed by the university, but, when she realized it was campuswide, she thought it was excessive.

Sending mass emails to unaffected students can worry

them about problems that don’t affect them, Simons said. She said it would have been better to only email those affected.

“I know they were trying to be helpful, but I don’t understand why they sent it to me,” Simons said.

Tyner said she sent the email to the entire campus because, by nature of the problem, Campus Technology officials weren’t sure who was affected.

Help desk representatives will contact those who left messages and will manually create tickets for issues that are unresolved.

To enter a help ticket, students can go to help.okcu.edu and log in with their OCU username and password.

From there, students will click on a button that reads “Have a Problem? Report it.”

This is where they explain their problem.

Elina Moon Student Publications

Let’s dance!

Amanda Dolph, music theater junior; Megan Elise Carter, dance management senior, and Marena Dreiling, dance junior, perform Painted, written by Greg T. Ford, composition freshman, and choreographed by Erin McDermitt, dance junior, at The Dance Concert on Jan. 27 in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. The performance was a collaborative concert between Project 21: Music for the 21st Century and Ann Lacy School of Dance & Entertainment. Project 21’s next concert is at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.

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