THE CAMPUS November 1, 2017 – Volume 111 Issue 9
Trustees elect to increase university fees Sage Tokach
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Tuition will not change next academic year, but some fees will increase. President Robert Henry announced the board of trustee’s final tuition and fee decisions in an Oct. 27 email to the campus community. It is the fourth consecutive year officials kept tuition rates the same. Fee changes will go into effect at the beginning of summer. The increases are to university fees by $10 per credit hour, to meal plans by 6 percent and to selected housing rates. Renovated rooms in Walker, Banning and Draper halls will increase by 10 percent, and efficiency single rooms in Cokesbury Court Apartments will increase by 1 percent. Kevin Windholz, vice president for enrollment management, said the revenue will cover regular expenses like utilities. “We also want to be able to add new services for students,” Windholz said. “This decision does that while having minimal impact on students. It also keeps our tuition prices competitive.” Commuter and Cokesbury meal plans will remain the same price. Increased university fees will not apply to students in the physician assistant program. “We are continually striving to improve our student services and to provide a quality living and learning environment, and minimize price increases to our students,” Henry wrote in the email. Henry wrote that the fees will increase the university’s budget,
allowing officials to focus on improvements in housing, technology, and the Aduddell Fitness Center. The list of projected changes are: - room remodels on the fifth and sixth floors of Walker Hall, - a room remodel project in Methodist Hall for students with disabilities, - a new fire panel in Walker Hall, - boiler system installation for campus housing, - HVAC replacement for Walker, Smith and Draper halls, - new equipment in the Aduddell Fitness Center, and - improved Wi-Fi in university housing and across campus. Tiffany Van Der Merwe, co-chairwoman of the budget committee and professor of dance, said that, when the committee meets each year to discuss fees and tuition, they analyze the previous year’s budget, as well as university income, to estimate potential revenue. Then committee members factor inflation in. “We have to fill the impact of the cost of inflation, regardless of what we do with the prices,” Van Der Merwe said. “We had documents that showed various scenarios, raising certain fees or tuition, and we went with the decision that impacted students the least.” The money from the increased fees will go into operational budgets for future purposes. Spending decisions are based on requests from the campus community, Van Der Merwe said. Abigail Litjens, music theater freshman, said the reasons for the fee increases still seem vague. “I keep hearing it’s ‘worth it,’ but I think it’s unfair to tell us that they’re raising the cost without telling us why,” Litjens said. Laura Jardine, biology senior, said it’s reasonable for students to expect increasing costs. “I have friends at other schools whose budgets have been
TUITION/FEE COMPARISON 2017-18
2018-19
$13,638 per academic year
TUITION UNIVERSITY FEE
$115 per semester
$125 per semester
MEAL PLAN A
$2,378
$2,521
MEAL PLAN B
$2,262
$2,398
MEAL PLAN C
$2,137
$2,265
WALKER, BANNING & DRAPER RENOVATED ROOMS COKESBURY COURT EFFICIENCY ROOM
$2,050
$2,250
$4,550
$4,600
wrecked because of crazy tuition and fee increases,” Jardine said. “Fortunately, OCU is pretty good about doing things gradually.” Henry was unavailable for comment Monday. Contributing: Photo Editor Elina Moon and News Editor Zoe Travers
Officials analyze student responses to drug, alcohol survey Grace Babb
STAFF WRITER
Responses to the university’s drug and alcohol survey were low for the second consecutive year, making the information gleaned difficult to generalize. The survey was sent to students via email in September, asking for information on their alcohol and marijuana usage. A similar survey was distributed in August 2016. This year’s survey went well, despite some analytical hurdles, said Lesley Black, associate dean of students.
“Students participated, but we had a number of students who did not complete the entire survey. That makes the information harder to analyze because the response rates per question fluctuated so much,” Black said. About 550 students opened the survey, but only 300 undergraduates finished it, Black said. The number was even lower than last fall when less than 450 undergraduates responded to the survey, according to Student Publications archives. “The results are somewhat promising, but we need a larger sample size to really get a true
sense of our students’ behavior around alcohol and marijuana use,” Black said. Students were concerned with the true anonymity of their responses much like last year. Tomi Vetter, piano performance freshman, said she doesn’t like that students were questioned about the subject. “I think it’s actually not a good thing that the OCU community is reaching out and asking their students these questions. This information they are asking is relatively personal,” Vetter said. Vetter also said she doesn’t
think students have problems with drugs or alcohol. “Everyone is really extremely talented and gifted. They wouldn’t let alcohol or drugs get in the way of their education,” she said. Black said OCUPD was not involved with the survey and all answers were anonymous. “We want to know where more education might be needed. We also wanted to compare students’ actual drinking habits to the perceived drinking habits of their peers,” Black said. “Not surprisingly, it appears that our undergraduate students
believe their peers are drinking more often and more heavily than they actually are.” Officials can use information from the survey to focus educational efforts based on the results, Black said. “We can provide students with more accurate information about their peers’ drinking habits. Social norms research has shown that some students drink or engage in riskier drinking behavior because they mistakenly believe their peers are doing the same,” Black said. “Dispelling that myth may encourage some of our students to abstain
from drinking or to reduce the amount of or frequency with which they drink because, as it turns out, not everyone is doing it.” Lysa Engle, film production junior, said this could be useful information to know. “If people are going to use these things, they should at least be safe about it. And I think it could only be a problem because it’s prohibited, so people feel scared to get help when they really need to,” Engle said.
Students learn emergency procedures Grace Babb
STAFF WRITER
Students, faculty and staff learned last month about what to do in emergency situations. University officials gave a presentation in October about the procedures. “Overall, what we wanted to do was have a basic understanding of what we want you to do based on certain scenarios,” said Lee Brown, university risk manager. Brown said officials have not determined if this will take place annually, but he said there is a concerted effort to communicate the information each year. Active shooters “What if there was an active shooter on campus, and I was in the downstairs of Walker Center? You hear gunshots and get a Blue Alert. Where you are dictates what you do,” Brown said. “The first thing you need to do is get away from gunshots if you hear them and hide. Barricade the doors, prevent anyone from accessing you.” The Emergency Resource Guide tells students to determine the most reasonable way to protect their own lives. That may be to hide or to evacuate. “Have an escape route and plan in mind,” it reads. “Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow you.” Brown said students should put any phones on silent and
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be as quiet as possible, making sure that a phone does not create a beacon for a shooter to go toward. Brown said, in the event that a fire alarm goes off after a Blue Alert has been issued, no one should leave where they are unless they see or smell smoke. “This is a way shooters try to increase the harm they do. Stay barricaded,” he said. University communication Department of Homeland Security research reveals that average active shooter incidents at schools last about 12 minutes, according to policemag.com. Brown said the university police department’s response time is less than three minutes. “The university has roundtables and exercises for this situation, so we are familiar with the issues and able to respond to this situation,” Brown said. The first officers to get to the scene won’t stop to help injured persons, according to the resource guide. Rescue teams will follow initial officers. Officials will send amplifying information as it relates to emergency situations, so multiple alerts might be stacked on one another as time passes. “We may issue a lockdown order, and then we may issue a Blue Alert, and then another alert that says it’s an active shooter situation near Sarkey’s or lockdown situation, avoid Walker, etc.,” Brown said. “The intent is to give you an idea on
where the threat is in relation to you. It better helps you to respond.” Students outside Brown said, if a student is walking down the hall and receives a Blue Alert, the student should run into a classroom. If a student is outside and knows the situation is on the other end of campus, getting in their car and fleeing campus might be the better option. Some students were on their way to class when they received a Blue Alert about a lockdown last year, according to Student Publications archives. When they arrived at their school building, they were locked out and did not know where to go. “The biggest issue, and one that there is really no way for us to plan against, is what happens if you’re outside and this occurs. If you’re outside and you hear gunshots, the first step for you should be to run to a building and seek shelter,” Brown said. “But if you’re still outside, and we issue a lockdown order, the intent is for everybody inside to lock their buildings down.” Brown said he understands that this might result in students being locked out, but there is a limit to what officials can do to prevent it. “It hurts my soul to have to say that you may be locked out of a building. The reason is because we have people inside that building that we’re trying to keep safe,” Brown said.
Building coordinators Each building has an assigned building coordinator who will help direct those inside to where they need to be during an emergency. They act as the go-to point between police, facilities and the building that they’re in. If it’s safe to do so, they will lock their buildings down. “They’re going to try to get as many people inside as possible, but they’re not too worried about locking every single door.” A building coordinator knows the flow of their building and will know who is usually inside and why, Brown said. “They have an understanding of what class schedules look like and what professors may or may not be in the building at that time,” Brown said. Other emergencies In other emergencies, like bomb threats, the building coordinator has different responsibilities. During past emergencies, students have been more than helpful, Brown said. “You all know how to respond to that situation and help faculty respond appropriately in a lockdown and shelter situation,” Brown said. “Use that intuition, do what you’ve been trained to do so far in your academic career, and I’m sure you’ll be okay at the end of the day.”
Hannah Rogers Student Publications
Go Stars! Sophomore Cheerleader Maggie Hirsekorn throws the OCU Star as her teammates lift her during Homecoming Kickoff at 5 p.m. Oct. 26 on the quad. The kickoff featured performances by the OCU Spirit Squads. Lip Sync will be from 8-10 p.m. Nov. 3 in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. Homecoming royalty will be crowned at the men’s basketball game against Southwestern Oklahoma State University at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 in Freede.
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opinion
Stable tuition rates do not justify increased fees Most students will pay more money toward housing and fees starting this summer, even though tuition will stay the same for the fourth consecutive year. The general university fee will increase by $10 per credit hour, making it $125 per hour, President Robert Henry wrote in an Oct. 27 email to the campus community. He also wrote that housing rates will increase by 10 percent for renovated doubles and triples in Walker, Banning and Draper halls. Meal plans and efficiency rooms in Cokesbury Court also will increase. See Page 1 for more on increased fees. Though the lack of tuition increase sounds like a positive for students’ and parents’ wallets, the higher fees will affect everyone. Since most scholarships cover tuition and not fees, students will pay more out of pocket. This means the constant tuition is no longer a benefit
or advantage to students. I n s t e a d i t ’s s o m e t h i n g university officials can boast about, despite still billing students more. “Fees nationwide continue to increase even faster than tuition–often covering the same thing but letting institutions claim tuition hikes are slowing,” according to The Atlantic. Jason Reinoehl, University of Dayton’s vice president for strategic enrollment management, told The Atlantic that graduating students especially feel ticked off and “nickel-and-dimed” during a time which should be a celebratory time. Rates for Cokesbury efficiency rooms will increase 1 percent, which seems like a small increase. But, for students, this means an additional $50 per semester to what they already pay. While $50 may not seem like a big deal in the long run, most college students cherish every penny. Fifty dollars could purchase seven
Talk Back “Instead of a senior gift to the school, what gift would you give a senior?”
Chick-fil-A combo meals or fund tickets to both mainstage shows in the music and theater schools. The money from the increased fees will go toward housing, technology and the Aduddell Fitness Center. It’s good that university officials are prioritizing services students often complain about, but students don’t want to pay for things like better Wi-Fi when it is already expected from a college campus. Not to mention that meal plan costs were the same this semester as in previous years, even though we have less options than before. Now students will have to pay 6 percent more for less food. When it comes to financial matters with the university, many students want transparency. Hiding fee increases behind the attractive facade of a fixed tuition rate is the opposite of that.
“I'd probably get them a Starbucks gift card.”
“A trip to Australia—that'd be pretty dope.”
Cate Kurtz history sophomore
Sam Moore business finance junior
“A bonsai tree”
“I would write them a thoughtful note.”
Kendall Halvern business administration freshman
Addison Saviers religious education freshman
“A piece of wood from the shop”
“A year's supply of coffee to make it through their first job”
Malcolm Koehler theater and performance freshman
Madeleine Louder entertainment business sophomore
“I'd get them some Thunder tickets.”
“A coupon for JC Penney”
Erik Rangel economics/finance freshman
Leondre Lattimore studio art sophomore
Recent disasters prove that the environment needs help There are Texans, Floridians and others on campus whose homes recently were affected by hurricanes, droughts and other natural disasters. That’s because, of the 13 tropical storms named in 2017, seven have turned into hurricanes, three of which were above a Category 3. Certainly, there have always been raging storms in the Atlantic. We all remember Katrina and how it raged through the southern states, leaving an imprint on all of us. This generation’s Katrina is Harvey. Harvey was stronger, larger and more costly than
Katrina. Irma was not as bad, but it was still devastating to Floridians and Puerto Ricans. And, as if Puerto Rico wasn’t suffering enough, they got hit with Maria shortly afterward. California also is under attack from Mother Nature with what’s called the “2017 California Wildfires.” Almost 8,000 wildfires have burned more than a million acres of land. The fires, which have been fought courageously, are dying down, but are known as the worst wildfire breakouts in American history. About 260 people lost their lives due to these tragedies, not
Harrison Langford is an acting junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, who loves golden retrievers and the New York Giants.
to mention others who were affected by other natural disasters around the world. We have to analyze what nature is telling us. She’s not doing well. Whether you believe in climate change or global warming, one thing is for certain-2017 is a landmark year for natural disasters and lost
lives. None of these disasters are preventable, but they are caused. Atmospheric conditions in 2017 are a perfect breeding ground for hurricanes, according to National Geographic. Global air temperature is warming, droughts are occurring and sea temperatures are rising. This
makes it easier for forest fires to start and for hurricanes to speed up. While there has been a drought of hurricanes since Katrina, hurricane requirements have weakened in current years, according to National Geographic. In other words, a storm doesn’t have to be as serious for it to be labeled as a hurricane. But, this drought seemed to be a calm before the yearlong storm of the 2017 storm season. I’m not a global warming denier. I also cannot factually conclude that long-term changing temperature conditions are causing this horrific year of
natural disasters. What I can factually conclude is that these hurricanes and fires have had the perfect conditions to breed in, and we must do something to stop that. It’s up to us as students to come to terms with these facts. It’s time for us to look at ways to protect our environment, rather than harm it. Countries around the globe are recognizing this threat, and, while action is slow, there have been attempts to neutralize it. Our own country should look for avenues to start taking these steps as well before it is too late.
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper brings nostalgia If you’re looking for a movie to make you feel nostalgic, dumbfounded, delighted, confused, exhilarated, and a skosh uncomfortable all at once, then I have a movie recommendation for you. Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (Yes, the animated one from 2004 that came out exclusively on VHS.) should move straight to the top of your watch list. You have no excuses because it is available in full on YouTube, uploaded by a user named simply “Jessica,” but, even
if it weren’t available for free, the Amazon Prime charge of $2.99 would be absolutely worth it. From the opening moments of this movie, one thing is clear—the animation is strikingly beautiful considering the movie was probably made on a Barbie laptop (I’m just assuming this is required for all Mattel productions). It is challenging to describe the animation style in all its glory, but I will attempt. Remember the CGI lizards from Holes? Imagine a
Mary McLain is a film production junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who loves sandwiches and social media.
whole movie of those lizards, but the lizards are Barbies and Shia LaBeouf isn’t there. The plot of Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper comes from the classic tale of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. If you go to the IMDb
page for Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, you will find that one of the writers listed is Mark Twain. There is only one logical conclusion. Mark Twain wrote Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. Viewers of this cinematic
snafu may find themselves invested in the characters, many of which are animals. “Wolfie the Dog-Cat” is a cat who barks. “Midas the Poodle” sports handcrafted human-like eyebrows and c a n s p e a k En g l i s h , b u t occasionally chooses to bark. “Seraphina the Cat” serves as the token feline feminist icon. The most notable success of the film, the music, brings a subtlety to the story we mustn’t overlook. The songs were engineered systematically to remain stuck in your
head until you die, but it’s okay because the lyrics are breathtaking. Some of these lyrics include gems such as “you’re my doggish cat.” Personally, I found the music a bit troubling as it immediately reminded me of my old Barbie doll that used to sing the words “I’m just like you, you’re just like me” while her batteries slowly ran out. Despite this, I do not regret the three hours I have spent watching this (I’ve seen it twice).
Wanda L. Bass School of Music presents the Spotlight musical: Company at 8 p.m. in the Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Arts Center
2 p.m. in Kerr-McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business
Campus Calendar Calendar items must be received in the Newsroom or stupub@okcu.edu by noon Friday for inclusion in the following Wednesday issue.
TODAY Recommended deadline to apply for financial aid for the Spring 2018 semester
THURSDAY Spring 2018 enrollment begins for undergraduate students with 30+ completed hours
Spring 2018 enrollment begins for undergraduate students with 60+ completed hours
Chapel service from 1-2 p.m. in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel
Wednesday at the Wesley from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Watson Lounge in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel
TheatreOCU's Stage II presents The Country Wife at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center Weekly Play Club meeting from
10:30 p.m. to midnight in the honor's lounge in the Gold Star Memorial Building
Company at 8 p.m. in the Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center
FRIDAY Spring 2018 enrollment continues for all students
TheatreOCU's Stage II presents The Country Wife at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center
LipSync at 8 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center Wanda L. Bass School of Music presents the Spotlight musical:
SATURDAY Men's basketball vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center
November 1, 2017, Volume 111, Number 9
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Web Editor: Nicole Waltman Staff Writers: McAlyn Forbes, Harrison Langford, Emily Wollenberg, Sophia Babb, Grace Babb, Rodney Smith Photographer: Maridith Grimsley, Hannah Rogers Columnist: Caroline Hawthorne
SUNDAY Fi l m I n s t i t u t e ' s f r e e f i l m screening: Ma Vie en Rose at
Wanda L. Bass School of Music presents the Spotlight musical: Company at 3 p.m. in the Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Arts 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 Photo Editor: Elina Moon Community Manager: Lauren Berlingeri
TheatreOCU's Stage II presents The Country Wife at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center.
TheatreOCU's Stage II presents The Country Wife at 2 p.m. in the Black Box Theater in the Wanda L. Bass Music Center.
The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-
Film Critic: Mary McLain Videographer: Emily Haan Ad/Marketing Director: Madison 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.
The first issue of The Campus is free. Each additional issue costs 25 cents. Contents copyright, 2017. All rights reserved.
November 1, 2017
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news
Renovations in theater building to happen in phases Chandler White
COPY EDITOR
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Theater officials established a timeline for renovations in Gold Star Memorial Building. Callie Dewees and Harrison Langford, acting juniors, drafted a petition in February requesting improvement of the facilities in Clara E. Jones Administration Building and Gold Star. The petition asked for safer floors in the Gold Star basement and soundproofed walls in its classrooms. Jeff Cochran, associate professor of stage and production management and director of global initiatives, is in charge of overseeing the renovations. The two classrooms on the south side of the basement were finished last week. Cochran said the third floor is scheduled to be soundproofed during Christmas break. Construction will begin on the two acting studios on the north side in January. The acting studios mainly will be used for the acting and theater performance programs. One of the two classrooms on the south side is designated for design and production classes and the other for
Obviously they still have work that they haven’t gotten to yet that they would like to do, but I’m satisfied with the changes they’ve made so far. Callie Dewees acting junior
theater classes. Cochran said plans to repair Gold Star were always in the works, and the process is being done in phases. “There was a phase one... a phase two... a phase three,” Cochran said. “We knew the initial timeline on phase one. We didn’t have specific timelines on phases two and three.” Brian Parsons, associate dean of the school of theater, spoke about the renovations at the monthly theater school convocation. He said he
feels confident about the progress and believes everything will continue as planned. Dewees said she’s pleased with the changes, even though they’re not complete yet. “I feel like the faculty is making an active effort to improve the spaces,” she said. “Obviously they still have work that they haven’t gotten to yet that they would like to do, but I’m satisfied with the changes they’ve made so far.” Cochran said it’s normal for construction to take longer than expected. He also said, despite the difficulties and delays, he’s satisfied with the renovations thus far. “There’s just a lot of stuff going on campus, and facilities are doing their best to handle everybody’s projects around campus,” Cochran said. “Honestly, we’re in a really good place and excited for the extra space.” Editor’s note: Harrison Langford is a columnist for Student Publications. He did not participate in writing or editing this story.
Officials plan, fundraise for interfaith residence hall Nicole Waltman
WEB EDITOR
Officials are still fundraising and planning for Smith Hall to be turned into an interfaith dorm. “The plan is still to convert all or part of Smith Hall into an interfaith residence hall,” said Dr. Charles Neff, vice president for university-church relations. “We are currently in the silent phase of fundraising, where architects are drawing up plans and renderings to give us approximate costs for the project.” Once officials have the renderings and costs, they will use them to come up with fundraising materials, Neff said. The renovations were announced in Fall 2015 and projected to be complete by Fall 2018, according to Student Publications archives. “I’ve heard about their plans since freshman year,” said Katelyn Jassoy, music theater and
Knowing something about other faiths and being in authentic relationships with people of other faiths is incredibly important in today’s world, perhaps more now than ever before. Dr. Charles Neff vice president for university-church relations
vocal performance junior. “Since definite plans have yet to come to my attention, I honestly thought they had given up the idea.” Officials said the interfaith dorm will be the first of its kind in Oklahoma and one of the largest in the United States. The plan is that residents will be paired with someone of their own religion as a roommate and students of different religions as their suitemates. “There will be structured conversations, but the expectation is that much of the learning experience will happen organically,” Neff said. The interfaith dorm will be
programmed intentionally to foster interfaith dialogue through things like fireside chats and weekly worship services reflecting the various religious backgrounds of residents, according to Student Publications archives. Neff said university officials are focused on interfaith dialogue to create an inclusive environment. “Knowing something about other faiths and being in authentic relationships with people of other faiths is incredibly important in today’s world, perhaps more now than ever before,” Neff said.
McAlyn Forbes Student Publications
Still kickin’ Junior Defender Alex Buckley prepares to pass the ball at the soccer game against Southwestern Assemblies of God on Oct. 28 at Stars Field. The Stars won 3-0. The team’s next home game is part of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, which begins Saturday. Times and locations for the games had not been announced at presstime.
Freshmen at large senators elected for academic year Chandler White
COPY EDITOR
The freshman class elected new senators to represent them in Student Government Association. Austin Jones, Oxford plan freshman, and Trae Trousdale, education/history freshman, will serve as this year’s freshman at large senators on Student Senate. There were seven candidates in the election. Freshmen voted via OrgSync in late September. Jones and Trousdale were elected by majority vote 30 minutes after voting closed. They were inaugurated and sworn in at the Student Senate
November 1, 2017
meeting Oct. 3 by Ellie Roth, finance sophomore and associate judge of Student Senate. Austin Jones Jones is Oxford plan a member freshman of OCU Native American Society, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and the worship team at Evensong, the weekly non-denominational service in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel. He was president of student council and National Honor Society his senior year of high school. He is on his second
yearlong term as president of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council, a youth organization that focuses on culture, government and traditions. Jones said his goal as a senator is to advocate for his class to give them the best possible experience in college. “I represent my freshman class in hopes that I’m doing a good job in providing them with what they need and what they want in order to have the best college experience,” he said. Jones said he’s thankful that his constituents chose him and hopes to serve them in the best way possible. “I’m really thankful that they’ve chosen me for this oppor-
tunity,” he said. “I hope I don’t let them down, and if they ever need anything, I’ll always be here to listen to them.” Trousdale is also a member of NAS and Lambda Chi Alpha, as well as a part of the Student Philanthropy Committee. He said he hopes to continue to learn from and connect with the other organizations on campus. “I hope to be able to drop in and learn from different organizations, learn what they do, where they see themselves going and continue to develop the relationships that are necessary to properly represent everyone on campus,” he said. Trousdale said his highest priorities as senator are to advo-
cate for his class while also being available to those within it. “I am definitely going to Trae Trousdale try and education/history bring a freshman voice for the freshmen while maintaining a level of approachability with each and every one, as well as accessibility, whether that be through email, text, face-to-face, anything... just as long as I can hear what they have to say about our campus community,” Trousdale said.
Austin Gipson-Black, religion junior and vice president of SGA, heads the Student Senate. He said what made Trousdale and Jones most qualified for the positions is their sincere desire to be involved. “In the past couple years, student engagement in Senate has been low,” Gipson-Black said. “The fact that those two stepped up, went through the election process and genuinely wanted to be there is what overall sets them apart from the rest.”
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Elina Moon Student Publications
Everybody wants to rule the world Mary Morgan Bond, acting senior, portrays “Texas” in TheatreOCU’s production of Lord of the Flies. Based on the book of the same name, this interpretation tells the story with an all-female cast as pageant queens who are stranded on an island after an airplane crash. The production was done in partnership with the OCU Children’s Theater and had performances Oct. 26-28 in Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. The next TheatreOCU show is Noises Off on Dec. 7-10 in Burg Theatre.
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Tyra Bullock, acting senior, is crowned in the final scene of the show, where a plot twist reveals that it was all just a game for the pageant. The show was performed in three acts, taking place the day of the crash, six weeks after the crash and six months after the crash.
Committee recruits new members to discuss senior gift McAlyn Forbes
STAFF WRITER
The Student Philanthropy Committee is recruiting members to help choose the senior class gift. The committee will pick designations to be voted on to be the senior gift. The committee
also is responsible for fundraising, promoting and collecting donations. “So far, we’ve done different recruitment events for Stu Phil trying to get new members,” said Shannon McKenrick, entertainment business senior and president of Student Philanthropy Committee. “We’ve appeared at a
couple different senior seminars, trying to get some seniors involved for senior class gift.” Everyone who donates to the senior gift is allowed to vote on how the money will be used. The designation with the most votes will receive all of the money. Carrie Sauer, director of annual giving and faculty adviser
to the Student Philanthropy Committee, encourages students to join the organization. “There’s lots of different opportunities to get involved that don’t have to be very timeconsuming,” Sauer said. The senior class of 2017 gave the largest gift in three years. Seventy-two seniors contrib-
uted about $1,600, which, when combined with a match from President Robert Henry and a subsequent $50 donation, totaled at more than $3,000. The seniors voted to donate the money to the General Scholarship Fund, which is an unrestricted fund used for a variety of scholarships.
Seniors have used the money, in previous years, to donate to scholarship funds, build the fountain outside Alvin’s Café and build the wall on the east side of Clara E. Jones Administration Building.
University hosts environmental film showing with speaker Emily Wollenberg
STAFF WRITER
Tri Beta, the national biological honor society, is hosting a screening for an environmental awareness documentary. The film, Racing Extinction, sheds light on the underground world of endangered species trade. A team of investigators go undercover to showcase horrific cases of animal cruelty and the impact of carbon emissions on marine life. The film features Leilani Münter, a professional racecar driver. Münter will participate in a Q&A session with students after the screening, which will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Homsey Hall in Sarkey’s Science and Mathematics Center. Münter is one of the top female professional racecar drivers in the world and an activist for environmental protection. She is an ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation and was named the No. 1 Eco Athlete in the world by the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green network, according to her website, leilani.green. She has lobbied at Capitol Hill for environmental legislation, in addition to becoming an electric car advocate and driver-on and off the track-and a protester against the hunting of dolphins. She also adopts an acre of rainforest for every race that she runs, and she is on the board for the Ocean Preservation Society. Her slogan is: “never underestimate a vegan hippie chick with a race car.” “When I started racing, I was able to use my voice as an athlete to talk about this issues that I cared about,” Münter said. “It helped me amplify the activism message.” Münter said she focuses on three main points of environmental
My hope is that the younger generation like students at OCU who come to see the movie will share it and will make changes and influence people around them. Leilani Münter environmental activist
awareness: electric cars, vegan diet and overpopulation. She became a part of the film to raise environmental awareness on a larger platform. Münter said she has been passionate about environmental issues since she was a kid. “I remember trying to get people to recycle when I was in grade school,” Münter said. “Earth is a finite planet,” Münter said.” She has a finite amount of resources. She has a finite amount of land. The more people there are, the more animals we are going to lose, the more wild places are going to be cut down. We are really trashing our own backyard." She said she hopes people can be educated about the issue of environmental harm. “It’s hard for people to see the big picture,” Münter said. “My hope is that the younger generation like students at OCU who come to see the movie will share it and will make changes and influence people around them.” Dr. Terry Phelps, professor of English, worked with Michael Anderson, the film curator for the Oklahoma Museum of Art, and Charlie
Amis, a representative for Racing Extinction, to show the film at OCU. Phelps said Münter volunteered to participate in a Q&A in conjunction with the screening. Phelps said he hopes many students and people from the community will watch the film and learn more about the issues. “I read some years ago that, even if we were to stop all the pollution, the damage has already been put in process, and it’s going to happen— and we’re not stopping. It’s going to get worse and worse,” he said. The film focuses on a topic that many people aren’t aware of: illegal poaching and endangered species trade, Phelps said. “This film does a really good job at showing some of these atrocities,” Phelps said. Wildlife trade is second only to the drug market in respect to illegal trade, according to the movie. Madison Snow, biomedical junior and member of Tri Beta, said it’s important for people to know about environmental issues. “Racing Extinction is about the harmful effect that humankind has had on other species, which could potentially lead to the loss of diversity. It’s important that we spread awareness of this issue, and providing a public viewing of Racing Extinction is one way of doing so,” she said. Laura Jardine, biomedical senior and Tri Beta president, said she hopes the film will motivate people to act on environmental awareness. “Tri Beta is hosting this event because we really care about sharing important science with the OCU community. This human-caused extinction event is a growing problem, and awareness and education are the first steps to dealing with it,” she said.
Music students prepare for the first opera of the season Rodney Smith
STAFF WRITER
Wanda L. Bass School of Music students and faculty are preparing to open their first opera of the year, The Marriage of Figaro. The show is a comedic opera composed by Mozart and based on the play of the same name. The opera continues the plot of The Barber of Seville. “Figaro,” the servant, and his fiancée, “Susanna,” plot to expose “Count Almaviva” for the his attempted infidelity with Susanna. The production is set in the Georgian era, the historical period between the 18th and early 19th century. November 1, 2017
This production is unique because the costumes and wigs are in modern colors such as pink, said Cady Lewis, opera performance graduate, who is playing Susanna. “Most productions of Figaro now aren’t going true Georgian, truly in the elaborate fashion. It’s going to be a very beautiful production,” she said. Andrew Maguire, music theater sophomore and member of the chorus, said the show’s themes are still relatable to a modern audience. “They’re definitely bigger and more exaggerated for comedy’s sake in the opera, but I think everyone can relate to the feelings of love and jealousy,” he said. Jealousy, forgiveness, love,
and betrayal are some recurring themes in the opera. Austin Martin, vocal performance senior, is playing the titular role, Figaro. He said the opera can teach people a lesson about love. “I think this opera can relate to the fact that the excitement of new love, the ‘honeymoon phase,’ goes away, but that doesn’t mean the love behind that relationship has died. And, in the end, we find that it can still be very strong,” he said. Cast members will perform the show in Italian, and screens on either side of the stage will show English supertitles. Lewis said students not familiar with opera would enjoy this show. “It’s a really fun opera, and I
think Professor Miller is doing a really wonderful job of making it enjoyable and relatable for people who don’t necessarily go to the opera all the time,” she said. “She’s really highlighting the humor and the relationships of characters and making them real people.” Performances will be at 8 p.m. Nov. 17-18 and 3 p.m. Nov. 19 in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. For tickets, call the ticket office at 405-208-5227. Contributing: Photo Editor Elina Moon
Elina Moon Student Publications
Feeling artsy Melissa Campbell, music theater sophomore, and Leondre Lattimore, studio art sophomore, paint the windows for their Greek organizations during the Window Painting event Oct. 29 in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. Homecoming started Oct. 26 and ends Saturday.
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