Semester in Review Fall 2015

December 9, 2015

Welcome home

Semester in Review

Volume 110 Issue 12

Maleyia Vaughn/The Campus

Students play a game of “ooo ahh ohh yeah” at Blue Out Blow Out on Aug. 21 in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. Blue Out Blow Out is a pep rally to introduce new students to OCU Athletics. The pep rally included a speech from Athletic Director Jim Abbott and performances from OCU spirit squads. The pep rally was one of the activities during Stars Week to help welcome new and returning students to campus.

Another great semester is in the books.

More students returned to campus this academic year, making student retention soar to 85 percent, the highest rate in recent history. Campus buildings were renovated, including the Gold Star Memorial Building where the theater and religion schools found a new home. Athletic teams worked hard and the men’s cross country team brought home its third consecutive national championship title, bringing the university’s total to 60 national championships. We welcomed new leadership within the university’s administration with Dr. Amy Ayers, vice president for student affairs, and the athletics department with Bo Overton, women’s basketball head coach, and Vinay Patel, men’s basketball head coach. We watched as a new Miss OCU Monica Thompson was crowned, united with fellow students during Homecoming activities, and cheered as beloved alumna Kelli O’Hara and humanitarian Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe were given honorary doctorates.

In this issue, The Campus highlights events from Fall 2015. By Emily Wiley, Editor-in-Chief

Page 3 Sports

Page 2 Lifestyles

Celebrate

Ali Wonderly/The Campus

Members of Gamma Phi Beta sorority celebrate together after winning Homecoming sweepstakes Nov. 7 in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The sorority placed first in all four categories, which were banner painting, window painting, Lip Sync, and spirit structure building. The men’s basketball team also won the game against Southwestern Oklahoma State, 73-70.

Kick it

Courtney Beyer/The Campus

Freshman Midfielder Petar Djurdjevic kicks the ball down the field during the men’s soccer team’s game against Houston-Victoria (Texas) on Sept. 27 on Stars Field.The men’s and women’s teams went to the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.The men’s team fell to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and the women’s team fell to John Brown (Ark.) during the semifinals.

Page 4 A&E

Be Italian!

Donovan Lawson/The Campus

Stephanie Feeback, music theater junior, performs during a dress rehearsal for the Bass School of Music’s spotlight production of “Nine,” directed by Dr. David Herendeen, director of opera and music theater, with light design by Bradley Taylor, design and production junior. The show followed a troubled Italian movie director struggling to choose between multiple women in his life.

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lifestyles

Emily Wiley, Editor-in-Chief, stupub@okcu.edu (405) 208-6068

Donovan Lawson/The Campus

‘I prefer just Kelli’ Interim Provost Kent Buchanan places a hood on Kelli O’Hara, Broadway star and OCU alumna.

O’Hara received an honorary doctorate from the university Nov. 30 in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. It is the highest honor the university can bestow. O’Hara won a Tony Award this summer for her role as Anna Leonowens in “The King and I.” The award came after 15 years working on Broadway and five previous Tony nominations. “No one needs to call me ‘doctor,’ I prefer just Kelli.” O’Hara said at the event.

Andrew Robling/The Campus

Unite!

Members of Gamma Phi Beta perform at Lip Sync during Homecoming on Nov. 6 in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.

The sorority won first place in every category during Homecoming week: banner, window, structure and Lip Sync. Alpha Chi Omega and Phi Mu sororities were second and third place in sweepstakes. This year’s theme was “unite” to honor the Class of 1965.

Courtney Beyer/The Campus

Welcome home

New fraternity members run toward their new brothers at Interfraternity Council Bid Day on Aug. 29. Kappa Sigma received 18 men, Lambda Chi Alpha gained 16 men and Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) received seven men. Panhellenic’s Bid Day was the week before on Aug. 23. Alpha Chi Omega received 27 women, Gamma Phi Beta received 28 women and Phi Mu and Alpha Phi each received 33 women.

Ali Wonderly/The Campus

Good chemistry

Jonathan Grube, biochemistry junior, demonstrates an experiment for Mary Benner, director of academic services and study abroad overseas programs, and Colbi Beam, coordinator of first year experience, on Oct. 28 in the newly dedicated chemistry labs in Dawson-Loeffler Science and Mathematics Center.The renovations included new classrooms and lab equipment.The building was last renovated in 1988.The renovations cost about $2.2 million.

The Gold Star Memorial Building also was remodeled to house the Wimberly School of Religion, School of Theatre and the Honors Program.

Ali Wonderly/The Campus

Courtney Beyer/The Campus

Back to school

Therapy humans

Kylan Durant, vocal music senior; Ariel Richardson, acting senior; and Haley Fortune, acting junior, walk down N.W. 16th Street.

Students went to the Plaza District for Back to School Bash on Sept. 1. Each student was given a $5 voucher to use at select establishments on the Plaza. Student Government Association hosted the event.

Franziska Harms, acting sophomore, eats a treat from Brandon Doyle, acting sophomore. Doyle, along with Harms and her “owner,“ Jonathan May, acting sophomore, were part of “Stress Relief Humans,” an activity put on by an improvisation class Oct. 13 on the quad. The group reenacted activities that take place during Stress Relief Week.

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 Volume 110, Number 12, December 9, 2015

Editor-in-Chief: Emily Wiley Web Editor: Maleyia Vaughn Lifestyles Editor: Sage Tokach Photo Editor: Ali Wonderly Copy Editor: John Hiller Community Manager: Sara Coleman

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Photographers: Courtney Beyer, Anna Anderson, Donovan Lawson, Andrew Robling Senior Staff Writers: Miguel Rios, Kyle Wallace Staff Writers: Kaylie Yap, Alex German, Prisca Lynch, Taylor Rey, Elina Moon

Columnists: Tatum Nelson Film Critic: Danielle Petersen Circulation Director: Allie Glazner Faculty Adviser: Kenna Griffin

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and letters 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, 2015. All rights reserved

December 9, 2015

sports

Emily Wiley, Editor-in-Chief, stupub@okcu.edu (405) 208-6068

Starting strong Basketball players cheer on their teammates during the Homecoming game on Nov. 7 in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The Stars defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State, 73-70. The game kicked off their season and was the first game with Head Coach Vinay Patel. Patel began coaching the men after former Head Coach Dionne Phelps resigned on Oct. 9. The women’s basketball team also received a new head coach this season. Bo Overton took over as head coach this summer after former Head Coach Latricia Trammell resigned.

Donovan Lawson/The Campus

Ali Wonderly/The Campus

Bringing home banners The men’s cross country team brought home its third consecutive National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championship title on Nov. 21. The team became the first NAIA program since Malone (Ohio) in 2007-09 to capture three consecutive national titles. The women’s team also competed and finished in sixth place. It was the first time in OCU’s history both the men’s and women’s teams competed in the cross country championship.

Courtney Beyer/The Campus

Move aside Senior Forward Ailee Thompson fights for the ball during the women’s soccer team’s game against Houston-Victoria (Texas) on Sept. 27 at Stars Field. Thompson was awarded Sooner Athletic Conference women’s soccer player of the year, as well as offensive player of the year. The men’s and women’s soccer teams made it to the semifinals of the SAC Tournament.

BETCHA

WE CAN BEAT Courtney Beyer/The Campus

YA HOME!

Row, row, row your boat Senior Kaleb Bledsoe, Junior Hunter Bingham, Sophomore Milos Aleksic, and Junior Marshall McCabe compete during the annual Head of the Oklahoma Regatta on Oct. 3 on the Oklahoma River. The men’s rowing team has won the past five team points trophies in the regatta. The regatta is always the first event of the year for the rowing teams. The team also won its fifth consecutive team points trophy in the Head of the Hooch regatta on Nov. 8 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

SERIOUS DELIVERY!

TM

★ JIMMYJOHNS.COM ★

Donovan Lawson/The Campus

Takin’ them down Senior Shelby Morrison takes down her opponent from Lyon College on Nov. 12 in Abe Lemons Area in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The Stars won the dual, 44-0. The Stars also won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Wrestling Invitational on Saturday. The team will compete in the USA Wrestling Open Dec. 17-19 in Las Vegas then plan to compete in the NWCA National Duals Jan. 8-9 in Fort Wayne, Ind.

December 9, 2015

TO FIND THE LOCATION NEAREST YOU VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM ©2014 JIMMY JOHN’S FRANCHISE, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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a&e

Emily Wiley, Editor-in-Chief, stupub@okcu.edu (405) 208-6068

Smile for the camera!

Peyton Schoenhofer, music theater sophomore; Esteban Suero, opera performance graduate, and Paul Williams, music theater graduate, pose for the video camera as the characters “Mark,” “Angel” and “Collins” in a rehearsal for Wanda L. Bass School of Music’s production of Rent, which ran Oct. 2-4 in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.Tickets sold out for all three nights of the show.

Ali Wonderly /The Campus

Cry it out

Anna Andersen/The Campus

Christina Stewart, music theater sophomore, goes through her character’s belongings during a rehearsal for OCU Stage II’s production of “Mrs. Packard,” which ran Nov. 5-8 in Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center. The show was directed by Judy Palladino, professor of theater, and featured costumes designed by Julianna Reese, design and production sophomore. “Mrs. Packard” is based on the true story of a woman who changed history in the 1860s.

Read it to me

Courtney Beyer/The Campus

Sarah d’Angelo, associate professor of acting, and Alysson Johnson, acting senior, listen as Kristin Kuns, acting junior, reads them a magazine article.TheatreOCU’s new holiday show, “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” tells the story of a houseguest and the antics that happen throughout the house. The show ran Friday, Saturday and Sunday and is running again at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.

December 9, 2015

Be my witness

Donovan Lawson /The Campus

MaryAnn Dutcher, vocal performance senior, acts as the witness to the marriage of PT Mahoney, music theater junior, and Carly Sinclair, vocal performance senior, in Oklahoma Opera and Music Theatre Company’s “Don Pasquale,” a comedic opera composed by Gaetano Donizetti set in 1951 Cuba with a focus on architecture and color. The opera was the first mainstage opera of the season and was directed by Dr. David Herendeen, director of opera and music theater. The next mainstage opera will be “The Magic Flute,” which runs Feb. 19-21.

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