IONEERPOklahoma City Community College

• Politics stalls abortion bill, editorial, p. 2.• Arts Festival Oklahoma upcoming, p. 6 & 7.• College raises money for employee, p. 9.• Welcome Week greets students, p. 10.

August 21, 2006This Week

Inside

The sun’ll come out...

Photo by Carrie Cronk

Early enrollmentnumbers show8 percent drop

Students to get parking help first week

Annie, played by Kendall Haliburton, meets a stray dog she names Sandy, played byPhuong-Thi Lam, during the Musical Theater Camp’s production of the musical “Annie”July 28 in the OCCC Theater. The young thespians prepared for the play during a two-week period in late July. The camp was one of many held by the Recreation and CommunityServices office this summer.

By John SavageStaff Writer

Parking spots may notbe plentiful during

the first week of school butwith a little help from cam-pus Safety and Security,students still should beable to find a paved park-ing space.

“(The) first week of clas-ses, we’ll be outside assist-ing students with findingparking,” said CampusSafety and Security Coor-dinator Keith Bourque.

“We will be out there tohelp them not only find aplace to park but explainany questions they mighthave,” he said.

There are approximately2,700 campus parkingspaces, Bourque said. Ifthat isn’t enough, overflowparking may be opened insome of the college’s grassyareas.

He said only 60 to 70 carsused the overflow parkinglast year because of the ad-dition of the new parkinglot. “It’s not as bad as it has

been in years past.”Bourque said it’s impor-

tant that students knowwhere they are allowed topark.

He said the first week ofclasses, his officers will bea little more forgiving ofstudents who park in un-authorized spots such asfaculty parking.

However, he said, officerswill adopt a no-toleranceattitude toward fire lanesand handicapped spaces.

If OCCC issues a ticket ineither of those areas, it will

cost a student a $100 fine,Bourque said. If the city is-sues the ticket, it’s will cost$250 fine per fine.

“The city tickets I have nocontrol over,” he said.

Students who believethey’ve been ticketed un-fairly can file an appealwhich will be heard by an

appeal committee made upof students, staff and fac-ulty.

He said unpaid ticketswill eventually cause thestudent’s records to be puton hold which means thestudent cannot enroll, dropor get their grades until the

“(The) first week of classes, we’ll be outsideassisting students with finding parking,”

—Keith BourqueCampus Safety and Security Coordinator

See “Parking,” page 12

Final figures will be out in October

See “Enrollment,” page 12

By David MillerEditor

Early enrollment reports from OCCC indicate an 8 percent decrease in enrollment numbers and an

8.7 percent decrease in credit hours this fall.As of Aug. 15, th e head count for fall was 10,140

students enrolled in 92,811 credit hours compared tofall ’05 in which a total of 11,016 students were enrolledin 101,635 credit hours.

The numbers include the August intersession, fall 16-week classes, early and mid-fall 8-week courses, threeFast Track courses and cooperative technical schools.

While students may not need to directly concern them-selves with issues such as enrollment numbers, schooladministrators pay close attention to decreases in en-rollment.

“A third of the real cost of education is paid by thestudent through tuition and fees,” said OCCC PresidentPaul Sechrist.

A decline in enrollment means the college budget willbe smaller than projected.

“The largest portion of the money that it takes for thecollege to operate, and pay our faculty and keep the build-ing air-conditioned comes from the state of Oklahoma,”Sechrist said.

Numerous factors play a role in determining the

2 • PIONEER • Aug. 21, 2006

Editorial and OpinionEditorial

Vol. 35 No. 1David Miller..........................EditorJohn Savage.................Staff WriterPhillip Hemphill............Staff WriterRachel Carlton.............Staff WriterCarrie Cronk.............PhotographerTim Cronk...................Ad ManagerRichard Hall.............Lab AssistantRonna Austin.............Lab DirectorSue Hinton............Faculty Adviser

The PIONEER is a publica-tion of Oklahoma City Com-munity College through theDivision of Arts and Humani-ties. It is published weeklyduring the fall and spring se-mesters and the eight-weeksummer session.

All opinions expressed arethose of the author and do notnecessarily represent those ofthe publisher.

The PIONEER welcomes let-ters to the editor and encour-ages the use of this publica-tion as a community forum.All letters must include theauthor’s name, address,phone number and signature.However, the PIONEER willwithhold the name if the re-quest is made in writing. ThePIONEER has the right to editall letters and submissions forlength, libel and obscenity.

Letters to the editor can bedelivered to the PIONEER of-fice, mailed to: Pioneer Editor,7777 S. May, Oklahoma City,Oklahoma 73159 or faxed to(405) 682-7843.

Letters may also be e-mailedto editor@occc.edu. A phonenumber for verification mustbe included.

The PIONEER can be ac-cessed on the Internet at:www.occc.edu/pioneer.

Too many children dyingtragically in hot vehicles

The U.S. Senate passed a bill by a vote of 65 to34 making it a crime to transport a pregnant mi-nor across state lines to have an abortion withoutthe parent’s notification.

President George W. Bush is poised to sign thebill, but the House of Representatives’ measurediffers from the bill passed by the Senate, which isan issue needing to be resolved before it makes itto the president’s desk.

The House’s measure contains a stipulationimplementing a national law requiring a physicianwho is knowingly performing an abortion on a mi-nor from another state to notify her parents 24hours before performing the procedure.

Connecticut, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island,Vermont and Washington don’t have parental no-tification or consent laws in place.

Taking a minor to another state for an abortioncompromises state laws and places minors in dan-ger, Bush said in a CNN article.

Critics of the bill claim parents might beat ormurder their daughters upon learning of their plansto have an abortion.

In a New York Times article, Hillary RodhamClinton said some parents don’t care about the wellbeing of their daughter(s), and that daughters areoften mistreated by the two people who are meantto protect them.

Obviously, this is not a simple issue that can besolved with a single, strong perspective.

It seems this issue between the Senate and theHouse is more about proponents of the versionpassed by the Senate getting their way so as todrum up public support from conservative voters.

The House’s stipulation requiring a physician tonotify the parents of a minor 24 hours before per-forming the procedure doesn’t seem to hinder theultimate goal of the bill, which is to assure parentsare notified so they may intervene on theirdaughter’s behalf.

If threatened with criminal charges, most physi-cians would adhere to the law by notifying the par-ents, thus satisfying proponents of the Senate’sversion of the bill.

With the House’s national law in place, the phy-sician would have the opportunity to determine ifa minor were in danger upon contacting the par-ents.

If the physician and the person assisting theminor neglected to notify the parents or ignoredthe parent’s wishes to intervene, then they couldbe punished in accordance with the new bill re-gardless of the House’s addition.

Proponents of the Senate’s version only seemconcerned with pushing their own agenda and notgenuinely concerned with the safety of a minor.

—David MillerEditor

Senate holdsup abortion bill To the Editor:

Last week, in Shreveport,La., a 2-year-old boy tragi-cally died after his fatherforgot to drop the toddler offat day care and instead, lefthim in his car all day whilehe worked.

He realized his mistakeonly after he returned to hiscar after work.

At the time the child wasdiscovered, outside tem-peratures had reached 102degrees, meaning the tem-peratures inside the carwhere the child was, likelyreached 145 degrees, ac-cording to the ShreveportTimes.

This child is the 22ndchild in the United Statesthis year to die like this.

Janette Fennell, presi-dent and founder of Kidsand Cars, a national orga-nization based in KansasCity, Kan., that tracks ve-hicle-related deaths of chil-dren, told the ShreveportTimes, “Little childrenshouldn’t have to die likethis.”

She’s right. Childrenshouldn’t die like this. As

in many accidental deaths,this tragedy could havebeen prevented had a fewprecautions been taken.

Kids and Cars lists thefollowing steps adults cantake to ensure that childrenare not forgotten in cars.

•Never leave childrenalone in or around cars, noteven for a short time.

•Put something you’llneed such as a cell phone,handbag or brief case in theback to get in the habit ofalways opening the backdoor of your vehicle.

•Keep a large teddy bearin the child’s car seat whenit’s not occupied. When thechild is placed in the seat,put the teddy bear in thefront passenger seat to re-mind you of the safety seat.

•If you see a child alonein a vehicle, get the childout as quickly as possible.Call 911 or your local emer-gency number immedi-ately.

The full story, which car-ries many other pertinentheat facts and warningsworth reading, can befound at www.shreveport

times.com.A family is grieving today

because of a tragic mistake.So, please, pass the wordon that kids are dying inhot cars but it can be pre-vented. And, take time tovisit www.kidsandcars.org.

—Ronna AustinOCCC Employee

Aug. 21, 2006 • PIONEER • 3

Comments and Reviews

‘Hitchhiker’ picked up again

Xbox revives classic game

Author Douglas Adamswas unusual. He was thetype of person who volun-teered for a group thatclimbed Mt. Kilimanjarowhile taking turns wearinga rhino costume.

What made Adams trulygifted, however, was hisability to communicatethese views to the rest of us.

In his five-book “TheHitchhiker’s Guide to theGalaxy” series, Adamsdemonstrates his gift forcommunicating his un-usual views.

Originally a BBC radio se-ries, “The Hitchhiker’sGuide to the Galaxy” waspublished in book form in1979.

The book begins with thedestruction of Earth tomake way for an interstel-lar bypass.

The series follows the ad-ventures of earthmanArthur Dent who managesto survive the destructionof Earth when he discovershis best friend, Ford Pre-fect, is actually an alienjournalist.

“Plans are only good intentions unless they degen-erate into hard work.”

—Peter Drucker (1909-2005)

Welcome to you all, those who are new and thosewho are returning. As always, we’re excited you’rehere, and we hope your semester starts strong.Having a plan is a good way to help make sure thatit does. It is much easier to get up every morning, orto show up every night after work, if you know whyyou’re doing it. Otherwise, the temptation to justdrift off course can be tremendous.

In the grand scheme of things, having some typeof future career goal is very useful. If you’re notaccustomed to thinking about the distant future,your success will ultimately require you learn to doso. After all, you’re in college for a relatively shorttime, so you ought to think about what you want todo with the rest of your life. That can be helpful indetermining what you want to major in. Knowingwhat you are majoring in can help you select thebest courses to take each semester.

If you haven’t put any thought into these issuesand you have absolutely no idea where to begin, Iinvite you to the Office of Advising and CareerServices to discuss your hopes, dreams, fears, andconfusion with Dr. Debra Vaughn, our Career Spe-cialist, or with one of the counselors. We can helpyou begin the process of sorting through all thepossibilities and finding one that’s a good fit for you.

On a less grand, but equally important scale is theissue of working hard and doing your best semesterby semester. Hopefully, you put some careful thoughtinto what you are taking this semester and howyou’ve scheduled your classes. If not, then pleasekeep this in mind for future enrollments. While thetrend tends to be to schedule everything as com-pactly as possible so you can rush in, go to class,and then leave, that isn’t always thebest way to dothings. It works for some, but less so for others.Your success rests on knowing yourself well enoughto understand what you will and won’t do. Forexample, taking early morning classes works won-ders for people who want to get school done andmove on with their day. They’re a disaster for peoplewho can’t get out of bed early. Remember, this isabout you. Choose wisely.

Most of us have spent at least a dozen years sittingin classrooms where the wonder, awe and creativityhave been systematically squished out of us. Ichallenge you to dig deep and rediscover thosequalities and to employ them as you journey throughyour college experience. Instead of slumping in theback of the class lamenting how boring your life is,try sitting up and really engaging in the lecture/discussion/activity for the class. Show some inter-est, ask questions... learn.

—Mary TurnerStudent Development Counselor

Since the release of theXbox 360, arcade gameshave been brought back tolife. Players can now playthose classic coin-operatedgames that were oncefound in numerous bowlingalleys, convenience storesand arcades.

New to the Xbox Live Ar-cade is Capcom Entertain-ments “Street Fighter II:Hyper Fighting.” This titleis only available for down-load from Xbox Live Mar-ketplace and can be pur-chased for $12.50.

The download is a smallfile and includes offline andonline gaming modes. Thedownload from Xbox Liveincludes a demo of two ofthe characters for onematch. Purchasing thegame unlocks all eightoriginal characters as wellas four of the bosses.

Each character has his or

her own ending and homelevels. Game options in-clude arcade mode, versusmode, training mode andcomputer battle.

The online features of thisgame are the real sellingpoint and will challengeeven the best players.

The online mode allowsfor leaderboards, custom-izable control options andXbox achievements thatcan be unlocked for brag-ging rights. One of theachievements that can beunlocked is beating thegame on the hardest set-ting.

One of the more enjoyablemodes is the quartermatch; this allows fourplayers to compete. Theplayers can view each otherbattle each other whilewaiting their turn to play.This mode simulates how itoriginally was played in the

arcades with a “winner-stays-loser-pays” motto.Also in the online optionsare the ranked matches,which will randomly selectplayers to battle with.

This game runs solidonline and the controlswork well with the Xboxcontroller. The game itselfis a port from the arcadeand runs at a fast speed.

This game has alreadyproven to be one of themore popular arcade titles,and the online play con-firms this. This feature al-lows players to play eachother just like it used to bein an arcade.

With gas prices high andgame rental stores barren,it only makes sense to sitat home and download thisclassic today.

Rating: 4.5/5—John Savage

Staff Writer

In the course of the se-ries, Dent discovers theuniverse is a much biggerand stranger place than hethought it had been priorto the destruction of Earth.

Adams writes with a witand sense of irony thatmakes the ridiculous andthe absurd seem normal,and reason seem a poortool at best for compre-hending an irrational andcomplex universe.

He challenges the readerto look at even the most ba-sic of situations from out-side the box.

Adams’ writing points outthat we take ourselvesmuch too seriously.

A silly action like climb-ing Mt. Kilimanjaro in arhino costume seems morereasonable after Arthur’smisadventures demon-strate to the reader howfragile and silly even ourmost basic assumptionsand values can be whenlooked at from an outsideperspective.

Perhaps the most valu-able lesson we may perceive

from Dent’s adventures islife has a tendency to forceus to live it whether we likeit or not.

Why read the booksrather than watch themovie?

Many people today viewbooks as primitive, ineffi-cient devices for conveyingthoughts.

Outdated by more mod-ern and trendy devicessuch as TV and the In-ternet, books today seem toexist primarily to giveshelves something to do.

Sometimes, however, abook with some usefulthinking is written whichcannot be translated into amore modern and trendyformat.

For this reason I recom-mend reading the originalseries, as opposed towatching the movie, foranyone looking for an en-tertaining and humorousdiversion which just mightleave the reader with a newperspective on life.

—Tim CronkStaff Writer

4 • PIONEER • Aug. 21, 2006

2006-2007 OCCC FallAcademic Calendar

Important DatesFinancial Aid Application and Supporting Documents Deadline: Oct. 28

Spring 2007 Nursing Applications Deadline: Sept. 15Tuition Fee Waiver Application Deadline: Nov. 15.

Special Admission HoursMonday through Thursday, Aug. 7 to 24: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 11, 18 and 25: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.Saturday, Aug. 19: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Student HolidaysLabor Day Weekend — Sept. 2 to 4

Fall Vacation — Nov. 21 to 26Winter Break — Dec. 18 to Jan. 1

Important academic dates for:Fall Semester

(16 weeks)

Session Dates

Late Registration Ends

Classes Begin

Last Day to Drop with Refund

Last Day to Drop without Refund

Last Day of Classes

Fall 2006 Graduation (occurs in spring)

Early Fall(1st 8 weeks)

Mid Fall(2nd 8 weeks)

Fall Fast TrackSession 1

Fall Fast TrackSession 2

Fall Fast TrackSession 3

Nov. 10

Oct. 16

Oct. 20

Oct. 25

Dec. 16

May 11

Dec. 1

Dec. 16

Nov. 17

Nov. 4

Dec. 6

Dec. 16

Oct. 18

Oct. 17

N/A

Nov. 10

Oct. 17to Dec. 16

Nov. 10to Dec. 16

Fall 2006

N/AN/AN/A N/A

Sept. 30

Sept. 20

Sept. 1 Oct. 13

Oct. 6Aug. 25

N/A

Sept. 29

Aug. 21

Aug. 25Sept. 1

Aug. 21

N/AN/AAug. 22Aug. 30

Oct. 6to Nov. 4

Aug. 25to Sept. 30

Aug. 21to Oct. 16

Aug. 21to Dec. 16

N/A = Not Applicable

Thieves steal from campus carsBy Phillip HemphillStaff Writer

A recent increase of carbreak-ins at OCCC hascontinued despite efforts bycampus security to stopthem.

The latest came on Aug.7, when a white Chevy Ex-treme, owned by MariaAcevedo, was burglarizedand the stereo stolen.

Security officials said

they have stepped up thenumber of patrols in theparking lots to respond tothe thefts.

“Effective July 1, wedoubled the number of staffin the parking lot,” saidKeith Bourque, CampusSafety and Security coordi-nator.

Bourque said studentsalso should take precau-tions to avoid being tar-geted.

“Instead of leaving bookbags and purses on thefront seat, [students]should lock those items inthe trunk,” he said.

If a vehicle is broken into,Bourque said, immediatelynotify campus security viaany of the parking lot callboxes, or to call 405-682-1611, ext. 7743.

Staff Writer PhillipHemphill can be reached atStaffWriter1@occc.edu.

Steps to protecting your vehicle:•Park your car in an area that is well-lit and near lots ofpeople.

•Keep the windows rolled up and the car locked, even if it’sparked at your own house.

•Keep valuables in your car hidden. Consider buying aremovable stereo face to keep in your trunk or carry with you.

•Consider buying a visible mechanical locking device to lockthe steering wheel, and/or an auto theft alarm system.

•Keep in mind when purchasing a new car that some makesand models have a higher incidence of theft than others.

—courtesy of www.ehow.com

Aug. 21, 2006 • PIONEER • 5

By John SavageStaff Writer

“The direction in whicheducation starts a man willdetermine his future life.”

—Plato

Randy Thurman said hewas a small child when heventured into his first li-brary with his motherLoynita, and that experi-ence opened his eyes to theworld of education.

Having reaped the re-wards of education, theThurman family has cho-sen to help several othersexperience that world too.On July 20, the family ofRandy, Pati and LeviThurman were honored fortheir contribution of$50,000 to the KeithLeftwich Memorial Library.

More than 75 familymembers and college staffshowed up to show appre-ciation for the donation.

Randy Thurman, co-president and chief finan-cial officer of RetirementInvestment Advisors, holdsfour degrees: a master’s de-gree in business adminis-tration, a bachelor’s in en-gineering from OklahomaState University in Still-water and an applied sci-ence in accounting and inreal estate.

Thurman said, about theage he started walking, hismother took him to the li-brary and instilled in hima passion for reading.

It’s a passion that he saidhe still has to this day.

He said the changes col-lege makes in a person’s lifeand family is the reason hedecided to donate money toOCCC.

“This is a very importantplace, making a differencein the lives of people,”Thurman said.

He said having four de-grees means he has seen alot of professors and he be-lieves the finest instructorsare at OCCC.

“The ones that care, the

ones that were practical,taught you things that youcould actually use out inlife,” Thurman said.

Thurman said one in-structor that made a differ-ence in his life was ac-counting professor KaylaFessler.

He said several othershave helped him along theway and there is no way toshow appreciation to all ofthem.

“Isn’t it amazing how thisplace draws incrediblyhigh-quality people?” Thur-man asked.

Thurman went on toreminisce about the olddays at the college, thenicknames and even theshag carpet on the wallsthat can still be seen in thePioneer office.

He said that the perma-nent walls, the library andall the computers are notwhat make the campusspecial. It is the professors.

“It’s not about the brickand mortar,” Thurmansaid. “It never has been.

“It’s always been aboutthe people here.”

Fessler said she was hon-ored to be recognized by herformer student Thurman.

“It was really something,”Fessler said. “I am veryhonored.”

President Paul Sechristsaid it’s special when aformer student comes backto help the college with adonation.

“I think it has greater sig-nificance when it is one ofour own,” Sechrist said.

He said with rising costs,these donations are veryimportant to OCCC.Thurman said that it feelsgood to come back and helpothers and donate to theschool that he once went to.

“I have been actively in-volved in the college on andoff from time to time,”Thurman said. “The peoplehere are simply incredible.”

Staff Writer John Savagecan be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

Graduate donates $50,000 to library

On July 20, the OCCC Foundation Board of Trustees and OCCC President Paul Sechristpresented the Thurman family with a plaque in honor of their $50,000 donation to Keith LeftwichMemorial Library. From left are Foundation Trustee Tom Legan, Randy Thurman, Pati Thurmanand Sechrist. Randy Thurman is an OCCC alumn and was an adjunct professor at OCCC for 10years.

Photo by LaWanda LaVarnway

By John SavageStaff Writer

Ever wonder what to sayor do when in an importantjob interview? Students canfind the answers to thisquestion at noon, Wednes-day, Sept. 13.

Career Power Wednes-days will address this issueand many more startingthis fall.

Advising and Career Ser-vices will present weeklyprograms “Career Power in25 Minutes” from noon to12:25 p.m. starting Wed-nesday, Sept. 13, in room1F6.

This year, Career Spe-cialist Debra Vaughn willteach skills that can helpstudents excel in the jobmarket.

She said she wants stu-dents to learn valuable

skills in about 25 minutes.Vaughn said, she would

stay to answer questionsafter the workshop hasended.

Besides Vaughn, otherguests will make presenta-tions. One guest will beLaura Choppy coordinatorof employment.

Vaughn said the pro-grams are mostly gearedtoward OCCC students butanyone can attend.

Vaughn said studentslooking for a job also couldcheck out the online jobboard. Students can posttheir résumés and look foropenings

“Right now we have over1,400 students on our jobboard and we have over 800jobs posted,” said Vaughn.“That’s something that Dr.Choppy will be focusing onhow to research those.”

Topics that will be cov-ered in the career work-shops are job openings,cover letters, résumés andjob interviews.

“We might even do amock interview in the frontof the room,” Vaughn said.

Students also will have achance to use new com-puter job search software.

For more informationcontact Vaughn at 405-682-1611, ext. 7529 or e-mail dvaughn@occc.edu.

Staff Writer John Savagecan be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

Career help can be found at lunch“Right now we haveover 1,400 studentson our job board…”

—Debra VaughnOCCC Career

Specialist

Voice your opinion.

Write the editor at editor@occc.edu

6 • PIONEER • Aug. 21, 2006

Arts festival hits campus in SeptemberThe 28th annual Arts Festival Oklahoma is set-

ting up camp on the OCCC campus Sept. 1 to 4. The festival site, located outside the Arts and

Humanities building, will play host to more than 15 foodvendors, three nights of live music and entertainment,and feature original artwork ranging from oils and wa-tercolor to photography and pottery.

Arts Festival Oklahoma is one of the top arts festivalsin the Southwest. The Labor Day weekend event hasbrought in an average of 30,000 people in past years.

The festival offers something for everyone. Arts Festi-val Oklahoma is designed to introduce children to thearts by developing the Children’s Creative Center. Thecenter offers activities such as face-painting, and artsand crafts activities. For $1, children also can play in alarge sandbox.

Each year, Arts Festival Oklahoma honors one artistby naming him or her a Featured Artist. The FeaturedArtist chosen at last year’s festival is Robert Carver, whois a Kansas native but credits Oklahoma City as beingthe stomping grounds of his artistic career.

Carver lent his artistic ability to create this year’s ArtsFestival Oklahoma poster, as seen on page 7.

Admission is free and parking is $3 per vehicle.

Food and more food

The four-man groupBilly Richards’ Coasterswill kick things off at 7:30p.m., Friday, Sept. 1. Theoriginal Coasters wereone of the most influentialgroups in the 1950s.Some of the Coasters’ hitsongs include “PoisonIvy,” “Charlie Brown,”“Along Came Jones” and“Yakety Yak.”

At 8:30 p.m.,Saturday, Sept. 2,

the Oklahoma CityPhilharmonic will

return to ArtsFestival Oklahoma.

The OKCPhilharmonic puts

on the festival’smost popular

concert which willend with a

fireworks display.

Arts Festival Oklahoma’sweekend will conclude with

country music artist Janie Frickeat 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 3.

Fricke was named Best FemaleVocalist by the Academy of

Country Music and the CountryMusic Association.

Friday, Sept. 1: 3 to 9 p.m.Saturday, Sept. 2: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 3: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Monday, Sept. 4: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The following are food vendors at this year’s ArtsFestival Oklahoma.

Back Yard Burgers — serving black Angusburgers, charbroiled chicken breasts, baked beans,fried potatoes, cobbler, hot dogs and chips.

Circle J Concessions — serving hand-dippedfootlong corn dogs, funnel cakes and more.

JR’s Concessions — serving ribs, brisket, pulledpork, bratwurst, turkey legs, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, chips and more.

JR’s Sno Shack Shave Ice — serving 25 dif-ferent flavors of shaved ice at different sizes.

Roger Westmoreland Concessions — serv-ing Polish and Italian sausage, homemade burgers,chicken on a stick, fries, tots and smoothies.

Silver Dollar Bakery — serving large cinna-mon rolls and milk.

Sweet Corn Express — serving roasted cornon the cob, baked potatoes, brisket, chocolate-dipped cheesecake, chocolate-dipped bananas.

Sweis’s Restaurant — serving gyro sand-wiches, Baklava and pizza by the slice.

Tad’s Catering and Concessions — servingIndian tacos, chipotle burritos, churros, cajunshrimp on a stick, fried chicken tenders on a stick,corndogs and curly fry loaves.

Two Okies Concessions — serving German-style kettle corn and German cinnamon roastednuts.

Waffle Sundae Trailer — serving ice creamwaffle sundaes, ice cream cups and ice creamcones.

Arts Festival Oklahoma hours

Aug. 21, 2006 • PIONEER • 7

Artist’s Southwest-style painting graces posterBy John SavageStaff Writer

Robert Carver’s South-west scene is the featuredprint adorning this year’sArts Festival Oklahomaposter.

Each year, a differentprint and artist is show-cased at the festival, heldevery Labor Day weekendat OCCC.

This year’s print is a stilllife of a table with Indiancorn and pottery portrayedin a rustic orange color.

Carver said there is nomessage in this painting,that it’s just an Americanapiece.

“I got to Arizona quite of-ten to art fairs and I like thesouthwest scene,” Carversaid. “I really enjoy doingstill lifes.

“It doesn’t have to beSouthwest, I just enjoy do-ing still lifes in general.”

The Kansas native saidhe always enjoys comingback to Oklahoma City.

“When I first started outas an artist, my mainshows were in Oklahoma

City,” Carver said.Some artists discover

painting at later stages inlife but Carver said he en-joyed it at a very young age.

Even as a small child,Carver said, he enjoyeddrawing cartoons and otherillustrations.

“I don’t remember neverbeing able not to.”

Carver eventually found away to make money withhis talents.

“I would go to the localhangouts and get a littlemoney pin striping cars forthe weekend,” he said.

“I used to do the pin strip-ing on the dashes. That’show I made my money andin my twenties, I became atechnical illustrator.”

Carver has been a full-time artist for more than 40years.“I still enjoy it asmuch as I ever did.”

Carver, who said he hasbeen all over the country tovarious art shows, said heisn’t just a one-trick pony.

“It doesn’t really matterwhere I go, I can paint anysubject,” Carver said. “I’vedone almost every kind of

OCCC featured artist forArts Festival Oklahoma is

Robert Carver fromWichita, Kansas.

His Southwest scene is thefeatured print used for this

year’s Arts FestivalOklahoma poster.

drawing.”Carver said he hopes to

be painting for another 40years.

Born in El Dorado, Kan-

sas, in 1940, Carver cur-rently resides in Wichita,Kansas. He attended But-ler County Community Col-lege and Wichita State Uni-

versity where he studiedart.

Staff Writer John Savagecan be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

FestivalGrounds

2006ANNUALgrounds and parking

8 • PIONEER • Aug. 21, 2006

Sports

Abuzz about camp

•Aug 28: The Oklahoma CollegeClub Soccer League will start prac-ticing for the upcoming season.The practices will be held at 6 p.m.on the south east side of the cam-pus at 6 p.m. The official start ofthe season will be Sept. 9. Stu-dents can register to play at theRecreation and Community Ser-vices office. There will be a teammeeting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 29 inthe RCS class room 1C1B. Stu-dents must be enrolled in at least9 credit hours at OCCC and havea validated student ID to be eli-gible.

•Aug 30-31: Recreation and Com-munity Services will start a newclub called ClubRec. There will bea booth in the Student Club andOrganization Fair for studentswhom are interested in sport ac-tivities to sign up. For more infor-mation contact Eric Watson at 405-682-1611, ext. 7786.

•Sept. 7: OCCC National FootballLeague flag football league willstart its registration for its upcom-ing season Sept. 7. Season startsSept. 19 and runs through Oct. 28.The non competitive leagues arefor boys and girls ages 6 to 14 andthe cost is $65. Game days will beTuesdays, Thursdays and Satur-days and each team will have atotal of eight games played. Formore information contact EricWatson at 405-682-1611, ext.7786 or visit www.occc/rcs.edu.

•Oct. 2 : OCCC youth basketballleague will tip off its season of noncompetitive basketball for boysand girls, ages 5 to 12 years-old.Registration ends Nov. 9 and theseason starts Dec. 2. Each teamwill play eight games and the sea-son ends Feb. 17. The cost for thisleague is $60. For more informa-tion contact Eric Watson at 405-682-1611, ext. 7786 or visitwww.occc/rcs.edu.

For more informationon sport camps, visit

www.occc.edu/rcs

Photo by LaWanda LaVarnway

A Hornets’ staff member works with children of season ticket holders during the July 25 Hornets BasketballCamp held in the OCCC Wellness Center gymnasium.

Dive OK program makes a splashBy Anthony BrownNews Writing Student

After only a few months at thecollege, the metro dive program,Dive Oklahoma, is a success in thewords of Program Coach MarkButcher.

Since November, the programwhich allows anyone who canswim the chance to learn how todive has increased from nine par-ticipants to 25.

The Dive Oklahoma team tookfifth place in the Spring Nationals,Butcher said.

“It’s a great benefit to the com-munity,” Butcher said. “It’s out-standing to see kids involved insomething positive.”

Butcher said the youngsters aredefinitely growing as a group.

“They’re maturing and under-standing how to treat others with

respect,” Butcher said.The college is leasing the facili-

ties to the program.The program is bringing recog-

nition and revenue to the collegesaid Stephanie Scott, Aquatic andTraining specialist.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Scott said“The kids are doing well.”

Butcher said the college is rec-ognized at every meet they have.

He said he loves the facilities.The Aquatic Center was built in

1989 and last renovated in 2005.Scott said this program allows thediving boards to be used.

“They need some upgrades butthat’s with any facility as old as thisone,” Butcher said.

Butcher said he would like toincrease awareness about thesport of diving in Oklahoma. Hewants to triple the size of the pro-gram by March 2007.

He said he also hopes to win aNational Championship within thenext five to seven years.

Butcher has been a diving coachfor nine years.

He is originally from Indianapo-lis, Ind.

The year-round program is opento all ages and all levels of divers.Participants must know how toswim, Butcher said.

For more information on DiveOklahoma, contact the Recreationand Community Services depart-ment at 405-682-7859 or visitwww.occc.edu/rcs for a completelisting of programs and dive meets.

UPCOMING

OCCCINTRAMURALS

EVENTS

•Got SPORTS news? •Call John at

405-682-1611,ext. 7410

Aug. 21, 2006 • PIONEER • 9

Donationssought foremployeeBy John SavageStaff Writer

Donations are being collected inthe OCCC bookstore for part-timeMath Lab Assistant Christine Peck.

Peck’s son Nathan, 10, died in ahiking accident in the AdirondackMountains in upstate New YorkJuly 28, according to the Aug. 1issue of The Oklahoman.

Because Peck is a part-time em-ployee, she doesn’t qualify for paidleave, said Human Resources andSupport Services Vice PresidentGary Lombard.

That prompted Science andMathematics Dean Max Simmonsto turn to Peck’s co-workers forhelp.

In an all-employee e-mail datedAug. 2, Simmons said a fund wasbeing set up through a local bankto “allow [Peck’s] College family tohelp her out in a tangible way aswell as through thoughts andprayers.”

A later e-mail indicated the col-lege bookstore would serve as thecollection site. All donations shouldbe made in the bookstore office, hesaid.

Simmons said the money wouldallow Peck to “concentrate on tak-ing care of herself and her family.”

Staff Writer John Savage can bereached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

Photo by LaWanda LaVarnway

Snap away

Black-and-White Photography Professor Carrie Fudickar assists a student with her camera during a class exerciseon campus for the summer semester. The class teaches students the technical and creative elements involved intaking a photo, film development and print creation. Fudickar said she allows her students to bring their own artisticstyle into each of the assignments and encourages them to try different techniques to help them improve theirskills and talents.

Foodprices to

go upEffective Monday,

Aug. 1, Carson’sMarket Fresh Caféwill introduce new,higher prices for theirmenu items.

For more infor-mation, visit thePioneer Online atw w w . o c c c . e d u /pioneer.

Read the Pioneer Online atwww.occc.edu/pioneer

10 • PIONEER • Aug. 21, 2006

HighlightsMusic department to audition singers Auditions for Chamber Singers will be held Monday, Aug.21, and Tuesday, Aug. 22. Singers who are interested ingetting tuition fee waivers for performing in the choir shouldcontact Ron Staton, Music Professor, at 405-682-1611,ext. 7249. Auditions and sign-up sheets for audition timeswill be in room 1D4B in the Arts and Humanities building.

Community Choir begins rehearsals The Symphonic Community Choir’s first rehearsal of thefall semester will be Tuesday, Aug. 22, in CU3. Rehearsalswill be from 7 to 9 p.m. The class may be taken for creditor non-credit. For more information contact Ron Staton,professor of music, at 405-682-1611, ext. 7249.

Auditions for “The Laramie Project” Auditions will be at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 22, andWednesday, Aug. 23, at the OCCC Theater. A diversegroup of actors is needed to tell the story surrounding thedeath of Mathew Shepard, who was beaten and left to diebecause of his sexual orientation. No preparation orexperience is necessary to audition. It is open to all majors.The play will be performed Sept. 28 to 30. For moreinformation, contact Theater Professor Brent Noel at 405-682-1611, ext. 7246, or via e-mail at bnoel@occc.edu.

Free immunizations for childrenThe “Caring Van” immunizations will be from 2 to 4:30

p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Child Development Centerand Lab School. It is open to the public and is funded bythe Oklahoma Caring Foundation Inc., a non-profitorganization administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shieldof Oklahoma. Parents need to be sure to bring their child’scurrent shot record. A parent or guardian must be presentto complete the required paperwork. If there are anyquestions, please contact the lab school at 405-682-7561.

Communication Lab needs student volunteersThe lab is organizing groups of students who take En-

glish as a second language classes at OCCC. Studentvolunteers who speak English as a second language areneeded to lead the groups and help the students practiceconversation. The groups will meet for one hour each weekduring the semester from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Time slotsare available Monday through Friday. Students can signup to lead a group in the Communications Lab or by con-tacting Charlotte Roller at 405-682-1611, ext. 7588 or viae-mail at croller@occc.edu.

Auditions for “Writing My Life Away” The auditions for the independent film short will be heldfrom 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Village LibraryRoom A. Actors/actresses must bring bio or résumé plusmonologue. Headshots are optional. For more informa-tion, contact Trenton Smith, writer, director and producer,at 405-816-3406. He also can be reached via e-mail atTrenton_Smith@hotmail.com.

Toastmasters Club holds humorous speech contestThe Boomer Story Tellers Toastmasters Club will hold

its annual speech contest at 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 28. Thecontest will be located at Aloha Gardens restaurant locatedin the Walnut Shopping Center on I-240 and S. Penn.,and is open to the public. Meetings are on the second andfourth Mondays of the month at 7 p.m., at Aloha Gardens.For more information, contact Kitty Gilligan at 405-413-0929.

Photo by Carrie Cronk

Photo Finish

Hispanic Organization for the Promotion of Education club member Susana Hernandezand Society of Performing Artists club member Jonathan Allen help create a poster for theFoto Fun activity on the first night of the 2006 OCCC Leadership Retreat that at QuartzMountain Resort, located 17 miles north of Altus.

Welcome Week greets all studentsBy Phillip HemphillStaff Writer

From dirty hands to help-ing hands, Student Life willoffer two weeks of hands-on activities to welcomestudents to OCCC by put-ting shirts on their backsand gasoline in their cars.

Welcome Week, begin-ning Aug. 21, has been inthe planning stages sincethe beginning of summer,said Jon Horinek, StudentLife coordinator.

“Welcome Week is de-signed to be a handshaketo students,” Horinek said.

“It is to help the studentsto get involved and helpthem make the transitionto school.”

The free festivities willcommence Monday, Aug.21.

A plethora of flavoredsnow cones will be availablein the main building to any-one who stops by.

Tuesday, Aug. 22, will of-fer a unique event knownas wax hands.

The event will allow stu-dents to create a wax sculp-

ture of one of their hands,using any of the availablecolors. Hog Wild Entertain-ment has been contractedfor the event.

“During wax hands, [stu-dents] will be able to makewhatever shape with theirhands, make a mold of thehand, then a sculpture,”Horinek said.

For anyone with a sweettooth, Wednesday, Aug. 23,will be sure to satisfy.

Hog Wild will supplycandy such as Pixie Sticks,said Sara McElroy, FirstYear and Student Life Pro-grams coordinator.

In addition to candy,there will be a service fair.During the fair, studentswill have the ability to scopeout potential places to vol-unteer in order to gain com-munity service experience.

Thursday, Aug. 24, willenable students to createtheir own instant tie dye T-shirts out of a white tee andspraypaint, Horinek said.

Welcome Week will endwith a two-day organizationfair from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m,on both Aug. 30 and 31.

Student clubs will set upwelcome booths in the caf-eteria.

Student volunteers willrecruit new members fortheir clubs, said KarenGrayson, Student Clubsand Organization assistant.

“I expect that most of ourclubs will be present,”Grayson said.

“I expect it to be as suc-cessful as in the past.”

To encourage success,Student Life will hold a ver-sion of the Television show“Deal or No Deal” on Aug.30. Instead of cash, contes-tants will win Wal-Mart gascards worth variousamounts.

Welcome Week will con-clude Aug. 31 with an ac-tivity that allows par -ticipants to write theirname on a grain of rice, byusing special instruments,provided by Hog Wild.

For more information onWelcome Week, contact theOffice of Student Life at405-682-7523.

Staff Writer Phillip Hemp-hill can be reached atStaffWriter1@occc.edu.

Aug. 21, 2006 • PIONEER • 11

Class ifi eds

FOR SALE: 2003 ChevroletAvalanche, V8 engine. XM radio,CD player, On-Star programmed,built-in telephone. Leather inte-rior and 4 heated seats. Moon-roof, chrome wheels, dual ex-haust, privacy windows. Like new,garage parked. $17,900. Pleasecall 691-1261 or 830-5589 formore info.

FOR SALE: 1994 Cadillac Se-ville SLS. Emerald green, whiteleather, 120K miles. $1,500 firm.Call Scott 314-4935.

FOR SALE: 1990 Dodge Cara-van. Cold AC, runs good, gets 22mpg. $1200 OBO. Contact 527-9468 or trAAtj@yahoo.com.

Pioneer Classified Advertisingis free to all currently enrolledOCCC students and employeesfor any personal classified ad.Ads must be submitted in writ-ing with IDs supplied or workarea and college extension in-cluded. Deadline for advertis-ing is 5 p.m., Tuesday prior tothe publication date. For moreinformation, call 405-682-1611,ext. 7674, or fax 405-682-7843.

FOR SALE: 3 silver metal/frosted glass end tables, $150.3 silver metal/glass desk with 4separate matching file cabinets,$150. For pictures and info e-mailjarrodwilmoth@yahoo.com.

FOR SALE: Large 9-drawer

FOR SALE: BIO 1314 A & P I(Human Anatomy & PhysiologyStudy Guide, 6th Ed.) brand new/never used $30. BUS 1323 Mathfor Business Careers (Contem-porary Math for Business & Con-sumers w/cd, 4th Ed.) brand new/never used $50. FIN 1013 Per-sonal Finance (Personal Financew/cd, 7th Ed.) like new/ used once$90 OBO. REL 1113 Real EstatePrinciples (Modern Real EstatePractice, 16th Ed.) like new/ usedonce $30. Contact Amy at 820-6263 or 682-1611, ext. 7770.

FOR SALE: Presario Compaq266x notebook model 1235. Word2003, Internet ready. Very goodcondition. $150 OBO. Please callEric at 682-1611, ext. 7786, or326-0868.

FOR SALE: Dell Inspiron 6000laptop with Intel Centrino and HPAll-in-one printer/scanner/copier.$600 OBO. Call 650-3802 forspecs.

FOR SALE: Barely used Delllaptop. Great for students. E-mailhayemargo@hotmail.com forspecs.

FOR SALE: Apple eMac com-puter. 80 GB, 1024 MB RAM, goodcondition, approx. 3 years old,lots of software, used for designpurposes only. $500 OBO. Call642-2412 for more information.

HOUSE FOR RENT: Shadow-lake Addition, off Pennsylvania,between S.W. 89th and S.W.104th. 3 bedroom, 1 3/4 baths, 2-car garage. For more information,please call 822-1717.

FOR SALE: Women’s size-7white gold diamond engagementring. Princess cut w/ diamond ac-cents, asking $500. Size 13/14black prom dress $30, size 11/12red prom dress with black sheermaterial over it so it appears deepred, beading all over $75. Size 10seashell pink wedding dress withlace and beading $100. CallKristina 250-8919 or e-mail forpictures at kbezdek@po.occc.edu.

FOR SALE: His & hers wed-ding/engagement set. Hers:Round 1/3 carat diamond solitaireset in white gold w/ yellow goldaccents and matching white goldband, recently appraised $750.Selling with men’s white gold band,(heavy in weight). Asking $425 forall. E-mail atctracy@yahoo.comfor more info and pictures or call694-9243.

FOR SALE: Sparkling 5 prin-cess cut diamonds in white goldring. Appraised at $6,135. Asking$1,500. For pictures and moreinfo e-mail jarrodwilmoth@yahoo.com.

FOR SALE: Snow-Cone stand.New paint, new counter tops, haseverything except ice shaver.Ready to plug in and go. Asking$1,200. Please call 301-0031 formore info.

FOR SALE: 18” Halo BlastChrome wheels. 4 wheels, 3 tires.5 bolt pattern. $600 OBO. Pleasecall 921-2691.

FOR SALE: Klipsch RF-3II floorstanding loud speakers, $700 forpair (includes Monster SpeakerCables). Klipsch RC-3II centerspeaker, $230 (includes MonsterSpeaker Cables). 12 cu. ft. Frigidaire chest freezer, $150. Futon(black) $50. Call 680-7513 or 550-4866.

FOR SALE: Two Direct TV Sat-ellite Receivers w/ remotes andone Direct TV Satelite Dish, sell-ing all three as a set. All about twoyears old and in good workingcondition. $75 OBO. Call Laurie420-3492.

FOR SALE: A stackable wash-er and dryer. Not new. Asking$200. Please call 949-0974 formore info.

LICENSEDCHRISTIAN

HOME DAY CAREDHS approved,

11 years experience,meals included,lots of TLC and

references available.Please call

405-740-5535. Monday through

Friday,7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

FOR SALE: Colorado Property.2.5 acres Canon City, Co. Utili-ties, Royal Gorge, Arkansas River,ski resorts. $15,000 terms or carry.Please call 773-1384 or e-mailrobertsonconsultant@hotmail.com. Photos available at Room1H5 beginning Saturday Aug. 26,noon till 12:30 p.m.

wood dresser w/ mirror. Old but ingood shape. $50 OBO. Very largeexecutive desk, 4 drawers solidwood, good shape. $50 OBO. CallLaurie 420-3492.

For Sale: Daybeds for sale.Black, western-looking. Asking for$175 firm. Call 255-8989 and askfor Ashley.

The Oklahoma City Community College Child Development Center and Lab Schoolannounces its participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Allparticipants in attendance are served meals, at no extra charge to the parents andwithout regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. In accordancewith federal law and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, thisinstitution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, age, or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C.20250-9410, or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity

provider and employer.

This statement applied to the center listed below:Oklahoma City Community College

Child Development Center and Lab School7777 South May Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73159

Fax your ads to405-682-7843

or e-mail ads toadman@occc.edu.For more info call405-682-1611,

ext. 7674

Read the classifieds andnews online at

www.occc.edu/pioneer

12 • PIONEER • Aug. 21, 2006

ticket is paid. At that point,Bourque said, there is noappeal option.

Some OCCC students saythey aren’t worried aboutfinding parking.

Journalism/Sociologysophomore Courtney Barrysaid the first week, she willarrive about 10 minutesearly. “After that, I will gethere just in time to walk

Campus cops will helpstudents find parking “Parking,”Cont. from page 1

into class.”Occupational Therapy

sophomore Christy Teplysaid it doesn’t matter to herif the lots are filled. She saidshe will still somehow man-age to find a spot and makeit to class.

Bourque said studentsshould plan to arrive a littleearly to make sure theymake it to class on time.

Staff Writer John Savagecan be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

Enrollment decline blamed on numerous factors, including gas prices “Enrollment,”Cont. from page 1

college’s enrollment num-bers. One is the economy.

Sechrist said the state’seconomy factors in aperson’s decision to attendschool as opposed to enter-ing the workforce.

He said, in a time suchas now, when the economyis good, more people chooseto enter the workforce.

“If you’ve got a good joband you’re working over-time, probably college is noton your radar screen rightat this moment,” Sechristsaid.

The good economy hasnot deterred Jose Huvrta,nursing major, from choos-ing to attend college.

“I’m looking for a betterjob,” said Huvrta. “I’m tiredof dead-end jobs.”

Huvrta also has childrenand a day job so, he said,he had to schedule hisclasses in the evening.

Others without familiesare entering college as wellin order to obtain a morelucrative career.

“I think [attending col-lege] will be worth my time,”said Jessica Myer, theatermajor. “I’ll be able to makea lot of money when I do en-ter the job market.”

Most students inter -viewed said current gasprices also are a consider-

ation when deciding to en-roll in college.

Many try to scheduletheir classes so as to mini-mize the number of daysthey must drive to class.

Even though he only livesfour miles away, freshmanChad Hyde plans to attendjust a few days a week.

“That would be better forme to minimize the drivingfrom my house to here,”Hyde said.

Even though she lives inNorman, the gas pricesaren’t a concern to Myer atthis point in time.

“It’s not yet. It’s not go-ing to stop me… you know.It’s not going to cause meto take a semester off yet.”

Sechrist said OCCC islooking at options to con-solidate classes so studentscan minimize the times perweek they have to drive tothe college.

Realistically, a full-timestudent won’t be able toattend classes only twodays a week, Sechrist said.

“We work hard to try tominimize [the number of]students who are having tocome five days a week,”Sechrist said.

Huvrta understands whysome students enroll at thelast minute.

“I think it’s so they canbe sure what they want todo, instead of making a de-cision too quick and hav-

ing to enroll and then dropout,” Huvrta said.

Sechrist said, ultimately,if enrollment is declining,college administrators haveto look at what they aredoing to recruit students.

He said it’s the goal of thecollege to have studentstake classes and if that’snot happening, they have tolook at why that goal isn’tbeing met.

By October, when the of-

•It Pays to advertise in the PIONEER•

Call Tim at 405-682-1611, ext. 7674

ficial numbers are in, thedecrease in enrollment isexpected to level out from8 percent to 5 to 8 percent,Sechrist said.

Editor David Miller can bereached at editor@occc.edu.