IONEERPOklahoma City Community College

www.occc.edu/pioneer

• There is a world offline, too, editorial, p. 2.• Fall honor roll recipients named, p. 7.• Scuba diving lessons offered, sports, p. 8.• Artists club welcomes all, clubs, p. 10.

This WeekInside January 28, 2008

Vol. 36 No. 19

Getting with the program

Photo by Amber McBride

College visionseen throughstudents’ eyes

OCCC employeediversity on the rise

Nutrition major Marco Barbosa signs up to join the Psychology/Sociologyclub at the recent Club and Organization Fair held in the College Union.Student Clubs and Organizations Assistant Karlen Grayson said 25 clubsparticipated in the event. For more information on joining a campus clubor organization, call Student Life at 405-682-7523.

By Chris LuskEditor

OCCC is not only committedto providing quality educa-

tion, but also to providing its stu-dents every means necessary tograduate, said President PaulSechrist.

At a luncheon open to all collegeemployees, Sechrist gave an over-view on a new initiative aimed atachieving these goals — Achievingthe Dream: Community CollegesCount.

Achieving the Dream is a long-

term commitment to help studentsgraduate, from here or elsewhere,Sechrist said.

He said the initiative is a part ofa nationwide program that the col-lege became involved in this pastJuly.

The program is geared towardcommunity colleges and is particu-larly focused on student groupswho have traditionally faced bar-riers to success, Sechrist said.

“Our first goal is to bring thehigh-risk student success rates upto the aver-age.

Achieving the Dream ‘about success’

See “Vision,” page 12

By Matt BishopSenior Staff Writer

The number of employeesamong OCCC workers has

increased to create a more diversework environment among facultyand students, according to a reportgiven at the Board of Regents meet-ing Jan. 14.

The number of minority collegeworkers at OCCC has increased by3 percent among part-time work-ers and 2 percent among full-timeworkers since 2005, according tothe report.

These increases put the minor-ity workforce for part-time and full-time workers at 19 percent.

Native Americans were the mi-nority with the largest increase inthe OCCC workforce with a 1.5percent increase from 2005, mak-ing up 4.9 percent of the workforce,compared to 3.4 percent in 2005.

African Americans were right be-

hind with a 1.4 percent increase,making up 6.5 percent of theworkforce.

The Asian workforce went up .4percent to 4 percent total, and theHispanic workforce was steady at3.5 percent.

OCCC’s Human Resources de-partment is finalizing an institu-tional diversity plan that aims tostrengthen the diversity in thecollege’s workforce, said MillieTibbits, Human Resources compli-ance officer.

“[The institutional diversity plan]is to broaden our recruiting net,”she said. See “Diversity,” page 12

“We have a diverse applicant pooland we want to show that OCCCis a good place to work.”

The location of the college pro-vides an easy commute for work-ers and students in and aroundOklahoma City, Tibbits said.

“We just want people to know weprovide a great educational andworking environment.”

Carlos Robinson, an OCCCalumnus who is still working at theWelcome Center where he has beenemployed for more than threeyears, said he thinks the collegecould hire even more minority

workers.“I believe the minority workforce

should be equivalent to the studentpopulation.”

Robinson currently is attendingOklahoma City University, butmaintains his job at the WelcomeCenter because, he said, he feelsOCCC is a comfortable place toboth work and attend class.

“[OCCC] has great culture andthe leadership is good.”

LaWanda LaVarnway, photogra-phy lab assistant, said the diver-sity planis a great

“We have a diverseapplicant pool and we want

to show that OCCC is agood place to work.”

—Millie TibbitsHuman ResourcesCompliance Officer

2 • PIONEER • January 28, 2008

Editorial and OpinionEditorial

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 submissionsfor length, libel and obscen-ity.

Letters to the editor can bedelivered to the PIONEER of-fice, mailed to: Pioneer Editor,7777 S. May, Oklahoma City,Oklahoma 73159 or faxed to405-682-7843.

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.

Vol. 36 No. 19Chris Lusk..............................EditorMatthew Bishop............Staff WriterScott Glidewell.............Staff WriterStephen Sossamon......Staff WriterYvonne Oberly...............Staff WriterBrian Schroeder............Staff WriterAmanda McCutchen.....Staff WriterCynthia Praefke.............Staff WriterAmber McBride.......PhotographerCynthia Praefke...........Ad ManagerBrian Stansberry..........WebmasterRichard Hall.............Lab AssistantRonna Austin.............Lab DirectorSue Hinton...............Faculty Adviser

Dfest searching for artistsWant reality?

Turn the channelHere are a couple questions for you: In what

country is the region known as Darfur located?Why is there a “conflict” there?

How many people have died due to violence ordisease directly related to this “conflict”? What isthe United Nations — or the United States for thatmatter — doing about it?

I find it disappointing that most of the people Iknow are completely oblivious to the tragedy thatis occurring in Darfur.

It seems we as a country are more capable oflisting the top three finalists for the last five yearson “American Idol” than we are of explaining theevents that have taken place in Sudan for the lastfive years.

I believe it is time for us, as a nation, to seri-ously re-examine our priorities. It is amazing tome how self-centered we have seemingly become.

We spend all of our free time updating ourMySpace pages, checking comments that peopleleave on our Facebook and downloading the coolestnew ringers for our cell phones. All this while wesheepishly watch shows like “American Idol” and“The Apprentice” in a misguided search for enter-tainment.

Too often I feel we as Americans don’t pay enoughattention to what is happening outside our owncountry. We act like it isn’t a big deal if it doesn’tdirectly benefit or harm us in some way. As a coun-try, we turn our heads and act like nothing is hap-pening.

According to estimates from the U.N., somethingis definitely happening. More than 400,000 peoplehave died due to violence and disease directly re-lated to the conflict in Darfur since it began inFebruary 2003.

In 1994 the world turned its head as more than500,000 ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutu tribes-man were exterminated by machete-wielding mi-litias in Rwanda.

Now, in 2008, Sudan is embroiled in conflict andcontroversy.

People, real people, human beings are dying andbeing displaced every day, and the rest of the worldsits back and does nothing.

While children starve and people are murderedhalfway across the world, we sit back in our com-fortable living rooms and applaud as DonaldTrump fires B-list celebrities.

As the hopes and dreams of America rest uponthe shoulders of a singer from anytown U.S.A.,our ignorance and complacence make us just asguilty as the Janjaweed, but then it’s only Africa… What does that have to do with us?

—Scott GlidewellStaff Writer

To the editor:The most comprehensive

music conference and festi-val in the Midwest is search-ing for emerging artists toperform July 25 and 26 atthe seventh annual Dfest.

Last year Dfest had over750 submissions and thisyear we are expecting morethan 1,500 submissions.Over 120 unsigned artistswill be selected to performand 50 percent of those per-formers will be Oklahomaartists.

Each unsigned artist re-ceives a complimentarybadge to attend the confer-ence, tradeshow and themusic festival. This badgeaccess to the conference al-lows artists to mingle withthe best of the best of musicindustry professionals.

Dfest provides up-and-coming artists the opportu-nity to connect with repre-sentatives from well-knownlabels and music industryagencies and connect withfans.

Not only will artists se-lected to showcase be seenby major record label A&Rprofessionals, but more im-portantly, they’ll be show-casing for numerous indie

record labels, bookingagents, entertainment law-yers, and managementfirms. And for artists, whoprefer the DIY career path,the conference will be a valu-able tool for picking up re-sources and learning how tohave a successful indepen-dent career as an artist intoday’s changing music in-dustry.

“It’s our mission to ad-vance the careers of break-ing artists by providing themwith networking opportuni-ties and education about themusic industry,” Dfest Co-creator Tom Green said.

“In the past couple of years,we have had lots of talentedartists apply to showcaseand with the level of talentapplying, it’s becoming moreand more prestigious toshowcase at Dfest, becausewe showcase the best of thebest.”

This past year, the eventserved as a launch pad forColourmusic, who signedwith indie record label GreatSociety, a part of the World’sFair family of artists, whichincludes noteworthy artistThe Flaming Lips.

Co-founder Angie DeVore-Green is featured in the

January 2008 ElectronicMusician for an article re-garding artists looking toattend and/or showcase atmusic conferences in 2008.

Interested artists shouldsubmit their music towww.dfest.com today. Thedeadline is April 3.

—Jen ClarkRex Public Relations

write to editor@occc.edu

January 28, 2008 • PIONEER • 3

Comments and Reviews‘How She Move’ stepswith surprising success

Last week the college was closed for the firsttime in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.This national holiday not only celebrates the lifeof the assassinated civil rights leader, it has alsoevolved as a day of national reflection on the civilrights movement and the status of social justicein America.

It is my hope that is not just a day off fromwork or a day without classes, but that it is a daywhere we collectively engage in conversationsabout the principles that underpin American de-mocracy — civil rights, social justice, and equal-ity. It is a day when we collectively recommitourselves to ensure that regardless of race,color, national origin, gender, age, religion, orsocio-economic status, all people are entitledto equal rights.

Having grown up in the 1960’s, I have been awitness to the progression of the civil rightsmovement. And, although it has not yet reachedperfection, I celebrate how far we have come.One only has to look at the diverse roster ofviable candidates running for President of theUnited States — an African-American, a Mor-mon, a former Southern Baptist minister, awoman — as a hopeful indication that Martin L.King, Jr.’s dream is coming true.

I believe that access to educational opportunityis at the heart of equality and social justice. Okla-homa City Community College was founded forthis very reason and remains a part of our offi-cial mission today — to provide broad and equi-table access to a college education.

It is why we are an open admissions institu-tion. It is why tuition is significantly lower thanstate universities and private colleges. It is whywe have the OKC-Go! Program. It is why we en-courage students to apply for grants, scholar-ships, and other financial aid. It is why we haveclasses in the evening, on Saturdays, online, andat off-campus sites. We simply want to ensurethat a dream of a college education is possibleat OCCC, without a hint of discrimination onany level.

While broad and equitable access to oppor-tunity is something we may take for grantedtoday, we have the courageous civil rights lead-ers to thank for leading the way, includingMartin Luther King, Jr., who through his lifeand death accelerated our nation’s journey to-wards greater opportunity and equality for allAmericans.

—Paul SechristOCCC President

“How She Move” is justanother one of thosedancing/stepping, inspi-rational flicks that seemsto come out every sixmonths and wows viewerswith it’s insane choreog-raphy but offers no fur-ther substance. Or is it?

Raya Green’s (RutinaWesley) dreams of be-coming a doctor seem tobe dashed when her el-der sister dies of a drugoverdose . Sadly , thetragedy leaves her alreadyoverworked, West Indianparents so strapped finan-cially that they can nolonger afford the tuition,room and board at her ex-clusive prep school.

This means Raya willhave to return home andattend the local public highschool, which doesn’t mea-sure up academically to theprivate school where she’sbeen on track to studymedicine. Worse, she’llhave to try to survive thestreets o f the samecrime-infested neighbor-hood that took hersibling’s life.

Back in the ‘hood,Raya puts her ambitionson hold temporarily andfocuses more on fitting-in than on exce l l ing .However, when her mathteacher exposes her fordumbing herself down inclass, she unintention-ally created tension be-tween herself and a strug-gling classmate.

Like oil and water, thepersonalities of hard-edgedMichelle (Tre Armstrong)and relatively refined Rayadon’t mix. What’s worse,Michelle doesn’t appreciateit when the newcomersuddenly starts hangingout wi th her “Step”crowd.

Rava’s curiosity aboutthe elaborate step rou-tines was peaked whenshe learned about theupcoming Step Monster

Compet i t ion wi th a$50,000 grand prize. Shefigures that if she canfind a team that will al-low her to join, she justmight win the pr izemoney to get her out ofthe ghetto again.

Although this premisemight sound suspi -ciously similar to that ofStomp the Yard, giventhat it revolves arounddance and a main char-acter whose sibling diesat the point of departure,“How She Move” hasenough of a variation onthe theme to stand on itsown.

In fact, this drama is su-perior in almost every way,especially in terms of char-acter development, chem-istry, choreography andconveying a feeling that youare watching real peoplein a real situation.

As a result , praisemust be given for the in-spired performances de-livered by the two youngleads, starting with re-cent Jui l l iard-gradWesley, who makes apromising screen debutas the film’s emotionally-conf l i c ted hero ine .Equal ly impressive isdancer -turned-actressArmstrong, who morethan holds her own asMs. Wesley’s trash-talk-ing rival.

Not to be outdone, thesupporting cast does justenough to provide the re-alism unfamiliar in filmsof this vein.

The supporting cast in-cludes Dwain Murphy,who does a decent job asRaya ’s love interest ,Melanie Nicholls-King asher mom, and BrennanGademans as her geekyshoulder to lean on. Thefilm also features a fewce lebr i t i es in cameoroles, namely, singersKeyshia Cole and Mya,and comedian DeRay

Davis.Certainly the steps and

choreography cannot gooverlooked in a moviewhose goal is to wowpeople with its dancing,and “How She Move” deliv-ers beautifully. The film’schoreography, done by thefamed Hi Hat, was impres-sive and elaborate.

In short, this movie offersno surprises. In fact, thestory line is quite predict-able at times. But in amovie style that its mainpurpose is to entertain au-diences through the art ofstep and dance, this is for-givable.

Rather, the outstandingperformance of the cast en-hances this movie to morethan just another one ofthose dancing/steppingmovies.

Given that this is notmoviegoers first encoun-ter with this style of film,I think many people willbe more than surprisedat the overall quality.

If you’re looking for apleasant movie with anentertaining view on thesteppin’ culture – andwant to erase from yourmemory all those terriblelines of dialogue fromsimilar movies – “HowShe Move” is a film thatwill deliver.

Rating: B-—Chris Lusk

Editor

Have something to say? Let your voice be heard.e-mail us at editor@occc.edu

4 • PIONEER • January 28, 2008

By Stephen SossamonStaff Writer

About nine months ago,the shootings at VirginiaTech that killed 32 people,prompted Oklahoma Gov.Brad Henry to create theCLASS (Campus Life andSafety and Security) TaskForce.

“We asked ourselves,could this happen in Okla-homa?” said Henry at apress conference Jan. 15 atthe State Capitol. “How canwe prevent this from occur-ring?”

The Task Force, usingsurveys, compiled informa-tion on safety and securityfor all the Oklahoma col-leges, universities, and ca-reer technology centers.

CLASS to make campuses safer“Safety is top priority. ... We need a regular

safety and security protocol.”—Glen Johnson

Campus Life and Security Task Force Chancellor

“We need to take this re-port seriously and work to-gether to make Oklahomacampuses safe,” Henrysaid.

According to the final re-port the task force figuredcampuses needed to securean additional $16 million infunding to ensure that allcampuses have adequatefunding for security.

Using the surveys as abaseline, the task force de-termined that the securitybudgets should equal $100

per student.This means the total cost

would be $40.7 million forOklahoma’s 400,000 col-lege and career tech stu-dents. The current safetyand security budget forhigher education and ca-reer techs is only $24.7million this year.

The baseline funding of$40.7 million is aimed atbringing all campuses tothe average per studentfunding amount, accordingto the report.

These funds will begained through the use offederal grants and federalsupport until those meansare exhausted, but thelong-term solutions arequite expensive and beyondcurrent funding for cam-puses right now, accordingto the report.

“Safety is top priority,”Chancellor Glen Johnsonsaid at the press confer-ence. “We need a regularprotocol.”

Henry stated that thetask force acted fast.

“We are ahead of the na-tion in the measures we’retaking,” he said.

The task force wants todevelop a campus emer-gency response plan tem-plate for each post-second-

ary sector. This would as-sure that every campus ap-propriately covers all poten-tial security and safety is-sues in their emergency re-sponse plans, according tothe report.

A notification system alsois wanted as a part of theplan. A universal methodisn’t feasible, but 100 per-cent coverage should be re-quired.

“We also need help fromthe students and faculty ofeach campus,” said TerriWhite, Oklahoma Depart-ment of Mental Health andSubtance Abuse coordina-tor. “If they see a threat,they need to speak up.”

Online Editor StephenSossamon can be reachedat onlineeditor@occc.edu.

By Brian SchroederStaff Writer

Oklahoma City Commu-nity College will be expand-ing the OKC-GO! free tu-ition program to more highschool graduates in theOklahoma City area.

Beginning in the summerand fall of 2008, studentsgraduating from WesternHeights Public Schools willbe eligible to apply for freetuition through the OKC-GO! program at OCCC.

Everyone who graduateson time from an OklahomaCity or Western Heightspublic school and attendsOCCC the following fall se-mester is eligible for up tothree years or 61 hours oftuition, said Gayla Holmes,admission adviser.

This includes tuitioncosts only and students willbe responsible for fees,books and other suppliesassociated with classes.

Holmes said there is anunlimited number of OKC-GO! scholarships availablefor students who are quali-fied and apply.

“I’m hoping we will beseeing more students fromWestern Heights because of

OKC-Go! expands to Western Heightsthis program, and I thinkthat we will,” she said.

“I’ve talked to some par-ents from Western Heightsand they are elated nowthat we have this programgoing (for their school dis-trict).”

Superintendent JoeKitchens said about 80 per-cent of the students areeconomically disadvan-taged.

Western Heights is a low-income school district,Holmes said. The purposeof this program is to pro-vide financial assistance tostudents who need the helpand incentive to go to col-lege, Holmes added.

“OCCC is in the middle ofthe Western Heights SchoolDistrict, and it only makessense that we are there tohelp that school districtand are partners with themin continuing their stu-dent’s education as muchas we do Oklahoma CityPublic Schools,” she added.

The program, which be-gan in 1999, has providedmore than 1,000 studentswith financial assistancewho attended OCCC afterhigh school. Approximately364 students of more than

1,500 graduating seniorsfrom Oklahoma City pub-lic schools were grantedscholarships in the fall of2007.

A new requirement forthe program is for studentsto also apply for the FreeApplication for Federal Stu-dent Aid.

“So many of the students,just from the OklahomaCity Public Schools, are eli-gible for Pell Grants andother financial aid but had

no clue they were even eli-gible,” Holmes said.

Each OKC-GO! students’performance is reviewed atmid-semester. If the re-quirements are still beingmet, the following se-mester’s tuition is ap-proved.

Holmes is a former West-ern Heights Public Schoolteacher.

She said students in thedistrict do not give a sec-ond thought to college as

option because of the cost.“They can’t grasp the con-

cept of them being able togo to college — they feel itis for everybody but them,”she said.

Holmes said she hopesthe high school studentswill see college as an optionand prepare themselveswhile they are in highschool.

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

It pays to advertise in the Pioneer!Call 405-682-1611, ext. 7674 forpublication dates and advertising

rates.

January 28, 2008 • PIONEER • 5

Oklahoma base offering internshipsBy Amanda McCutchenStaff Writer

Business students whowill soon graduate will wantto take notice of the TinkerAir Force Base Intern Pro-gram.

Tinker Air Force Base isoffering student intern-ships with pay, benefitsand an opportunity to ex-perience hands-on work atthe Oklahoma City Air Lo-

gistics Cente.Judi McGee, Employ-

ment Services coordinator,said the program is aimedtoward business and man-agement majors who havecompleted around 60 credithours.

Student intern benefitsinclude flexible schedules,promotion opportunitiesand payment based on hisor her GPA. Federal ben-efits include 10 paid federalholidays a year, federalhealth and life insurance,

paid time for on-base fit-ness activities, tuition as-sistance, and incentive andtime off awards.

At 12:30 p.m. Wednes-day, Jan. 30, representa-tives from the Tinker In-ternship program will be in

College Union room 3, pro-viding students with infor-mation on how to get in-volved.

Interns must meet thefollowing requirements; Bea U.S citizen, enrolled inTinker Track plan of studyor willing to switch, com-pleted at least 60 hours ofcollege coursework, and arecurrently pursuing his orher first baccalaureate de-gree.

New Cultural Programs director namedBy Yvonne OberlyStaff Writer

Dan Yates, 31, recentlyhas been hired to be thenew Cultural Programs di-rector. One goal he said hehas while taking on the jobis to solicit ideas from stu-dent groups about culturalprograms they would like tosee on campus.

“Being in the culturalprograms department, weare here to serve,” Yates

Dan Yates

said.He said he is excited

about taking on the newposition.

“I wanted a job that wouldallow me to contribute tothe citizens of Oklahoma,and this job is exactly whatI was looking for in everyway,” Yates said.

Previously, Yates workedfor seven years for a non-profit group called theGround Water ProtectionCouncil and, upon leaving,

worked as the communica-tions director.

As Cultural Programs di-rector, three of the mainassignments Yates willwork on are to provide lead-ership for Arts FestivalOklahoma, plan the Cul-tural Arts Series and de-velop new cultural pro-grams, he said.

Arts Festival Oklahoma isan annual OCCC event thatincludes arts and crafts,games and food vendors.

The Cultural Arts Seriestakes place during thespring and fall, and iswhere featured artists comefrom around the world toperform at OCCC.

Yates said he will work onbringing awareness to stu-dents about the new cul-tural program, so they cancome to him with any ideasor plans they would like tosee happen.

There are many ideasYates has been brainstorm-ing on, including having anoutdoor music festival, he

said.He would also like to get

local minority-driven artout to the public at-large.

This could be done byhaving a festival, he said,so local area artists can getthe publicity they have notbeen able to otherwise re-ceive.

John Boyd, CommunityDevelopment associate vicepresident, said he ispleased to have Yates atOCCC.

“It is my belief that he isgoing to be a tremendousasset to the college,” Boydsaid.

Yates graduated fromBeaver High School, lo-cated in the Panhandle ofOklahoma.

He received his under-graduate degree from Okla-homa City University invocal music education,where he studied opera,music theater and folk.

Continuing his educationat the University of Okla-homa, he obtained hismaster’s degree in publicadministration, Yates said.

Yates plans to continuehis education in one year,once he gets comfortable inhis new position, he said.

He is interested in work-

“I wanted a job that would allow me tocontribute to the citizens of Oklahoma, and this

job is exactly what I was looking for in everyway.”

—Dan YatesCultural Programs Director

ing toward a secondmaster’s degree in politicalor social science.

If he does not do that, hewill work toward a doctoraldegree, he said.

“I have a very strong in-terest in continuing tolearn,” Yates said.

His interest in politicalscience comes from his in-terest in politics and want-ing to learn more aboutgovernment.

He said he believes it willhelp to understand issuesthat come about with thecollege.

During the summer,Yates enjoys playing soft-ball and is on three differ-ent softball teams.

He likes to play disc golfand badminton. He alsolikes to go bike riding andenjoys playing with his cat,Chloe.

Staff Writer YvonneOberly can be reached atStaffWriter3@occc.edu.

Read the PioneerOnline at

www.occc.edu/pioneer.

6 • PIONEER • January 28, 2008

College VP congratulates studentsStudents are eligible to be

on the Vice President’sHonor Roll by achieving aGPA of 3.5 while carrying atleast 12 hours. Part-timestudents are eligible if theyhave maintained a 3.5 GPAfor two consecutive semes-ters.

Abdul Abdul, JuluAcharya, Curtis Adams,Arati Adhikari, John Ad-kison. Robert Ahboah. PhilipAken, Lucinda Akins, UmarAli, Chelsea Alinger.

Jonathan Allen, RogerAllen, Rogelio Almeida,Farooq Altaf, AngelinaAnaya, Ingrid Anderson,Jennie Anderson, HeatherArnett, Dwayne Ashlock.

Angela Atherton, ChikaAtoyosoye, Shonda Ayers,Amanda Badgett, DustinBaker, Robert Baker, CoriBarrier, Shawn Bass, Kha-led Bawatna.

John Bayne, Cobey Bean,Randall Beavers, WesleyBehrens, Christopher Be-lew, James Bell, TheresaBeller, John Bellymule,Kyoko Berry.

John Bingman, AmandaBlasingame, Andrew Blo-chowiak, Tyler Bowman,Steven Boyd, Logan Bran-scum, Nathan Bremmer,Ashley Brinlee.

Evans Brown, JanaeBrown, Elizabeth Broyles,Beau Bruhwiler, JenniferBuck, Jessica Buck, AsiaBurbridge, Michelle Burke,Brad Burris.

Nathan Burris, ThomasBuster, Dylan Butler, JosephButler, Jason Bynum, KevinCameron, Callie Campbell,David Canizales, Ricky Can-non.

Erica Cardiel, MatthewCarlisle, Kimberly Carlsen,Jessica Carnes, FranciscoCastro, William Chan, JohnChancey, Luis Chavez,Kwanghee Cho.

Phong Chu, Julie Church,Alana Clark, CharminClayborn, Benjamin Cle-mons, Tanner Clift, BradleyCline, Regina Cobb, BriannaCoker.

Cristina Conallis, JessicaCook, Jeremy Cooper, JerriCordeiro, Camille Cory,Cynthia Coszalter, Jona-than Cotts, Brenda Couch,James Crabbe.

Erik Crooks-Becerra, Joni

Crowe, Edgar Cruz,Sheriann Cunningham,Christine Cuthbertson, Jen-nifer Davenport, JessicaDavid.

Austin Davidson, JessicaDavidson, Allison Davis,Alysa Davis, Jessica Davis,Amrita Dawadi, ZachryDeaton, Victor Deras,Joshua DeWeese.

Alissa Digiorgio, ElizabethDinger, Tue Dinh, AndrewDobry, Chance Dodson,Emily Dodson, Linda Dolder,Jayme Doussette, JeffreyDowning.

Jamilyn Dunn, NicholasEllis, Jayson Elrod, ErfanaEnam, Erica Engdahl,Danielle Epps, LaurenEuhus, Christy Ezell, JustinFancher.

Chelsea Ferrell, KimberlyFerrell, Jacob Fisher, DavidFlesher, Cheryl Flud, MariFord-Malatka, Kyle Fore,Matthew Fowler, AlishaFranks, Kali Fulmer.

Anup Gajurel, ShauneGarmon, Jennie Garrod,Christina Gause, OwenGilmore, Theresa Giovanni,James Goldsbury, JamieGonzalez, Irma Gonzalez.

Brandon Gorman, Ana-Corine Gray, Chelsey Green,Emily Green, Ashley Griggs,Angela Grissom, JonathanGross, Chad Gulikers,Monica Gumm.

Christopher Gunter, AnjuGurung, Darrell Hafer,Burma Hames, Casey Ham-mer, Carl Hammrich, SongHan, Christine Hanna, DavidHapgood.

Van Hatfield, MatthewHawkins, Brittany Height,Jimmie Hendrix, ClaudiaHerrera, Kayley Higgins,Timothy Hillstromb, GregoryHilovsky.

Steven Hipp, MichaelHisey, Tu Ho, Ronnie Ho-Chau, Amanda Hogue, BrianHolmes, Nathanael House,Carlous Hudspeth, YvonneHughes.

Jessica Hughes, PeggyHumphreys, Samuel Hu-sky, Eric Hutchinson, HaiHuynh, Moustapha Ibra-him, Raejeana Inge, RyanJacob, Phillip James.

Julie James, NicholasJarman, Muhammad Ja-ved, Kristen Johnson,Courtney Johnston, Christo-pher Jones, Ryan Jones,Cornelia Jones.

Dinah Joyner-Gantz, ErinJuarez, Ashley Just, CamilleKamgaing, Cheryl Kelly,Glenda Kelsey, Daniel Kemp,Kyle Kendrick, ElaineKetring.

Bradley Kettner, DevrajKhadka, Charlie Kilgore,Jamie Kilpatrick, WendyKinder-Hurley, Garrett King,Anastasia Knowlton, Christ-ain Kotoucek.

Toby Kraft, Robert Kra-mer, James Krause, JonasKripas, Kelly Kuhlman,Abhishek Kundalia, Mu-kesh Kunwar, Kelly Lail,Sachit Lama.

Matthew Landrum, FredaLang, Emily Langley, JaredLapsley, Karen Lara, KristinLasater, Thomas Laster,Kieu-Diem Le, Joshua Lee,Zachary Lee.

Jilliann Lee, Kiae Lee,Debbie Lehman, KimberlyLemdadi, Samuel Lingle, T.J.Little, Clarice Lubensky, TyLudvicek, Shelly Maddox,MacMillan Maina.

Jessica Malacane, CrystalMartin, Kayce Martin, LuisMartinez, Robert Martinez,Jorge Marzola, Alex Massey,Serge Maure, Ryan Mavis.

Guiqin McAnally, BrandonMcBryde, Jessica McCart-ney, Travis McClendon,Gabrielle McDermott, CalvinMcDonald, Jay McGrew,Brandi McKinley.

Angella McLaughlin, SarahMedellin, Samuel Medina,Abel Mendoza, JenniferMerrell, Jonathan Meyer,Steve Michael, Beverly Milby,Jeffrey Miller.

Norman Miller, WilliamMiller, Cassandra Miller,Kelsey Miller, Robertson Mil-lion, Heather Mills, InderjeetMinder, Travis Mitchell.

Jason Mitchusson, HillaryMoesinger, Kalani Moniz-Bray, Kalea Moniz-Bray,Holly Montgomery, JaysonMoore, Tira Moore, NaishaMorris.

Jennifer Mueller, JeriMundy, Chase Myers, DerekMyers, Brent Nabors, AngelaNegron, Sarik Nepal, JeffreyNeville, Jeremy New, VictorNgo.

Hien Nguyen, MichaelNguyen, Frank Odame,Jevon Oliver, Obiageri Onu,Priscilla Orange, DerekOsborn, Jeremy Osborne,Debbie Partain.

Kenny Patel, Adam Pat-

terson, Kailie Patton, BrentPatty, Elizabeth Payne,Donny Pebworth, BettyPendergrass, Jennifer Pen-nington.

Steven Pennock, IselaPerez, Zack Petersen, JessicaPetitt, Bich-Tram Pham,Linh Phan, Andrea Phillips,Hyacinth Phipps, ZackPinkerton.

Thomas Pirtle, SergioPorras, Robert Porter, JuanPosada, Dustin Powell, Ja-son Price, Adam Privett,Erika Puentes, MarilynRagan, Hailey Rawson.

Shawn Ray, Josh Ray-mond, Amanda Reich,Shamari Reid, ModestoResendiz, Marvic Rey, ValerieReynolds, Jerry Rhodes,Cynthia Rice.

Misty Riley, Erin Ritter,Cassie Rivers, BrandtRobbins, Erin Roberts,Krista Robertson, ErinRobison, Charissa Rojas,Jocelyn Rojas.

Claudia Romero, TimothyRorie, Stephani Rouse,Connie Rowe, April Runyon,Caroll Sadler, Yousef Salous,T imothy Salvadori, JillSanchez.

Katherine Sanders, AprylSatterlee, Amy Savage,Zachariah Sayre, DennisSchaekel, Lacey Schat,Chanel Scheele, AmySchoolfield.

Jennifer Schuster, Chris-topher Scott, Angela Se-crest, Kristina Seeds, NarjisShah, Century Shah, AminShariat, Tommie Shea,Ronald Shelton.

Dijon Shepard, AngelaShepherd, Ryan Shepherd,Eun-Kyung Shin, CynthiaShirk, Blake Shockley, Brad-ley Shoemaker, ManishShrestha, Ilina Shrestha.

James Shurtz, IleaShutler, Lachelle Simpson,

Roshan Singh, CristianSirera, Ouissal Slitine, Bran-don Slover, Chad Sluder,Chris Smith.

Clarence Smith, CodySmith, Gordon Smith, ZackSmith, Ladawn Smith, BrianSnellen, Kelly Sovereign,Arica Stamper, Robert Steele,Jordan Steger.

Lana Steverso, KendallSteverson, William Stewart,Toni Stine, Dale Stoabs, HolliStock, Drew Stone, JenniferStringham, Alisha Summers.

Belinda Summerville,Jesse Swenson, Isaac Taiwo,Kinu Tanaka, Zachary Tay-lor, Barbara Tech-Buckner,Deependra Thakuri, AnjitaThapa.

Ashley Tompkins, TaylorToth, Jason Tran, Vinh Tran,Kathryn Treas, RonnieTrindle, Paris Triplet, AshleyTucker, Raymond Umipig,Daniel Urias.

Enrique Valenzuela,George Vasquez, BethVeatch, Luis Velasco, LukeVidacovich, Bobbie Vige,Kathy Voigtschild, BensonVoong, Cacia Walker

Eryn Walker, Billie Wallis,James Walters, HeatherWarren, Cole Watkins, Bran-don Watson, William Waugh,Kathrianna Wear, ElijahWeny.

Jennifer Western, IsaacWhiteside, Brandon Will-iams, Chad Williams, LeeWilliams, Catava Williams,Amber Williams, KelseyWilliamson, William Willis.

Antranetta Willis, HollyWoidke, Adam Wolff, DonaldWood, Katye Wood, BreannaWork, Marion Wright, Win-ston Yanes.

Joshua York, BereketYosef, Haiget Yosef, DanielYoung, Garrett Young, TapitaZamna, Huimin Zhao, JamesZoller.

“My congratulationsgo out to all those

who made the honorroll. You do us

proud and you arewell on your way to

achieving yourgoals. Once again,

congratulations.”—Felix Aquino

Academic Affairs VicePresident

January 28, 2008 • PIONEER • 7

President Sechrist honors studentsStudents are eligible to be

on the President’s HonorRoll by achieving a GPA of4.0 while carrying at least 12hours. Part-time studentsare eligible if they havemaintained a 4.0 GPA fortwo consecutive semesters.

Joshua Abernathy, Eliza-beth Acevedo, JessicaAdams, Robert Adams, Na-dia Ali, Lacey Allen, HeatherAllen, Rachel Allen, Christo-pher Allsbrook.

Kathleen Anders, KristyAnderson, Mindy Antrikin,Jessica Arnold, ChristinaArrowsmith, Sean Asner,Jenny Atteberry, MarcelinoAvila, Kathleen Baal.

Frank Balch, Linda Bal-donado, Beri Bamnjo, AshleyBanks, Wendy Barnes,Alexandra Bass, WilliamBaumann, Ana Becerra, Me-lissa Belanger.

Dilasha Bhetuwal, Sa-brina Bingham, MichaelBirch, Devone Bitseedy, LisaBlaha, Holly Bookout, CarlosBorja, Jessica Bottoms,Christopher Box.

Alexander Boyd, AnitaBoydston, Rachel Boyd-stun, Kelly Bradshaw, KelliBreedlove, Morgan Brenner,Kaylee Brewer, JordanBrock, Jessie Brown.

Steven Brown, A Brown,Amy Brown, Diana Brown-ing, Claudette Brumit, JoelBryan, Peter Bui, JenniferBurge, Bert Burnside, Ra-mon Butler, Jodi Butler.

Kristi Cagle, ChristineCalfy, Michael Campbell,Christie Cannon, MirandaCanon, Marie Card, MichaelCassidy, Sarah Cervantes,Michael Challis.

Brandy Chapman, Can-dise Chastka, KimberlyChatman, Dai Chau, AndrewChilders, Michael Choate,Laura Chu, Lorry Cieri,Aissata Cisse.

Kenneth Clark, CourtneyClark, Linda Clary, BrandonClaude, Jonathan Clement,Zane Coates, Nancy Coffey,Adam Colbert, DerekColeman.

Bryan Cook, Jennifer Cox,Kelsey Cox, JeffreyCrawford, Gentri Creager,Robin Criss-Praytor, RyanCrow, Shannon Crutcher,Gregory Cummings.

Ryan Cummings, AmberCummings, Neomi Dahn,

Meredith Dake, CoreyDarnell, Kelly Darrow, Tho-mas Dauffenbach, MarkDavidson, Brian Davis.

Mikell Davis, MelissaDavison, Kenneth Day,Kurtis Delozier, JessicaDeppen, Severiano Deras,Elizabeth Derr, Lekita Dia-mond, Benjamin Dickason.

Kevin Dill, Lindsey Dill,Lindsey Dilley, Cuong Dinh,Truong Do, James Dodson,Nicholas Donaldson, AmyDoue, Joseph Douglas,Rheagen Duckett.

Gregory Dudley, CariDuncan, Dominic Dungca,Nathan Dunn, KimberlyDyer, Brent Earls, PaulEastland, Alysha Edwards,Jeremy Edwards.

Daniel Elizondo, Christo-pher Elsten, Derek Elwood,Kim Epperley, Victor Es-calera, Rachel Ewers, HerveFabrice, Michal Ferak,James Ferguson.

Russell Ferrell, RebeccaFesler, William Forkem,Robyn Fortson, AnthonyFoster, Charles Franke,Kirsti Frias, Kristen Friend,Christopher Froman.

Justin Garrett, BrandiGay, Troy Geary, JenniferGiessmann, Erika Glenn,Justin Glick, KristinaGodwin, Megan Godwin, EricGoforth.

Carlos Gomez, HeatherGore, Krislyn Gottman,Heather Graff, ZacharyGreen, Makenna Green,Rebekah Green, SharlaGrounds, Maryah Guice.

Anna Gunter, ThomasGurule, Michael Hakim,Brian Hamilton, ConnerHamilton, Connie Hamilton,Kenneth Hammons, EvanHardesty.

William Hardin, AngelaHarris, Austin Harry, JulieHarvey, Johnny Haxton,Heather Hedrick, PatriciaHeffley, Rahmin Hekma-tara, Cara Hendrix.

Mary Henschel, MelissaHensley, Justin Hensley,Kristin Herb, Jennifer Hess,Kevin Hill, William Hogan,Adam Holt, Kacey Hovarter,Ashley Hovda.

Reign Howe, Hui Hu, LisaHulsey, Laura Humphrey,Lori Husmann, My Huynh,Brittany Jackson, JorgeJaramillo, Michael Jara-millo, Kristen Jarvis.

Dustye Johnson, Billy

Johnson, David Johnson,Carol Johnson, BryanJohnston, Melanie Jones,Cynthia Karaffa, KyleKauffman, Kristi Kellogg.

Joseph Kelly, MeaganKelly, Amanda Kennedy,Leah Kenton, Kangshin Kim,Victor Kimani, MatthewKirkendall, Andrea Kissack,Melissa Knop.

Heather Knowles, BukolaKunle-Alaba, Megan Kyle,Tyler Lai, Jared Landon,Michael Lang, Alex Lan-phere, Bethany Layman,Quyen Le, Kayla LeBlanc.

Matthew Lemley, SarahLeonard, Lisa Lewis, Jia Lin,Kimberly Lingle, BrennaLittou, Jui-Wen Liu, CarlaLopez, Jonathan Loveless,Elizabeth Lovett.

Kerry Lowery, LanceLugafet, Emily Lutz, AsbergMahanti, Bachir Mahomad,David Markus, ChristinaMarston, Sharon Matheny,Kenneth Mauldin.

Dorathea Maynard, MitziMcBeath, Tracie McCoy,Danika McGee, LauraMcGuire, Lori McGuire,Mark McKenna, MartyMcKinsey.

Maryon McKinzey, CyndiMelendez, Daniel Mesa,Nicholas Mesigh, DeannMessina, Ashley Meyer,Beatriz Meyer, IvayloMilanov, Drew Miller.

Glen Miller, Nathan Miller,Jonathan Mills, AmandaMills, Dani Mirich, BeatriceMitchell, Joshua Moll,Michelle Moore, JuanMoreno-Bernal.

Brian Morgan, Nancy Mor-gan, Michael Morrison,Arnaud Mugisha, CalvinNelms, Charles Nelms, LyleNelson, Kristi Newberry,Thierry Ngansop.

Luke Nguyen, NganNguyen, Quang Nguyen,Truong Nguyen, WilliamNguyen, Chelsea Nguyen,Giao Nguyen, Mai Nguyen,Oanh Nguyen.

Justin Niblack, CraigNichols, Katja Nichols,Bibidh Niroula, Cody North,Jieun Northern, Amy Norton,Leslie Novotny, AdamNowlin.

Choice Nowlin, BrianObermeyer, Philip O’Con-nor, Mercedes O’Donnell,Jacob Ogle, Ryan Ogle, Jo-seph Otey, Wesley Pack,Nicole Padden.

Michael Pagonis, BrandiePalmer, Min Pandey, DennisPape, David Pappoe, NawarajParajuli, Ryan Parks, VikasPatel, Ricky Paxton, IanPayne.

Floyd Perry, Daniella Pe-ters, Bao Pham, Huan Pham,Long Pham, Han Phan,Regina Phillips, LauraPittman, Luke Plant, JerryPlumbtree.

Lauren Poe, Sarah Pre-scott, Nathan Price, LeahPrice, Jason Pritchard,Alexandra Protopopova,Relinda Pruett, BrentQuintero.

Brandon Rader, MDRahman, Parash Rajbhansi,Kevin Ramirez, ChristinaRamos, Markqayne Ray,Nicole Renard, Jorge Reyes.

Aubrey Reynolds, StarlingRhymes, William Richards,Jessica Richardson, MichaelRickard, Kevin Robertson,Alexis Robertson.

Matthew Rockwell, CoryRoesel, Kyle Rogers, JamieRogers, Nancy Ross, RebeccaRoss, Matthew Ruskoski,Maryam Sabeghi, OlgaSamoilova.

Kayla Sanders, RobertSatterlee, Joy Schulz, DorisSeaman, Sandra Seeley,Dylan Severson, SandySheaffer, Jay Sheldon, KristaSheppard.

Christina Sherman, Jenni-fer Shockley, ChristinaShort, Nirmal Shrestha,Jeena Shrestha, ElizabethShultz, Joshua Shultz,Danielle Shuman.

Robert Shupe, MeredithSiharath, Luke Simpson,Britany Skelton, JennySmith, Olin Smith, ZacharySmith, Courtney Smith, KimiSmith, Kristi Smith.

Laura Smith, Heath Sneed,John Soderquist, RhondaSpain, Jason Sparks,

Michael Sparks, AudriannaSparks, Kyndra Spaulding.

Madoka Spence, MonicaSpencer, Travis Staggs,Joshua Stanley, ErinStanley, Karen Steelman,Julie Stevens, Michael Stew-ard.

Christopher Stewart, RyanStewart, Denise Stewart,Kala Stilwell, Deann Stone,Jay Stovall, Kenneth Stull,Shea Sublett, Chelsea Sum-mers, Grant Swayze.

Kerry Swink, Chau Ta,Lynn Takahata, Steven Tei,Virgil Teter, Callie Thomp-son, Do Tran, Hieu Tran,Huyen Tran, KennethTreagesser, Ha Trieu.

Roseanne Truelove, TinaTurner, Jerald Turnpaugh,Jacqueline Underwood,Coleen Vache, Karina Valero,Nicole Vanduzer, JohnVanhoutan.

Angelo Vargas, ClaytonVaughn-Roberson, EmilioVelasco, David Vick, LinhVong, Crystal Wade, DustinWade, Tiffany Walker, KevinWard, Anihtra Watkins, Rob-ert Weaver.

Wyran Webb, JamesWeddington, Duane Wesley,Steven Wesnidge, StellaWest, Aaron Westbrook, Jen-nifer White, Pamela Wilbur,Alexandra Wilkes.

Karen Williams, JaidenWilliams, Jason Williams,Nathan Williams, Neysa Wil-liams.

Jenifer Williams, Molly Wil-liams, Timothy Williamson,Jennie Williamson, DerrickWilson, Justin Wilson,Nicholas Wilson, LynnetteWinkleman, Crystal Wood-ard.

Matthew Woodland, Mi-chael Wyatt, Bezawit Yosef,Kristine Young, LinseyYoung, Paula Young, XiaZhou.

“My congratulationsto each of these

outstandingstudents. Your

academicachievement is an

honor that all of us atOCCC celebrate.”

—Paul SechristPresident

8 • PIONEER • January 28, 2008

Sports

UPCOMING

OCCCINTRAMURALS

EVENTS

•Feb. 5: Intramural Basketballwill tip-off its regular season. Formore information about signingup, contact Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watson at405-682-1611, ext. 7786.

•Feb. 9: Registration for PowerVolleyball League ends. This isa competitive league open for allmen and women ages 18 and up.The league starts on Feb. 19 andgames will be held on Mondays.The league fee is $200 per team.For more information about howto sign up, contact Recreationand Sports Specialist EricWatson at 405-682-1611, ext.7786.

•Feb. 13: The Free Throw HotShot Basketball Contest will beheld inside the Wellness CenterGymnasium. For informationabout signing up, contact Recre-ation and Sports Specialist EricWatson at 405-682-1611, ext.7786.

•Feb. 18-22: Intramural BilliardsTournament will be held in theWellness Center Gymnasium.For information about how to signup, contact Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watson at405-682-1611, ext. 7786.

•Feb. 20: The 3-point and SpotShooting Hot Shot Basketballcontest will be held inside theWellness Center Gymnasium.For information about how to signup, contact Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watson at405-682-1611, ext. 7786.

•Feb. 23: Registration for Men’sSpring Basketball League ends.This basketball league is open toall men ages 18 and up. Gamedays are on Thursdays and theleague cost is $230 per team. Formore information about how tosign up, contact Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watson at405-682-1611, ext. 7786.

Photo by Amber McBride

Open swimming

OCCC hosts scuba lessons Pong O’Bryant swims laps in the Aquatic Center to keep healthy. The Aquatic Center is open for all swimmers

from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday.

www.occc.edu/rcs

By Matt BishopStaff Writer

Tired of the cold winter weatheryet? Good news is that springbreak is just around the corner andwhat better way to prepare for thattropical vacation than scuba div-ing lessons?

OCCC has teamed up with BlueWater Divers of Oklahoma City tooffer lessons that can ensure lifelong memories next time you travelto the ocean.

Allen Aboujeib, owner of BlueWater Divers of Oklahoma City,said students can take the courseto earn certification in differentsafety levels starting at basic thenadvancing to night diving, naviga-tion, deep diving, professional andinstructor levels.

For beginners, the basic level willteach things about equipment, ter-minology, physics and physiology.

He said an instructional DVDand book will be sent home withstudents so they can study during

free time.Students will then go to the 18-

foot diving well in the Aquatic Cen-ter to execute dives, control buoy-ancy, assemble equipment andlearn to handle emergencies.

When students have completedthese tasks they can go to eitherthe ocean or a local lake to com-plete four dives that will gain thecertification in that particular level.

Abuojeib said there is a contro-versy in scuba diving on whethercertification can be gained in aweekend of training or six weeksof training.

Aboujeib said the goal of thecourse is for the student to fullyunderstand the concepts beforeearning the certification, in what-ever amount of time it takes.

He also said many students pre-fer the ocean over freshwater lakes.

“Blue Water Divers networks withother dive shops around theworld,” Aboujeib said.

“An instructor can pick up wherewe left off and the student can

complete the course and earn cer-tification at a location they maywant to vacation at on the ocean.”

Blue Water Divers provides allequipment for the scuba training,Aboujeib said.

The cost of classes vary on levelof difficulty ranging anywhere from$100 to $200. The open water cer-tification is $75.

The company also has discountsfor students interested in buyingtheir own masks, fins and snor-kels.

Those packages range from $60to $300, which is a 35 percent dis-count from most retailers.

OCCC also hosts Scuba Tues-days, an open scuba dive from 6:30to 8 p.m for divers with certifica-tion.

Divers must show proper certifi-cation to the head lifeguard beforediving.

The cost for the dive is $4 pervisit.

Matt Bishop can be reached atSeniorWriter@occc.edu.

January 28, 2008 • PIONEER • 9

www.occc.edu/pioneer

FREEOCCC JOB BOARD

OCCC Employment ServicesFirst Floor, Main Building

405-682-7519Employmentservices@occc.edu

www.collegecentral.com/occc

10 • PIONEER • January 28, 2008

HighlightsCareer and Employment Power workshops

OCCC Career and Employment Services will host a series ofworkshops this semester designed to help OCCC students makethe transition from school into the workforce. This weeks topic is“Job Search through OCCC Job Board” on Jan. 29. All work-shops will be held from 12:30 to 12:55 p.m. on Tuesdays in MainBuilding room 1F6. For additional information, contact Careerand Employment Services at 405-682-7519, or e-mailemploymentservices@occc.edu.

New transfer tour datesStudents are invited to take a tour of colleges they might want

to transfer to. Upcoming transfer tour dates: University of Okla-homa College of Journalism, Tuesday, Feb. 5; OU, Wednesday,Feb. 6; Oklahoma City Universtiy, Tuesday, Feb. 12; Universityof Central Oklahoma, Friday, Feb. 15; Southern Nazarene Uni-versity, Monday, Feb. 18. There is limited space available foreach tour. For more information or to reserve a spot, contactLeslie Jones at 405-682-7567, or e-mail ljones@occc.edu.

Upcoming Cultural Arts Series performanceThe renowned woodwind trio Allegresse will perform at 7 p.m.

Jan. 29 at OCCC. Tickets are $17 for students, seniors, facultyand staff. The trio will also offer a free educational lecture titled“Discovering the Joy of Music” at 11 a.m. Jan. 29. Tickets canbe purchased by calling the CAS ticket office at 405-682-7579or visit www.occc.edu/cas.

Attention business studentsAll business students are invited to attend an informational

program from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, in theCollege Union. Tinker Air Force Base is hosting the event toinform students of their internship program.

Help support our Pathways studentsPathways Middle College High School will sell Blue and Gold

sausage, bacon and chicken to support yearbook publicationand senior class events. Blue and Gold products can bepurchased in room 3L6 of the Main Building.

Contribute to the Jones High School rebuilding effortOn Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 the Pathways Senior Class and National

Junior Honor Society will sponsor a bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. in the cafeteria. All proceeds will be given directly to JonesHigh School to help with their rebuilding effort after a firedestroyed their school on Dec. 10, 2007.

Free speed learning sessions offered to OCCC students The Corporate Learning Department at OCCC will offer a four-

hour speed learning course free to OCCC students. The coursewill be held from noon until 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, andWednesday, Feb. 13; or from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday,March 1. All sessions will be taught in Room 407A of the KeithLeftwich Memorial Library.

Make a difference in the life of a childThere are more than 12,000 children in the Department of

Human Services (DHS) custody who need loving and safehomes. If you can help by providing temporary care to a child ingreat need, contact Rita Williams, foster care recruiter, at 405-767-2657, or e-mail Rita.Williams@okdhs.org.

Free income tax assistanceSign in for free income tax assistance between 10 a.m. and

2 p.m. Feb. 4 through April 10 at the Volunteer Income TaxAssistance booth across from Student Life.

All Highlights are due Tuesday by 5 p.m. for inclusion inthe next issue. Highlight forms can be picked up in thePioneer office, located on the second floor of the Main

Building, across from the elevator.

Elizabeth Shultz, Society of Performing Artists club president, provides student Jed Greenwith information at OCCC’s Club and Organization Fair. The Society of Performing Artists willmeet at 12:30 Thursday, Jan 31, in room 1F5 of the Arts and Humanities Building.

Photo by Amber McBride

By Scott GlidewellStaff Writer

Interim Vice PresidentLydia Rucker wants OCCCstudents to know the Soci-ety of Performing Artists isopen to everyone.

“It’s for anyone that is in-terested or involved in per-forming arts, not just formajors ... any performer,musician, singer, thespian,stage hand, crew memberor technical person,” shesaid.

Rucker said the clubused to be known as theDrama Club, but two yearsago they revised the club’sconstitution in order to in-clude all performing artists— hence the name changeto the Society of Perform-ing Artists.

“The Theater and theMusic Departments had al-ways been kind of sepa-rate,” Rucker said.

“We made the change totry and bring the whole per-forming arts area together... We really want both de-partments to benefit fromthe single group,” Ruckersaid.

Elizabeth Shultz, Presi-dent of the Society added

Performing artistsclub open to all types

that their goal is, “... To beable to incorporate anyoneinterested in any perform-ing arts, so we can helpthem do what they love.”

Currently SPA is workinghard to increase member-ship. With more than 40new members signing upduring the Club Fair,Shultz said, response is alot better than in the past.Shultz attributed rising in-terest in SPA to the club asa whole to being more in-volved and better preparedthis year.

Rucker said membershipin the club is about morethan just having funthough. It is also about do-nating time to make thesurrounding community abetter place, she said.

“Charitable work is veryimportant to our organiza-tion.

“Being a part of anycharitable work is good notonly for your community,but also for you later inyour professional life.”

Last year SPA donated$1,400 to the YWCA, Shultzsaid. The proceeds camefrom their production of“The Vagina Monologues.”The production was such a

success that the group hasdecided to do “The VaginaMonologues” again thisMarch. All proceeds will bedonated to the YWCA thisyear as well.

Later this year SPA plansto take a trip to Chicago.

Shultz said the trip ismeant to provide memberswith a chance to go some-where that is a little moreknown for the arts in orderto experience a broaderview of the performing arts.

Those interested in moreinformation concerning theSociety of Performing Art-ists or their upcomingevents, should attend aweekly meeting, held from12:30 to 1:30 p.m. everyThursday in room 1F5 ofthe Arts and Humanitiesbuilding beginning Jan. 31.

Rucker encourages allstudents to drop by and seewhat they are all about.

“It’s such a great group,”Rucker said. “Everyone isjust so friendly. I just wishthat more people would giveus a chance, because we’rea lot of fun,”

Staff Writer Scott Glide-well can be reached atStaffWriter1@occc.edu.

January 28, 2008 • PIONEER • 11

Pioneer Classified Advertisingis free to all enrolled OCCC stu-dents and employees for anypersonal classified ad. Adsmust be submitted in writingwith IDs supplied or work areaand 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: Three-year-oldLudwig Doetsch violin with soft-side case. In excellent condition.A real buy at $1,500. 405-306-3290 or 405-306-1396.

ATTN. SCRAPBOOKERS:Sizzux Die Cut Machine, SizzletsConverter, “Girls are Weird” al-phabet set, 16 Misc. Sizzlets incase, 3 misc. Sizzux dies. Over$300 worth of equip.All for $150.Call Barbara at 405-226-4004.

FOR SALE: Lady Trek CruiserBicycle. Red, Heavy duty, new inbox. $150. Call 405-677-3714.

FOR SALE: One used Lifestyle300 multi-action rowing machine.Smooth rowing action. Call 405-326-8134.

Dark Room Equipment ForSale: Dry table, darkroom lights,cameras, Nikor lenses, large printprojector.pans,darkroom timer,tarminating press. $300 OBO. CallPatrick at 405-496-6529

Class ifi eds

FOR SALE: ’05 50cc YamahaZuma. Blue, less than 100 miles,garage kept, recently tagged.Great for quick trips to the store,or running errands around town.Approx. 60-65 miles per gallon. Iam wanting a smaller scooter, butneed to sell this one first. Asking$1,500. Call Tammy Davis 405-524-9429 or 405-210-7438.

FOR SALE: ’01Toyota CamryL E , 4 c y l , m a r o o n , 1 0 3 kmiles,4door,AC,power locks/windows,Automatic,AM/FM/CD,great tires,exc.condition$7400. ALSO 1995 Green ToyotaCamry,4cyl,Automatic,AC,powerlocks/windows,AM/FM,cruisecontrol,great tires, in great condi-tion $3700. Call 405-255-5144

FOR SALE: ’93 GMC extendedcab pickup. PW, PDL, AM/FM CDplayer, chrome mags, nerf bar.198,000 miles. New transmissionw/ 8000 miles, New crate motor2003 w/ 60,000 miles. All docu-mentation. $4,875. Call Terri at405-413-1058. Leave message.

NANNY NEEDED: Seekingtrustworthy, dependable nannyservice or live-in nanny to care forand love my 2-year-old son. Cre-dentials, references and back-ground check a must. Call Chrisat 405-473-1267.

FOR SALE: 61-keyboardCasio. Like new, 137 tones, 100rhythms, and more w/stand. $95Call Ray at 405-485-3382.

FOR SALE: Pair of ParadigmReference bi-polar home theater

.

Classified Ads up to 7 lines are free to OCCCstudents and employees unless business related.

QUIZNOSSW 104th and WesternNow hiring all positions

Flexible ScheduleCall 405-692-1118

TEXTBOOK FOR SALE: I havean introductory & intermediateAlgebra book, 3rd edition, for sale.Great condition! 405-206-4125.

TEXTBOOKS FOR SALE: Introto Sociology $45 and Living withDemocracy $45. Please call Terri@405-413-1058

FOR SALE: Fundamental Ac-counting Principles, 18thedition,set of 2 books. $75. Call405-387-3629.

CITY OF EDMONDSummer positions@

Pelican Bay Aquatic Center:Asst. Pool mgr,

Cafe Mgrs,Cafe Staff/Cashiers,

Lifeguard Staff, Water Safety Instructors.

Golf Course,Arcadia Lake, Parks &

Recreation jobs also open.Job info line 405-359-4648

www.edmondok.comApply at 100 E First, Rm106

Parish Secretary needed atTrinity Luthern Church, 57thand S. May, OKC. 12 hrs perweek: commitment to Christ, com-puter skills, organized. Call 405-685-3432. Leave your name andcall-back number.

ACCOUNTING, BUSINESS, &FINANCE MAJORS: Taxpreparers wanted for upcomingtax season. Generous compen-sation to motivated & knowledge-able preparers interested in at-tracting clients. Experience pre-ferred but will train. Bi-lingualspeakers also needed. Office lo-cated in Oklahoma City. Pleasecall Harvey at Banner Tax Ser-vice: 405-491-9991. Leave msg.

$7.50/HR-NO SELLING! DO PHONE SURVEYS iI INSTEAD.Ideal for students. Permanent PART-TIME

Mon-Fri 5pm-9pm Sat 10 am-7pm Ask for Jane 405-525-3412.

Tim Tanner Air Nat ional Guard Repres entat ive Air Nat ional Guard Repres entat ive Air Nat ional Guard Repres entat ive Air Nat ional Guard Repres entat ive Air Nat ional Guard Repres entat ive

Oklahoma Air National Guard5624 Air Guard Dr.Oklahoma City, OK 73179-1067

100% COLLEGE TUITION WAIVER

$$$$ MONEY FOR COLLEGE $$$$

CO

MP

ET

ITIV

E P

AY

TE

CH

NIC

AL

TR

AIN

ING

Office (405) 686-5215Toll Free (800) 528-2231Cell (405) 517-3409

e-mail: tim.tanner@okokla.ang.af.mil

Check website at www.paradigm.com for further information aboutquality of speakers. Call Christyat 405-401-1254.

FOR SALE: SprintPCS PalmTreo 650 smartphone. Perfectcondition & works very well. Noscratches or scrapes. $150. E-mail shelovezlaw @yahoo.com orcall 405-210-2219 for pictures,ESN clearance number &discription. Serious replies only.

Fax your ads405-682-7843 or

e-mail toadman@occc.edu

attn: Cynthia

IT PAYS TOADVERTISE

speakers. Approx. 4’ tall, blackfinish, in excellent condition. $500for pair-cost new was $1,200.

12 • PIONEER • January 28, 2008

Vision for the future involves students graduating college

“Long term, we would liketo improve the successrates for all students.

“It can be done.”Sechrist said the college

could not stop at simplygetting students intoschool.

“[Achieving the Dream] isnot just about getting tocollege, it’s about gettingthrough college,” he said.

Sechrist said the initia-tive is not a new mission ortheme for the college, butis an important initiativethat focuses on studentachievement.

“This initiative is the bed-rock of what the mission of

“Vision,”Cont. from page 1

our college says,” he said.“OCCC has a legacy of fo-cusing on student success,and Achieving the Dream isa way to take a fresh lookat our core mission andwhat we are doing to helpstudents succeed.”

The initiative is driven bycollected data, Sechristsaid.

Focus is given dependingon which areas are lacking,according to the numbers.Teams have been estab-lished and are already pro-ducing and studying thedata, Sechrist said.

Raising the success ratesof students in developmen-tal classes is an importantfirst step, he said.

“Sixty percent of incom-

ing students take develop-mental math upon enteringcollege,” Sechrist said. “And50 percent of these stu-dents never complete a de-gree.

“Getting our studentsbetter instruction at thedevelopmental level is ex-tremely important.”

Encouraging more stu-dents to apply for financialaid was another keySechrist addressed.

“Too many students failto apply [for financial aid],”he said, “whether it be be-cause of the complicatedpaperwork or because theyassume they will notqualify.

“Lots of financial aid goesunused every year because

our students are not apply-ing. We need to fix this.”

He said studies show stu-dents who receive financialaid have higher successrates.

Sechrist said OCCC isone of 79 community col-leges in 16 states partici-pating in the program.

The Lumina Foundationbegan the funding for theinitiative, but the collegeand the Oklahoma StateRegents for Higher Educa-tion are providing someadditional funding, he said.

Sechrist said he believesthis program will work inconjunction with variousother programs aimed atraising student successsuch as OKC-Go — a pro-

gram helping seniors fromthe Oklahoma City andWestern Heights school dis-tricts attend OCCC tuitionfree.

“We just want to makedifference,” he said.

But Sechrist also pointedout that although the col-lege was making plans todo its part to assist studentsuccess, students have tobe committed as well.

“Achieving the Dream isabout trying to do some-thing for students who aresaying, ‘I want to earn acollege education.’”

“And we promise to helpthese students accomplishjust that.”

Editor Chris Lusk can bereached at editor@occc.edu.

OCCC’s workforce population sees about 3% diversity rise “Diversity,”Cont. from page 1

way to reach out to every-body in area.

“It will help out with theentire community,” La-Varnway said.

The number of studentemployees has also in-creased since 2005.

Many students believeworking on campus is ben-eficial.

Physical Therapy majorJoAnna McNicholl said shewould consider getting ajob at the college for theconvenience.

“Working [on campus]would help on saving gas,”McNicholl said.

“It would also be conve-nient because I could gostraight to work right afterclass.”

Matt Bishop can bereached at SeniorWriter@occc.edu.

The number of minority college workers at OCCC has increased by 3 percent among part-time workers and 2 percent amongfull-time workers since 2005, according to a college report.

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