IONEERPOklahoma City Community College

www.occc.edu/pioneer

• Stop whining, you guys, editorial, p. 2.• Need a good job? Start here, p. 6.• Fun and Fitness program, sports, p. 8.• Clubs readying for fall, clubs, p. 10.

This WeekInside July 21, 2008

Vol. 36 No. 40

Shhhh. Study area.

Photo by Ryan GastonPsychology major Liz Doran finds a quiet place to do homework near the Student

Life office. The college offers students numerous study area around the campus,complete with sofas and chairs.

Summer numbers down

By Chris LuskStaff Writer

This fall, all OCCC students who enrolled in a credit classin 2008 will get a debit card in the mail that will allow themto accept direct deposits from the college bursar office, saidBursar Brandi Henson.

The cards being sent out are essential for receiving anyfinancial aid or refund, so students should be on the lookoutfor them, Henson said.

She said the debit cards are partnered with American Ex-press and could appear to some as a credit card offer.

“I assure you, the college is not soliciting credit cards toour students,” she said. “Wedon’t want students to be con-fused and throw anythingaway.

“It is very important for allstudents to hold on to thesecards.”

She said the college will be-gin transferring financial aidand refunds electronically Oct.1.

She said, in December 2006,the National Association ofStudent Financial Aid Administrators performed a standardsof excellence review and suggested the college implement di-rect deposit with electronic refunds.

“We have always been really interested in direct deposit,”Henson said. “But we were not sure how to go about it.”

Henson said some students do not have bank accountsand that posed a roadblock.

The college responded by sending out requests to variouscompanies to provide student bank accounts, she said.

Higher One, a financial service company, responded.According to their website — www.higherone.com — Higher

One provides colleges across the country with an easiermethod of distributing funds.

Henson said Higher One offered the right solution.Higher One will team up with a bank and offer an account

to every student enrolled at the college — the first school inOklahoma to do so, she said.

She said the bank accounts will be free to all students andwill function like a regular checking account at any bank.

Higher One also will take over all responsibility for distri-bution of financial aid and refunds for the college, Hensonsaid.

All students will be required to receive their funds throughHigher One; however, they will not berequired to do their banking through

By Matt BishopEditor

OCCC took a slight 0.8 percent hit inenrollment for the 2008 summer semes-ter, according to the July 11 enrollmentnumbers from the Office of InstitutionalEffectiveness.

The headcount for students enrolledin the summer semester was 5,658 stu-dents. That is a 0.8 percent decreasefrom the 5,771 students enrolled in thesummer of 2007, said Joyce Morgan-Dees, Research Support Analyst.

The total number of credit hours be-ing taken is down slightly also. Studentsare taking a total of 26,905 credit hoursthis summer, a 0.6 percent decreasefrom last summer’s total of 27,362,Morgan-Dees said.

OCCC President Paul Sechrist said hebelieves the decrease in summer enroll-ment is due to the increase in the per-centage of students who are recent highschool graduates.

“This provides for a longer summer

break, [allowing] students to work morein the summer, or only work during thesummer to earn more money to go tocollege in the traditional fall and springsemesters,” Sechrist said.

Although some numbers may be fall-ing, the number of minority studentshas risen from last summer.

Minority students make up 1,652, or29.2 percent, of the college’s summerenrollment numbers, Morgan-Dees said.

This is a 1.8 percent increase from lastsummer.

“The make up of the student body isreflective of the changes in the diversityof the community OCCC serves,” Se-christ said.

In 2007, minorities made up 32 per-cent of the enrollment, doubling theminority enrollment from 1992, whichwas 16 percent.

Morgan-Dees said, “We are continu-ing to work hard in increasing our mi-nority population.”

O C C C ’ shighest eth-See “Money,” page 12 See “Enrollment,” page 9

“It is important forstudents to understand

that all refunds andfinancial aid will beprocessed through

Higher One starting inOctober,”

—Brandi HensonOCCC Bursar

All studentsto get financialaid debit cards

2 • PIONEER • July 21, 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. 40Matt Bishop..........................EditorDillon Hart......................Staff WriterDaniel Martin................StaffWriterCameron Buchholtz......Staff WriterLeigh Anne Manwarren..... Staff WriterMatt Montgomery..........Staff WriterChris Lusk......................Staff WriterRyan Gaston............PhotographerCynthia Praefke...........Ad ManagerBrian Stansberry..........WebmasterStephen Sossamon...Online EditorRichard Hall.............Lab AssistantRonna Austin.............Lab DirectorMark Schneberger....Faculty Adviser

Censorshipin America

To the editor:This is just a reminder to

save your discarded trea-sures for the upcoming Fac-ulty Association GarageSale this fall.

I'm already accepting do-nations, so feel free to bringyour items to me in theLibrary, and I'll store themuntil the sale.

If possible please bringclothes on hangers and useboxes with lids or flaps thatcan be closed and stacked.

America is censoring itself for the sake of politi-cal correctness, one that has been taken to its ex-treme. Instead of being a unified America, we arenow divided by the sub-groups and demographicsthat politicians use to approach the public.

Political correctness does not solve society’sproblems but instead camouflages them.

We are so afraid to offend others that we, in ourminds, separate ourselves from each other ratherthan working together. This cannot happen. Weshould not be so quick to be offended. We cannotbe afraid to speak to one another just because weare different from one another.

Because of the politicaly correct taboo, we arenow fearful of conversation where we say some-thing that can possibly be misconstrued as offen-sive. This could all result to the loss of respect fromyour peers and worst-case scenario, the loss of youremployment.

An example of such an incident happened in2006 when ABC’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ cast memberIsaiah Washington was fired for the conflict thatarose after his use of the word faggot that fellowcast member TR Knight said was directed at him.

Washington maintains that he did not direct hiscomment to Knight and that it was actually dur-ing a fight with Patrick Dempsey that he said theslur. Instead of working out any differences be-tween them together, Washington and Knight di-vided the cast and crew to the point where one ofthem had to leave the set permanently.

While the original intention of being politicallycorrect was to be beneficial in a time when ourcountry was more harshly defined by race, sex orsexuality, now it has only masked the division be-tween the demographics.

Hatred, racism and bigotry all come from themind, not from the words.

Why should we be afraid of what we say to oneanother? Why should we be afraid of offending oth-ers? If we all try to not offend, how will we workpast our differences and conflicts?

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, our future should“live in a nation where they will not be judged bythe color of their skin, but by the content of theircharacter” and that can not happen if people cannot openly speak to one another without the pos-sible scare of being politically incorrect.

In this time, political correctness has becomeoutdated. It divides rather than unifies. It disguisesthe problems rather than solves them.

Our country is made up of many different groupsand demographics. We have the opportunity towork together to make a more tolerant world.

But this cannot happen if we do not confrontour problems and issues to each other.

We must not be afraid to voice our opinions toothers who may take offense to them.

—Leigh Anne ManwarrenStaff Writer

To the editor:It was recently brought

to my attention that thefood service area has nowstarted closing at 2:00 p.m.everyday.

I find it hard to under-stand why we have a ser-vice for students that isclosed while there are stu-dents who are on campusand have no other choicebut to eat here on campus.

If they are not willing toserve the students who areon campus, then why arethey here?

And I understand that thecost of operating a busi-ness, but some of the priceincreases seem a little steepwhen a corndog, frenchfries and a bottle of sodacost almost five dollars, andmost of the time the food isnot that hot or fresh.

There needs to be strictercontrol of what they areserving for the price theyare selling it for.

And I know that I am notalone in this way of feeling,so maybe it is time for themto shape up or be replaced.

—Tom SholzOCCC Student

Wheres the food been hiding?

Large items such as fur-niture and appliances arewelcome, but you'll need tohold onto them until thesale in October due to ashortage of storage space.

Remember that all pro-ceeds from the sale go to-wards Faculty AssociationScholarships, and tax re-ceipts for your donationsare available.

—Linda BoatrightCirculation/Reference

Librarian

Save now for OCCCfaculty garage sale

July 21, 2008 • PIONEER • 3

Comments and Reviews

Murphy plays dual rolesin new movie ‘Meet Dave’

‘Evil Urges’ blends rich music

Even though OCCC and Rose State College are byfar the most affordable colleges in central Okla-homa and within the state of Oklahoma, peopleoften ask, “Why does it cost so much to go tocollege?” With increases in tuition almost everyyear, this is a fair question.

The simple answer is that the costs to operate thecollege increase every year. This coming year, forexample, the costs for insurance and utilities willdramatically increase. The funds necessary to coverthese increases come primarily from two sources —the state of Oklahoma and the tuition and fees paidby students. For a variety of reasons, includingincome tax reductions and lower corporate taxrevenue, the state of Oklahoma is not collectingsufficient funds to cover the rising costs at thestate-supported colleges and universities. There-fore, the amount of funds made available to allcolleges and universities is actually a little lessthan last year. Without an increase in state funds,the solution for colleges and universities to coverthe rising costs are limited to about three options— raise tuition, limit or cut the growth in servicesprovided, or find innovative ways to cut costswithout limiting services. In many cases, collegesand universities, including OCCC, will do all three.

OCCC was approved for an increase in tuitionand fees from $78 per credit hour to $84 per credithour as a part of our plan to meet the rising coststo operate the college. The recommendation followsour guiding principles when it comes to tuition andfees — to remain (with Rose State) as the mostaffordable college in the central Oklahoma area, toremain one of the most affordable colleges in thestate of Oklahoma, and remain well below the peeraverage as required by law. The law currentlyrequires OCCC to price tuition and fees below thepeer average of community colleges in surroundingstates. OCCC is well below at only 70 percent of theaverage tuition at our peer community colleges.

To help students cope with rising costs, I urge allstudents to apply for grants and scholarships.Many students are eligible for federal Pell Grantsand/or Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grants, the OKC Go!Scholarship Program, or the Oklahoma PromiseScholarship. There are numerous other scholar-ships available as well. Some students who havenever used financial aid have been pleasantlysurprised that they were eligible for grants andloans. Talk with the OCCC representatives in theoffice of Student Financial Support Services. Theyare more than willing to help you complete formsand help you find a way to pay for college.

Like what many of you are doing today, I paid myown way through college. I can relate to the enor-mous effort a student may go through to afford togo to college. Because I do understand, I willcontinue to work with everyone at OCCC to providea high-quality collegiate experience while keepingtuition and fees as low as possible.

—Paul SechristOCCC President

Eddie Murphy plays adual role in his latest com-edy effort, “Meet Dave.”

Effort is an appropriateword for this film, 90 min-utes of effort.

While the plot has poten-tial, a crew of miniaturealiens from the planet Nil,operating a spaceship inthe form of a human, itnever seems to take hold.

Murphy’s physical com-edy is well displayed as theships’ human form, DaveMing Chan.

As the ship learns towalk and react as a humanbeing, Murphy uses his fa-cial expressions to theirmaximum.

Murphy over-grins andexaggerates the actions ofthe humans he contacts.Those moments are funny.

However, when Murphy isin his mini-character as thecaptain of the spaceship,the humor shrinks withhim.

He uses a formal roboticvoice when he is supposed

to be alive and his normalvoice as the robot. This isannoying and confusing.

Will the real EddieMurphy please show histalent?

As the other aliens beginto take on human charac-teristics (they have num-bers instead of names)No.2, played by Ed Helmsgets power hungry andNo.3, played by GabrielleUnion falls in love with theCaptain (Murphy).

Who could have pre-dicted that?

Pat Kilbane plays No.4,the security officer. He is in-fluenced by a Broadwaymusical and becomes over-the-top, flamboyantly gay.While his character is ste-reotypical, he at least hassome funny lines, which ismore than can be said forthe rest of the cast.

While the rating is PG forsuggestive humor, there isnone to speak of, sugges-tive or otherwise.

Kids may actually enjoy

this more than adults be-cause of the robot and thelittle people inside. Asmuch as the actors seem tostruggle to be amusing, thescript doesn’t allow themthis opportunity.

There is not much focuson plot or character devel-opment.

The characters who aresupposed to be earthlingsnever seem to unfoldenough for the audience todecide if they are likable ornot.

This mildly entertainingfilm is not a bad movie, justboring in some places anda bit confusing at times.

When the question isposed whether the alienswould save their own planetor save the earth, no one onor off the screen seemed tocare.

The cast and the audi-ence just wanted it overwith.

Rating: C—Cynthia Praefke

Staff Writer

Music group, My MorningJacket, did it again. Follow-ing their phenomenal 2005release, “Z”, “Evil Urges” isa stunning collaboration ofdueling guitar harmoniesand mystique vocalizationaccompanied by synthesiz-ers and keyboards.

From Louisville, Ky., thisfive-piece band packs asuitcase full of eclecticmelodies and rhythms thatare simply mind blowing.

Set to release July 22, byATO records, the title track“Evil Urges,” showcases amore eccentric side of MyMorning Jacket.

Joe Chiccarelli, who pro-duced albums by The WhiteStripes and The Shins, pro-duced “Evil Urges.” On thetitle track, lead singer JimJames sings falsetto whilea set of southern style gui-tars break into a culmina-

tion of short solos creatinga fantastic melody.

Track two, “Touch Me I’mGoing To Scream,” beginswith pouncing keyboardsand then the drums comein with a solid backbeat.The build-up has Tremoloeffects and eerie vocals thatcater an enthusiastic breakdown.

My Morning Jackettouches uncharted territorywith, “Highly Suspicious,”which sounds somethinglike a Prince song with ro-botic bass lines andcrunchy guitar riffs.

The CD’s highlight is thefifth track, “Thank YouToo!” Its a climatic songwith a smooth bass lineand guitars set with delay.Lead singer Jim Jamessings a warm enriched fullsounding chorus.

My Morning Jacket offers

a very blended and well-rounded melody in everysong on.

Their rich sound is a con-solidated mix of somethingreminiscent of The FlamingLips meshed with a hint ofsouthern rock.

Having such a uniquesound, My Morning Jacketstands out from their Indie-rocking peers as one of thehottest bands among thegroup. “Evil Urges” is amust have.

Rating: A-—Matt Montgomery

Staff Writer

YOUR IDEAS,COMMENTS, ANDSUGGESTIONS!

SEND THEM TO:EDITOR@OCCC.EDU

OR CALL 405-682-1611,EXT. 7409

OR DROP BY 2M6 MB

Comments and Reviews4 • PIONEER • July 21, 2008

Comedy Central’s Jim Gaffigan bringsact to Oklahoma with two solid shows

‘Hellboy’ back to save the world

It’s not often that theOklahoma City area gets tosee a good, nationally re-nowned comedian. We sim-ply aren’t a big enoughmarket for most club ortheater comics to comehere.

But comic Jim Gaffiganmade an exception lastweekend when he did notone, but two shows in Mid-west City.

Both the early and lateshows at the Rose StateCollege Performing ArtsCenter were completelysold out.

Gaffigan is touring toprepare for another Com-edy Central special, so

most of the material per-formed was brand new.

Even though the materialwas new, it seemed some-what familiar. Most of itcovered the same topicsthat Gaffigan has beenriffing on for years, namelyfood and laziness.

A good chunk ofGaffigan’s set was simplyabout bacon. He seems tohave completely exhaustedany possible joke about thepork product.

These bits were funny,but one can’t help but wantmore from the comedian.He’s been going over thesame ground for quitesome time.

It was actually whenGaffigan strayed from histypical food and lazinessjokes that he really shined.He had one bit aboutTicketmaster that was par-ticularly hilarious.

Gaffigan closed the showout with his famed “HotPocket” bit, which gar-nered a huge crowd reac-tion.

It seemed strange for acomedian to pull out hisold bits much like a bandwould their greatest hits,but the audience ate it up.

Jim Gaffigan is one of thefew current comedianswho has achieved main-stream success while stillappealing to the hardcore,alternative comedy fans.

He currently stars on theTBS hit “My Boys” and re-cently appeared in the MikeMyers vehicle “The LoveGuru.”

One of the most antici-pated sequels of the sum-mer is “Hellboy II: TheGolden Army.”

Taking place after theevents of the f irst“Hellboy” film, the storyinvolves a villain namedPrince Nuada, who is at-tempting to raise an inde-structible Golden Army todestroy mankind.

Nuada’s father oncecontrolled the army, buthad made a truce withman that the mythicalworld would remain sepa-rate from that of humans.

When Prince Nuada de-cides to go against theagreement and wage waragainst mankind, the onlyhope is Hellboy, who isnot a man at all.

Hellboy, played by RonPerlman, is the most lov-able demon you will eversee on film. He may havebeen born in Hell, but hecarries on as a hopelessromantic who smokes ci-gars, loves kittens andcandy, and sings along toBarry Manilow.

Where the sequel sur-passes the original is in itsvisuals. Writer and Direc-tor Guillermo del Toro isone of the most imagina-tive, visionary filmmakersand this movie is the per-fect setting for him toshow off his skills.

The variety of strange-looking characters, crea-tures, and monsters isnothing short of amazing.

The shortage of com-

puter-generated effects ofnoticeable. Even thoughthe movie is filled with ab-stract imagery and spec-tacles, animatronics andextravagant makeup areused wherever possible —and flawlessly at that.

This brings a very realelement to the story andmakes both good and evilforces look that muchmore effective.

Even when digital effects

are used, the animation isso good that the viewerdoesn’t even notice the dif-ference.

The sole, glaring weak-ness in this movie is thedialogue, which was cornythroughout and some-times laughable.

But unlike most actionmovies, which try to hidetheir cheesiness, “HellboyII” embraces it, and theend result is like watchinga moving comic book onfilm.

During some of the inter-actions, you could almostimagine comic speechbubbles coming from thecharacters’ mouths. Tosome, that’s a good thing.To others, it’s awkwardand unbearable.

What really makes thisfilm unique is its story. It’snot an average superheromovie. Hellboy is con-flicted between his cur-rent lifestyle on Earth andthe life he left behind inthe other world.

He fights for mankind,most of which doesn’t even

like him, but he constantlyfeels drawn to his destiny,which is ultimately to bringabout the apocalypse.

This tension creates oneof the deepest, most sin-cere superheroes. Hisironic innocence and hislove for Liz Sherman(Selma Blair) are what drivehim to be a genuine, heart-felt hero.

The movie boasts an un-predictable, but terrificsoundtrack that rangesfrom Al Green toRammstein and even TomWaits.

There is no song more be-fitting of Hellboy himselfthan the Eels’ “BeautifulFreak.”

Overall, “Hellboy II: TheGolden Army” is a very en-joyable movie, a few flawsshort of a masterpiece.

For those who enjoyedthe first film and can getpast the often-corny writ-ing, this is definitely amovie worth seeing.

Rating: A—Dillon Hart

Staff Writer

Gaffigan’s “Beyond thePale” Comedy Central spe-cial is one of the mostpopular in the channel’shistory.

That special broughtviewers his “Hot Pocket” bitthat he has become knownfor.

Perhaps Gaffigan’s twosold out Oklahoma showswill show promoters thatcomedy can be a draw hereand we’ll begin to see moreand more comedians comethrough. But Gaffigan’sperformance should tidefans over for quite sometime before that happens.

—Cameron BuchholtzStaff Writer

July 21, 2008 • PIONEER • 5

Former OCCC student,Janelle Hanson, has beenhired as the new Secretaryto the Office of the VicePresident for Enrollmentand Student Services.Hanson answers the tele-phones, handles the mailand filing and does the gen-eral secretary work.

Native to Oklahoma,Hanson decided to returnto the state from Macon,Ga., where she held an of-fice position at the policedepartment, she said. Herprevious of fice skillslearned assisted her in hernew position at OCCC, shesaid.

Born in Mustang, shesaid traveling to OCCC wasa short trip. She began at-tending in 2000 and re-ceived her associate’s de-gree majoring in liberal

By Sabrina DuFranNews Writing Student

By Jason A. JohnsonNews Writing Student

Two plays will be debuting in the fall in OCCCs theater.The plays are “In the Blood” by Suzan Lori Parks and“You Can’t take it With You” by Moss Hart and George S.Kaufman.

Rochelle Mosby, Arts & Humanities assistant, said au-ditions will be open to OCCC students, faculty, staff mem-bers and the community.

Rochelle Mosby said there is a play in September, andin October or November. Specific dates have not been set.

Ruth Charnay, Communications and the Arts depart-ment chair, said all who are interested in auditioning orparticipating in the plays can check the call-board in theArts & Humanities department under Society of Perform-ing Artists for audition times and dates.

Charnay said audition times and dates will be postedoutside of the theater.

“We need students to pick up script books in the Arts& Humanities office, so they can read over and get famil-iar with the material,” Mosby said.

Charnay said script books for the plays are located intwo different boxes in the Arts & Humanities departmentoffice on the center table.

Charnay said “In the Blood” is a social critique while“You Can’t Take it With You” is a classic comedy.“They are two very diverse plays, and that is veryexciting,” she said.

Brent Noel, full time theater instructor will be directing“In the Blood” and Jacque Hocking adjunct professor willbe directing “You Can’t take it With Youm,” she said.

“The plays are both wonderful and different and willdraw the audience in,” she said.

Robyn Roberts, nursing student, said, “With it beingopen to everyone, it could bring the community in, andwill be good exposure for everyone.”

New hire for Enrollment,Student Services office

Plays set for fallsemester debut

studies from OCCC in2002.

Hanson continued hereducation at the Universityof Oklahoma and receivedher bachelor’s degree alsoin liberal studies, she said.

Hanson said she is ex-cited about her new startat OCCC.

“The college has goneabove and beyond what itwas. It’s all about the stu-dents and that is such agreat thing,” Hanson said.

“I hope I help makethings better while I’mhere.”

She also said that the at-mosphere working with thestudents will be more en-joyable.

“I will be able to relate,since I was once a studenton the campus,” she said.

Kim Velleca, Hanson’ssupervisor, said, “We arelucky to have her and ex-cited that she is here.”

Photo by Ryan GastonStudents, faculty and staff wait outside Entries 11 and 12

after a fire alarm sounded.

Two fire alarms withinone week caused the evacu-ation of the Main Building,and Science, Engineeringand Math Center.

At 3:20 p.m. July 9, a firealarm sounded from theSEM Center.

According to an incidentreport filed by Safety andSecurity officer LarryLundy, the alarm was trig-gered in room 2E1 of theSEM Center by a drop inwater pressure.

Lundy said he checkedthe riser closet as the build-ing was evacuated, and thepressure meter read 53pounds, according to theincident report.

“A normal reading isabout 50 pounds,” saidSafety and Security Coor-dinator Keith Bourque.

“The water pressure fromthe city dropped.”

“Therefore, the sprinklersystem thought there wasa fire,” Bourque said.

Safety and Security Di-rector Ike Sloas said thealarm sounded because thesprinkler system activated.

“The alarm goes off when

the sprinkler system comeson,” Sloas said.

Bourque put out a mes-sage on the college’s ITphone system to evacuatethe building, according tothe incident report, send-ing everyone in the build-ings out into a rainstorm.

“It was a timing issue,”

Since Hanson is not onlya former OCCC student,but also worked in thebookstore here, she is awelcome addition to the of-fice team, Velleca said.

Activities play a majorrole in Hanson’s life. Shebegan playing tennis inmiddle school, “and that’sbeen more than a decade,”she said.

She also enjoys friendsand her wine club, she said.

She recently began abook club with her friends.

“Members pick booksthemselves and give recom-mendations. This makes itmore intriguing to read,”she said.

Hanson and her husbandhave been married for twoyears. She said they havetraveled from Oklahoma toGeorgia and returned, be-cause of her husband’s jobas a government contrac-tor.

Sloas said. “Unfortunately,we had to evacuate every-one out into the rain.”

Lundy said, once the is-sue was resolved, the sys-tem was put into reset andthe alarm silenced.

Bourque also put out theall-clear message on thephone system and all per-sonnel were allowed backinto the building, accord-ing to the incident report.

A second fire alarm wentoff Tuesday, July 15, inone of the science labs,causing an evacuation ofthe Main Building.

Sloas said the alarmsounded when a beaker ina science lab releasedsmoke.

“When a beaker on a hotplate runs out of liquid,”

Sloas said, “it createssmoke. That’s what set offthe alarm.”

Sloas said there’s nosuch thing as a false alarmwhen it comes to OCCC’ssystem.

“It’s very sensitive,” Sloassaid. “Any amount ofsmoke will trigger thealarm.”

The sensitive systemgives OCCC staff and stu-dents a good early warningadvantage, Sloas said.

Sloas said there is alwayspotential for a fire when-ever there is smoke, evenif it is from something assmall as a beaker.

“When there’s smoke,there’s fire,” Sloas said.

“There’s always potentialfor a serious issue.”

By Travis OrcuttNews Writing Studentand Stephen SossamonStaff Writer

Pressure, smoke cause fire evacuations

6 • PIONEER • July 21, 2008

Student Life hires new staff memberBy Lindsey BurlesonNews Writing Student

Katie Treadwell has re-cently been hired this sum-mer as the new ServiceLearning and Student LifePrograms Coordinator atthe Student Life center atOCCC.

Among the jobs her titleentails, Treadwell will di-rect the new civic honorsprogram, coordinate thelecture series, culturalawareness programs, vol-unteering opportunities.

She will also focus on de-veloping new and differentways to use service learn-ing inside and outside ofthe classroom.

“Katie Treadwell is an ex-cellent professional and weare happy to have her onour team,” said ServiceLearning and Student Lifecoordinator Jon Horinek.

Treadwell grew up inOklahoma City, attendedPutnam City North High

School, and graduated inMay with an educationalaffairs degree from BaylorUniversity.

Treadwell said she hasdecided to come back to herroots to pursue her career.“This is home,” saidTreadwell of OklahomaCity, who has lived inTexas, New York, and Flo-rence, Italy.

The uniqueness of Okla-homa City Community Col-lege and the student lifeprogram intrigued Tread-well and drew her here, shesaid.

“The OCCC students aremore non-traditional, andthe student life program,meets them where theyare,” she said.␣

In New York, Treadwellparticipated in Teach ForAmerica, a non-profit orga-nization that recruitsgraduates, mostly non-educational majors, toteach in inner-city schools.“It opened my eyes, I saw

the big picture,” she said.One opportunity Tread-

well organizes is ServiceSaturdays, when all stu-dents are given the oppor-tunity to volunteer with lo-cal agencies, such as Habi-tat for Humanity and theregional food bank, on Sat-urdays, “which is a greatway to get involved if youhaven’t done anything,” shesaid.

“Service learning is verymuch about the experi-ence,” Treadwell said.␣

Student Zach Kanaasaid, “It’s kind of hard toput yourself out there andfind those opportunities onyour own, so I’m glad OCCChas someone that kind ofdoes it for you.”␣ ␣ ␣

Treadwell said, “What-ever their academic pro-gram relates to, we can finda service for that.”

Anyone interested in anykind of service, or wants tovolunteer, can call Tread-well at 405-682-7523.

Katie TreadwellUpward Bound studentshost own Olympic gamesBy Megan MowreyNews Writing Student

June 27 and 28, OCCC Upward Boundstudents participated in the UpwardBound Olympics and received secondplace overall.

Upward Bound is a U.S. Department ofEducation funded program that assistsstudents still attending high school to ac-quire skills and motivation in education.

The Upward Bound Olympics were heldin Stillwater, at Oklahoma State Univer-sity, said Carmela Pyle, Upward Bound di-rector.

“Other UB programs had held suchevents but we were never a part of it so wegot together with Eastern Central Univer-sity and started our own,” Pyle said.

This years UB Olympics consisted of fourschools including OCCC. Those were East-ern Central University, OSU-OKC, andOSU-Stillwater.

Events that took place where kickball,softball, basketball, swimming, ultimatefootball, soccer and many more.

With team effort OCCC participants tookfirst place in events such as, men’s vol-leyball, men’s and women’s tennis, soc-

cer, kickball, water balloon volleyball, poptriva and quiz bowl, Pyle said.

Each competitor had to participate in aminimum of two events, such as water bal-loon volleyball or tennis, but could par-ticipate in more, said John Tran, one ofthe Upward Bound coaches.

On the first day the students were notworking well together and were in lastplace. But, by the second day, they startedcoming together. This motivation is whatbrought them from last to second place,Pyle said.

“Competing isn’t everything, but hav-ing teamwork and a lot of heart put intothe activity itself helps the students cometogether as a family and bond together.”Tran said.

With the other schools bringing about60 participants, OCCC UB students hada challenge with only 39 competitors.

The Olympics had events taking placeat the same time so it was difficult gettingstudents to an event on time if they hadjust finished in the other, Tran said.

Through the experience, students learnto come together and that is a wonder ofits own especially just knowing each otherfor a few months, Tran said.

July 21, 2008 • PIONEER • 7

Campus career services helps studentsBy Amanda AllenNewsWriting Student

OCCC Career and EmploymentServices department makes it agoal to find students jobs. The op-timal resume website, http://occc.optimalresume.com, whichwas started in 2003, is a milestone,placing students in good jobs.There are over 1 million stylingoptions to make sure students findthe correct type of resume forthem.

The website offers a system toconfigure interviews, choose thetype of interview to use, and evenchoose an interviewer to practicewith.

“We are here to help studentsfind jobs, and by doing that we helpthem create resumes,” DebraVaughn, Career and EmploymentServices director said.

All of the tools listed on thewebsite are great to use to preparefor a real life interview. One of thethings students can do on thewebsite is interview online througha webcam. This is a great way forstudents to know what they aredoing wrong in interviews, Vaughnsaid.

During the online interview, stu-dents are given a question andthen given up to two minutes torespond.

“The student’s video responsecan be viewed in the top corner of

the screen,” Vaughn said.This program is a great tool for

students and shows them theprogress they’re making in theirinterviewing skills, Vaughn said.

Students are encouraged to take

http://occc.optimalresume.com

advantage of this free website andcan register for this site with theirOCCC e-mail address and theirseven-digit student ID number.

Registration for this site can bedone at home or in any computer

lab at OCCC.If students have any questions

about how to access this site, theycan call the OCCC Career and Em-ployment Services department at405-682-7519.

By Stephen SossamonStaff Writer

An associate degree cansuffice for a career beyondcollege if the studentdoesn’t desire to get abachelor’s degree, accord-ing to CareerBuilder.com.

The following jobs, asranked by the Bureau ofLabor Statistics, are the top10 highest-paid jobs, whichcan be held by those withan associate degree.

1 – Computer specialist;$59,480 per year. Hiringmanagers usually prefergraduates with an associ-ate degree in a computer-related field.

2 – Nuclear technician;$59,200 per year. An asso-ciate degree in applied sci-

Top-10 jobs an associate degree will get youence or specific technologyshould provide good train-ing.

3 – Dental hygienist;$58,350 per year. Candi-dates must graduate froman accredited dental hy-giene school and pass awritten and clinical exam.

4 – Radiation therapist;$57,700 per year. Employ-ers generally require an as-sociate degree from a radia-tion therapy program.

5 – Nuclear medicinetechnologist; $55,840 peryear. An associate degree innuclear medicine technol-ogy is standard and manyemployers also require li-censure.

6 – Fashion designer;$55,840 per year. Design-ers often hold associate de-

grees in fashion design orfine arts.

7 – Aerospace engineer-ing and operations techni-cian; $52,500 per year. Anassociate degree in engi-neering technology is stan-dard, and certification canbe a competitive edge forjob-seekers.

8 – Diagnostic medicalsonographer; $52,490 peryear. An associate degree indiagnostic medical sono-graphy should work, butsome employers prefer can-didates registered throughthe American industry forDiagnostic Medical Sono-graphy.

9 – Registered nurse;$52,330 per year. Regis-tered nurses must have atleast an associate degree in

nursing and pass a na-tional licensing examina-tion.

10 – Engineering techni-cian; $49,440 per year. Em-ployers prefer associate de-grees in engineering tech-

nology.List and degree informa-

tion provided by CareerBuilder.com.

Staff Writer StephenSossamon can be reachedat onlineeditor@occc.edu.

8 • PIONEER • July 21, 2008

Sports

UPCOMING

OCCCINTRAMURALS

EVENTS

July 21-25: OCCC will hostco-ed basketball camps at theWellness Center gym. Theyouth camp for ages 9 to 11will be from 8 a.m. to noon andthe teen camp for ages 12 to14 will be held from 1 to 4 p.m.The cost for the camps is $65.For more information, callRecreation and Sports Spe-cialist Eric Watson at 405-682-1611, ext. 7786.

July 21-25, July 28-Aug. 1:OCCC will host Afternoon Funand Fit camps Mondaythrough Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.The camp is for ages 6 to 12and the cost is $40. For moreinformation call Recreationand Sports Specialist EricWatson at 405-682-1611, ext.7786.

July 28-Aug. 1: OCCC willhost cheer camp at the Well-ness Center gym. The youthcamp for ages 8 to 11 will befrom 8 a.m. to noon. The teencamp for ages 12 to 14 will befrom 1 to 4 p.m. The cost forthe camp is $65. For more in-formation, call Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watsonat 405-682-1611, ext 7786.

July 28: OCCC will host theAll State High School SwimMeet in the OCCC AquaticCenter Pool. For more infor-mation, call Recreation andFitness Coordinator RoxannaButler at 405-682-1611, ext.7425.

Do you have a greatsports story you

would like to shareover the summer?

Contact Daniel Martinat 405-682-1611, ext.

7440, or e-mailStaffWriter2@occc.edu

Photo by Ryan Gaston

By Sabrina Bosquez-AvilesNews Writing Student

An indispensable female life-guard caused the rest of the OCCClifeguards to pull out of the South-west Regional Lifeguard Gamescompetition July 11 at White Wa-ter Bay OCCC.

Aquatic and Safety Training Spe-cialist James Hensley said, “Thisis the first time in many years thatOCCC lifeguards have not partici-pated in the 23-year-old event.”

There must be one lifeguard ofeach gender in every competition.“We couldn’t compete because oneof our female lifeguards is off forthe month,” Hensley said.

“The objective of the event is toprovide an opportunity for the edu-cational promotion of lifeguards asskilled professionals,” he said.

There were seven different eventsincluding speed, first aid andknowledge of general aquatics.

By Daniel MartinStaff Writer

A recent National Health and Nu-trition Examination Survey statesthat the proportion of overweight 12-to 19-year-old children has tripledfrom 5 percent in the early ’60s to 15percent in 2000.

OCCC’s Afternoon Fun and Fit pro-gram has taken a stand to help tamethe epidemic of obesity in children.It is a problem that most may not befamiliar with but that is slowly mov-ing its to the forefront of today’s news.

The camp for boys and girls ages 6to 12, is from 1 to 5 p.m. and con-sists of fun Physical Education activi-ties in the gym, swim time, and ad-venturous outdoor activities that pro-mote health, wellness and physicalfitness.

Fun and Fit coach Ty Porter said,“It’s great for the kids, they need tobe active, sweating, having fun andout playing, instead of on the couchall day.”

“We play basketball, dogdeball, vol-leyball, and all sorts of “tag your out”games that get the kids up and mov-ing. Children seem to love all the ac-tivities,” Porter said.

They love all the games especiallydodge ball he said, “That’s why we useit as the last game. The kids workhard all day, run laps and break asweat, but they love it because theyget dodge ball at the end of the day.”

Overweight children are at a greaterrisk for many serious health problemsand there are statistics to prove it.

Hensley said some of the life-guards were upset that theyweren’t able to compete this year.

OCCC did, however, contributeto the games by supplying two newand improved events.

One consisted of a chemicalsimulation where the goal was toget as many people out of the wa-ter as possible, and the other wasa lifeguard test scanning where at-tention to potential victims is key.

Lifeguard Games DirectorRoxanna Butler said the eventsponsors were OCCC, White Wa-ter Bay, City Bites, Rose State Col-lege, OU and the Central Okla-homa Chapter of the American RedCross.

All groups were instrumental inthe helping the event be a successButler said.

“We just need to get out there andcompete next year.”

For more information call But-ler at 405-682-1611, ext. 7425.

OCCC runs out of luck atAnnual Lifeguard Games

OCCC’s Fun and Fit energizes youthPorter said that is exactly why

the camp leaders are trying to help.“We want to keep them enthused,

active, and running around all overthe place instead of sitting in frontof a computer or television screen”he said, “Overall it is exactly whatthey need at their age.”

The Afternoon Fun and Fit campis continuing through the end ofJuly and the cost is $40. For moreinformation, call Recreation andSports Specialist Eric Watson at405-682-1611, ext. 7786.

Staff Writer Daniel Martin can bereached at StaffWriter3@occc.edu.

Fun and Fitcamper’s break asweat July 15during a game ofvolleyball. For theirafternoonworkouts,participants ofOCCC’s physicalfitness programhave fun and stayactive by playingall sorts of gamesand activities thatinclude swimming,basketball,volleyball, dodgeball and naturewalks.

July 21, 2008 • PIONEER • 9

By Lance Morales␣News Writing Student

The Physical Plant islooking for students to fillassistant spots.

“We always have posi-tions available, and wemake sure we put the stu-dents classes and educa-tion first” said LarryBarnes, Physical Plantproject manager.

Steve Duncan, materialscontrol supervisor said sev-eral areas around campusneed student workers.

“We are constantly look-

ing for students to hire”Students seeking on-

campus jobs that start at$8 per hour need to visitthe OCCC employmentpage at www.occc.edu.

Karen Schmidt, HumanResources Specialist, saidstudents wanting to workon campus must be en-rolled in 6 credit hours tobe eligible

Schmidt advised stu-dents looking for jobs tocheck the website regularlyand apply for as many po-sitions as possible.

Individual departments

will contact students forinterviews once they havereviewed the applications,Schmidt said.

Students are not allowedto work more than thirtyhours a week, she said.

Duncan said student jobsgive students a chance fora full-time job at OCCC.

“Many times we hire thestudents later on as full-time employees,” he said.

Tristan Smith MaterialCentral Assistant, andbusiness sophomore, saidworking at OCCC “gives methe chance to work flexible

Physical Plant looking to hire studentshours around my classes.”

Smith is one of three stu-dents this summer incharge of picking up mailthroughout OCCC andmaking sure all packagesthat are sent to the cam-pus are dropped off.

Smith said he found thejob when he was looking atthe OCCC job website.

“I am really lucky that Icame across this job,”Smith said.

“It’s really convenient forme. I have been doing thisfor about 11 months now. Ihave my own system set up

that saves me a lot of time”Smith said. “I generallydrop off around 180 to 200packages every day I work.

“Whenever I have a testcoming up, I am alwaysable to take time off tostudy if I need to.”

Smith said he also enjoysthe interaction with theOCCC faculty.

“We are always scanningthe packages and collectingsignatures from people,”Smith said, after discuss-ing the weather with thehuman resources recep-tionist.␣

Clinical research program funded by $1.7 million grantBy Evan J. NobleNews Writing Student

Through a $1.7 milliongrant, OCCC will offer anew program over the nextthree years to train Clini-cal Research Coordinators.

The program, “Building aClinical Track in the HealthCareers Ladder,” will offerscholarships to pay for 90percent of a student’s edu-cation and a possible$3,000 stipend summer in-ternship.

Sonya J. Williams, De-partment of Science direc-tor, said the Science andMathematics division re-ceived the grant from theDepartment of Labor.

“This new program wouldbe a huge scholarship op-portunity for students,”Williams said.

“The new program is cur-rently in the planning andrecruitment stage of theprogram.”

She said the scholarshipswould pay for tuition andbooks, and a possible in-ternship with one ofOCCC’s partner compa-nies.

Some of the these partnercompanies are OklahomaState University College ofOsteopathic Medicine, Uni-versity of Oklahoma HealthSciences Center, and SaintAnthony’s Bone and JointHospital.

Science and MathematicsDean Max Simmons said

the Clinical Research Coor-dinator program teachesabout work that occurs inhospitals and doctor’s of-fices.

He said the program in-volves actual human trialsdealing with new drugs andnew surgical procedures.

The job will require stu-dents to know some biologyand about the medical pro-fession, Simmons said.

He said students wouldneed to be knowledgeableabout the laws and regula-tions relating to studyinghuman beings.

Williams said student re-cruitment will start thismonth, and will be an on-going process.

She said this programwould train students for anentry-level position in a ca-reer of clinical research,and clinical trials.

“We’ll have a combinationof online courses and cam-pus courses,” she said.

“This is all still in theworks. Actual courses areplanned to start spring se-mester,” Williams said.

She said this is in linewith the state’s EconomicDevelopment GeneratingExcellence to help bring innew jobs, and bring out al-ready existing jobs in clini-cal research of Oklahoma.

EDGE was created tohelp increase Oklahoma’seconomy by creating morehigh-paying jobs accordingto okedge.org.

Williams said there alsois an outreach componentto the grant that will helpbring news and informationto students of K-12 to makethem aware of OCCC’s pro-gram.

The program would fundon-campus classes for kin-dergarten through 12 tea-chers to learn about theprogram as well as a sum-mer program for kindergar-ten through 12 students to

learn about clinical re-search and how to get in-volved in the program.

Williams said the depart-ment recently hired twonew faculty members to beK-12 Outreach Coordinatorand Faculty/ AcademicCoordinator.

This program will not justbe for current students, butfor students who are al-ready in the workforce andlooking for something new.

Williams said the averagesalary for a clinical re-search coordinator is be-tween $30,000 and$62,000.

Students interested inthis program need to con-tact Williams at 405-682-1611, ext. 7182, e-mailsciencemath@occc.edu, orwrite to the Division of Sci-ence and Mathematics at7777 S. May Ave. Okla-homa City, Okla. 73159.

“Enrollment,”Cont. from page 1

Fall enrollment increase expected

nic increase was amongAsians at 9.8 percent, at atotal of 480.

Native American enroll-ment increased to 277,making up 4.9 percent ofthe enrollment, a 5.3 per-cent increase from lastsummer and Native Hawai-ian/Pacific Islander makesup .4 percent of the enroll-ment with 23 students,Morgan-Dees said.

However, the Hispanic/Latino enrollment numbertook a significant 12.4 per-cent decrease, droppingenrollment to 338, makingup 6 percent of the collegespopulation, Morgan-Deessaid.

African-American enroll-ment was at 534, 9.4 per-cent of the OCCC enroll-ment, which is 3.9 percentfrom last summer, Morgan-

Dees said.Also, females make up 60

percent of OCCC enroll-ment, while males make up40 percent, Sechrist said.

“The trend for many yearswas an increasing femalestudent population,” Se-christ said.

“It does seem to be level-ing off at this point.”

This number is reflectivewith most colleges in theUnited States, Sechrist

said.Twenty-seven percent of

students attending classesat OCCC this summer areplanning to seek degreeselsewhere.

Sechrist said althoughthe tracking process isearly, fall enrollment is ex-pected to rise slightly basedon current enrollmentnumbers.

Editor Matt Bishop can bereached at editor@occc.edu.

FREEOCCC JOB BOARD

www.collegecentral.com/occc

More information is available at:OCCC Employment Services

First Floor, Main Building405-682-7519

Employmentservices@occc.edu

10 • PIONEER • July 21, 2008

HighlightsCDCLS Reservation Room

OCCC’s Child Development Center and Lab School hasspots available for the Reservation Room. The Reserva-tion Room provides child care from 5:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.,with evenings available depending on children’s needs.Cost for the summer semester is $10 per evening per child,plus a $15 activity fee for each child. For more informa-tion, call the CDCLS at 405-682-7561.

Classes offered in summerCommunity Outreach and Education will offer a variety

of summer non-credit classes. Classes include: ComputerBasics, Microsoft Office, dance classes, sign language,Spanish, ESL and voice overs. For more information, call405-682-7859.

Highlights have a 5 p.m. deadline every Tuesday.

Student clubs preparingfor upcoming semesterBy Cameron BuchholtzStaff Writer

With the fall semester fast approaching,student clubs and organizations are mak-ing plans and preparing for the upcomingschool year.

The Computer Arts and Technology So-ciety will be doing a lot to prepare stu-dents for the new semester.

␣ “We’d like to have some of our clubmembers around at the Saturday orien-tation before the fall semester, to help stu-dents find their classes and to encouragenew memebers to sign up,” CATS sponsorAkram Taghavi-Burris said.

CATS has a lot planned for the semes-ter as well, including a digital art show,electronic job fair, and the second annualOklahoma Electronic Game Expo, saidTaghavi-Burris.

“Our 2008 Expo is the ultimate gamingdestination in Oklahoma- where gamersand industry insiders can come togetherto celebrate video-games,” Taghavi-Burrissaid.

The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society willalso be busy this year. The club has had abanner year for recruiting new members,said sponsor Marty Ludlum.

“Being in a club takes dedication,but it shouldn’t take up all your

free time.” — Akram Taghavi-Burris

Computer Arts and TechnologySociety sponsor

“We will again be participating in ourhallmarks of scholarship and service to thecollege community,” Ludlum said.

Things start early for the Baptist Colle-giate Ministries, as they will be travelingto Glorieta, N.M. for a retreat Aug. 2 – 8.

“Over a 1,000 students from around theU.S. will attend this event for Spiritualencouragement and Mission opportuni-ties,” BCM sponsor Mike Barnett said.

Students interested in joining a clubshould contact the Office of Student Lifefor more information.

“Being a part of a club takes dedication,but it shouldn’t take up all your free time,”Taghavi-Burris said. “Interested membersneed only be available during club meet-ings and an hour or more at ourfundraising events.”

Staff Writer Cameron Buchholtz can bereached at staffwriter1@occc.edu.

Psychology major PhoenixMathew researches studentloans online in the library.

Students looking forinformation on student loanscan visit the National StudentLoad Data System atwww.nslds.ed.gov or SaillieMae at www.salliemae.com.

Students may also want tolook into a Federal Staffordloa.According to theirwebsite, Federal Staffordloans offer students lowerinterest rates, deferredpayments until aftergraduation and morerepayment options. For moreinformation visitwww.staffordload.com.

Photo by Cameron Buchholtz

Find thatfunding

July 21, 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.

Class ifi eds

HELP WANTEDTuxedo Junction at

Crossroads Mall needspart time sales person.15+ hours per week.

Will train with some sales orcustomer service experience.Work around school hours.Call Beth @ 405-631-6714

for appointment.

HELP WANTEDJR’s Family BBQis now accepting

applications for servers and bartenders.Apply in person

at:1601 W I-35 Service Rd.

FOR SALE; Red SamsungDigital Camera (like new), includes32MB SD card $80; Sony 5-discCD player $50; Sony VCR/DVDplayer $25; TV cabinet $30; 19-inch, white TV/VCR player $15.Call 405-550-3371.

XBOX FOR SALE: Includesthree controlers. Also a memorychip, DVD playback kit, and six

CHILD CARE: Certified, DHSapproved. Trustworthy with OSBIbackground check and excellentreferences. Available for collegestudent hours. Day/evening. Call405-703-2147.

FOR SALE : Roll-Top Desk, 52x 43 x 22 inches. $100. Call 405-603-6690.

FOR SALE: Pre-Calculus 8thedition, bought new, $100. LivingDemocracy (National Edition)bought used, $50. Both in greatcondition. Call 405-740-8527.

FOR SALE : New UCO Inter-mediate Accounting I and IIbooks. Retail for $250. Savemoney and buy mine for $130.Will deliver if you are centrally lo-cated. Call 405-684-1003.

ALGEBRA TUTORwith experience.

$20 per hour.Call Bryan at

405-203-8220.

FOR RENT: 3-bedroom, fur-nished house only three minutesfrom OCCC. Washer, dryer andhigh speed internet. $350 permonth. If interested please call405-822-5651.

ROOMMATES NEEDED: Toshare 3-bedroom, clean and quiethouse only three minutes fromOCCC. Non-smoker, no pets. 1-car garage, washer and dryeravailable. $250 per month plusshared bills (electric, water, gas,and iinternet). Rooms are readynow. If interested please call Ethelat 405-361-0251.

FEMALE ROOMMATE: Toshare house only 4 minutes fromOCCC. $0 per month in ex-change for weekday childcareduties for 8 and 10 year old chil-dren. Call: 405-830-3838.

FOR SALE: 1997, Honda Ac-cord, V6, Black, four door. Asking$4,000, O.B.O. Contact: 918-361-8277.

FREE GIFTS ANDDISCOUNTS

on merchandise for hostinga Pampered Chef party.

Student working p/t to bring you America’sfavorite kitchen items.

Call for details onbecoming a hostess or

making some extra moneyselling part time.

Call Jody 757-295-1517.

It pays toadvertise

in the OCCC Pioneer.Call 405-682-1611

Ext. 7674Call Cynthia

games including The Godfather,Rise of Soldier, Need for SpeedUnderground 2, Grand Theft AutoIII, San Andreas and Tony Hawk’sAmerican Wasteland. All for $75.Call: 405-681-6589.

ThisHuge

space could beyours for

ONLY$24

a week!!Call for details!

405-682-1611,ext. 7674

PioneerPioneerPioneerPioneer

Just Imagine...You could advertisehere locally for $16per week, nationally

for $20 per week.Call 405-682-1611,ext. 7674, for more

information about ourlow advertising rates!

Place a personal classifed adIt’s FREE to OCCC students & employees!

ADMAN@occc.edu

orFax your ad

405-682-7843Attn: Cynthia

12 • PIONEER • July 21, 2008

Students will get financial aid funds electronically beginning this fall

College’s intruder procedure stepped upBy Stephen SossamonStaff Writer

The college is one stepcloser to being ready if anarmed intruder enters thebuilding, said Safety andSecurity Director Ike Sloas.

The Shelter In Place pro-cedure will be the new stan-dard for the college’s safetyplan in case of such anevent, Sloas said.

He said it’s not a new pro-cedure but is new to OCCC.

“[The procedure] hasbeen in place,” Sloas said.“I’ve been teaching it sincethe fall of 2007.”

Sloas said the Shelter InPlace procedure is a con-tinuation of the procedurealready used by the college.

According to the ShelterIn Place procedure, if stu-dents or staff members are

caught in open areas, suchas hallways or lounges,they should move quicklyto a secured area, such asa classroom or lab.

In this way, the college’sfaculty and student bodywould be away from harm,and Oklahoma City policeofficers could enter and se-cure the college, Sloas said.

Safety and Security of-ficers will conduct thetraining for the new proce-dure, Sloas said.

Training will be from 10to 11 a.m. and from 2 to 3p.m., July 21 and 23 inMain Building room 2N3.

Also, at 2 p.m. July 25,Safety and Security willperform a Shelter In Placedrill, with observers check-ing to make sure everyoneis participating correctly,Sloas said.

The drill will announcethe Shelter In Place proce-dure being active, then thesimulation of people mov-ing to a safe place will oc-cur, Sloas said.

“An Oklahoma City PoliceDepartment Santa Fe Divi-sion Administrative super-visor will be here to observeand leave feedback, also.”

He said the college willhave a simulated live drillwith a live armed intruderin the future.

The college’s IP phones,which are the phones lo-cated in the classroomsand offices, will play a bigpart in the procedure.

“It is the delivery device,”said Safety and Securitycoordinator Keith Bourque.

“[The IP phone] will audi-bly tell you when the Shel-ter In Place procedure is

going on, and will give youthe all-clear.”

Sloas said he hopes thephones will be able to reachat least 75 percent of thepeople on campus.

“The [most dif ficult]people to [notify] are theones in the open,” he said.

However, Sloas said,those out in the open wouldmost likely be the first tonotice the threat and takecover.

Sloas said he also urgesthe various college divi-sions to develop their ownplans, within the Shelter InPlace procedure, to ensuretheir safety.

“The bookstore has itsown procedures, as doesthe Child DevelopmentCenter,” Sloas said. “Youhave to adapt to where youare in the college.”

Sloas said he’s confidenteveryone will be comfort-able with the procedure.

“We want to make the fac-ulty and students morecomfortable with the proce-dures,” Sloas said.

“That is why we will behaving the drills more of-ten — to make it a routine.”

Sloas said these proce-dures are not lock-downs.

A lock-down is aimed atkeeping the intruder out,while the Shelter In Placeprocedure is aimed towardgetting the intruder out.

Sloas said students andfaculty can get more infor-mation either by attendinga training session or call-ing Safety and Security at405-682-1611, ext. 7691.

Staff Writer StephenSossamon can be reachedat onlineeditor@occc.edu.

Higher One’s services, shesaid.

The company will trans-fer funds through threemethods:

• immediate deposit intoa student’s Higher One ac-count,

• direct deposit into astudent’s existing bank ac-count or,

• by processing and mail-ing out a paper check.

Henson said regardless ofwhich method studentschoose to receive theirmoney, going throughHigher One would allowstudents to receive theirmoney faster than the cur-rent system of goingthrough the state.

Currently, refunds andfinancial aid are only giventhrough paper checks,which can take up to fourdays to process.

With Higher One, paperchecks will take one day toprocess, she said.

Students choosing tohave Higher One deposittheir funds into their pre-existing bank accounts canexpect to receive their

money in 24 to 48 hours.All Higher One account

users will have immediateaccess to their funds.

Henson said the college isindifferent about whichmethod students choose toreceive their money.

“We have no vested inter-ested in which method theyuse,” she said.

“Whatever your prefer-ence — paper check, pre-existing bank account or aHigher One account — itwill be quicker for both thestudent and for us.

“The students just needto set up their preferenceswith Higher One.”

Whether students chooseto bank directly throughHigher One or not, all stu-dents will need to set uptheir preferences throughthe Higher One website inorder to receive funds, shesaid.

That’s where the debitcards come into play, shesaid.

“These cards will allowstudents to log in to theOCCC Higher One websiteand select their preferencefor how they want to gettheir money.

Henson said studentsshould expect the cards at

the end of September.“We will have more infor-

mation at the beginning ofthe fall semester, letting ev-eryone know what stepsthey need to take to settheir preferences or sign upfor an account,” she said.

“It is important for stu-dents to understand thatall refunds and financialaid will be processedthrough Higher One start-ing in October,” Hensonsaid.

“Get your money howeveryou’d like, but make sureto set up your preferences.”

Henson said the debitcard will work like anyother debit card.

“You can check your bal-ance, make a withdraw ortransfer funds for no fee atthe Higher One ATMs.

Henson said two HigherOne ATMs would be in-stalled on campus for stu-dents’ use.

“The cards will work atany other ATM, but you willbe charged a conveniencefee.”

She said the ATMs wouldbe placed in high traffic ar-eas: one in the Main Build-ing by the Welcome Deskand the other in the foyerof the Library.

Henson is working withCampus Security to havecameras installed to allowmonitoring of the ma-chines.

Students who take ad-vantage of Higher One’s ac-counts will be able to usetheir account indefinitely,she said.

“There’s no expiration, re-gardless of student’s enroll-ment status.”

Henson said she hopesstudents without bank ac-counts will take advantageof this program.

“Higher One will givemany students the oppor-tunity to build a bankinghistory,” she said.

“That’s an opportunitythat might not have beenavailable to them before.”

When informed of thecoming changes, studentsacross campus expressedpositive thoughts.

Freshman Kim Hahn isone student without a bankaccount who is excited tolearn more about HigherOne.

“A company offering freebanking to all students?That’s awesome,” Hahnsaid. “I’m sure many otherstudents will be taking ad-vantage of that.”

“Money,”Cont. from page 1

Biology major BradenWallace said although healready has an accountelsewhere, being able to re-ceive his financial aid morequickly would be conve-nient.

“Last year, I had so manyissues getting my financialaid check that it took fivemonths longer than ex-pected,” Wallace said. “Thiswill definitely save time.”

Henson said she is ex-cited about the new part-nership with Higher Oneand hopes students will be,too.

“In one way or another,students have been askingfor this for years,” she said.

“This is what they’ve beenasking for, plus a littlemore.

“This will be a big savingsof time and money for ev-eryone involved.”

For more informationabout the coming changes,call Henson at 405-682-1611, ext. 7457.

Staff Writer Chris Luskcan be reached at SeniorWriter@occc.edu.

Contact the editor atContact the editor atContact the editor atContact the editor atContact the editor at405-682-1611,405-682-1611,405-682-1611,405-682-1611,405-682-1611,

ext. 7409ext. 7409ext. 7409ext. 7409ext. 7409or editor@occc.eduor editor@occc.eduor editor@occc.eduor editor@occc.eduor editor@occc.edu