News15th StreetRecap and photos

fun for all, ... page 3

Volume XXXVIII, ISSue 25roSe State College

FrIday, aprIl 24, 2009

Inside

Senate executive board inauguration, ... page 4

Spotlight:phillip cox,... page 3

rich zone: What iS love?,

... page 2

Spring Fest

Future plans drew prominent people to Nonna’s Euro-American Ristorante and Bar Wednesday, April 15. First Lady Kim Henry, Mayor Mick Cor-nett, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins and Dir. Jim Cowan stood on the patio and spoke amongst the press regarding the vision that they see for the Bricktown area. Bricktown’s traffic increased 45 percent; tourism increased to approxi-mately 2.9 million people from 2007 to 2008. The visionaries expect nothing, but more growth to the area. Tourism is a $5 billion industry statewide and Bricktown is a major contributor. Re-sults in surveys by AAA, rated Oklaho-ma as the 4th inexpensive travel spot. The survey also proved that a family of four could spend $179 a day on lodging and food; compared to a national aver-age of $244. However, according to the speakers more businesses such as retail shops are needed. Their focus is to continue to move Bricktown from just restaurants and clubs, to a more diverse setting, which will attract people of all ages whether they are local residents or tourists. Henry related the district’s history to the crowd, “From the district’s begin-ning as home to railroad loading docks and Douglass High School in the early 1900’s to where it is today.” She added, “As one of the state’s top tourist destinations, Bricktown is once again a commerce crossroads. And as the core of excellence for downtown, Bricktown is now a crossroads for the renewal and growth for Oklahoma City.” Expectations for Bricktown came from Askins who serves as chair of Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission. She expects the area to thrive even through the economic

struggle. “A slower economy typically results in people staying close to home for shorter weekend trips, instead of taking long distance vacations. That means more Oklahomans and resi-dents of surrounding states will look to Bricktown as their getaway destina-tion.” According to Cornett, the area is at-tracting conventions and all types of business. This summer it will host the National Harley Owners Group con-vention, and has been selected to host the Annual Meeting of the U.S. Confer-ence of Mayors in 2010. But the big talk and excitement was mostly on the nation’s first School of Rock (Academy of Contemporary Mu-sic at the University of Central Oklaho-ma) and the American Banjo Museum. This is a drastic turn from performance to teaching. Acknowledgments were made to Oklahoma residents, Okla-homa Chambers of Commerce and the MAPS program for helping build the area to what it is now. The Bricktown Association operates Bricktown, where Cowan is the execu-tive director. For more information visit the new virtual Web site partnered with Griffin Marketing Solutions to create and grow traffic throughout the district at Wel-comeToBricktown.com or call (405) 236-8666. In addition to the Web site Bricktown is interacting with visitors through Facebook and Twitter. New Bricktown businesses consist of Hampton Inn & Suites, Bolero Spanish Grill, In the Raw Sushi, America’s Pub, Paralogia Ultra Lounge, Brix, Michael Murphy’s Dueling Pianos, Put A Cork In It, LIT Clothing, Envy, The Store and McDonald’s. Upcoming businesses include Coyote Ugly, The American Banjo Museum and the School of Rock.

The annual Phi Theta Kappa International Convention drew together over 3,400 students from around the world including 9 from RSC. The convention was held April 15 – 19 at the Texan Gaylord Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. Representing the Alpha Eta Alpha chapter were Elexandria Murchinson and Lesa Logue, co-presidents; Rosalind Evans, vice president of scholarship; Racheal Price, vice president of leader-ship; Jessica Garrett, recording secretary; Adriana Valtinson, his-torian; Rose Taylor, public rela-tions officer; Mary Watson, Web master and; Spencer Harris, D2L officer. The convention was divided into many sections including an Honors in Action Academy, edu-cational forums on a wide variety of topics, elections of the 2009 international officers, scholarship presentations, a college transfer fair, announcements regarding Phi Theta Kappa 2008 accom-plishments, and keynote address-es by William D. Tate, Mayor of Grapevine; Fareed Zakaria, CNN host and editor of Newsweek

International; Robert Kennedy, Jr., environmental activist and at-torney; and Rod Risley, executive director of Phi Theta Kappa. Rosalind Evans and Professor Kristin Hahn, Phi Theta Kappa advisor, received scholarships to attend the Honors in Action Academy, which took place April 15 – 16 prior to the official open-ing of the convention. Honors in Action is the society’s effort to combine scholarship, leader-ship, service and fellowship into each project they undertake. The organization gave back to the community of Grapevine by restoring, cleaning up and beautifying the city’s Grapevine Park – a huge park district span-ning Grapevine Lake. Evans and Hahn were tasked with scraping and painting exterior buildings. Five hundred Phi Theta Kappans contributed over 1,500 hours of work to the city: the equivalent of a year’s work for a single city employee saving the city over $30,000. “We actually finished clean-ing and painting the whole park in 3 hours. There were over 500 people who came out and helped. People from all over the world with different backgrounds and beliefs pulled together as one and

got the job done,” Ev-ans said. The mayor of Grapevine “saluted” the society for their volunteer-ism, leader-ship, and dedication to bettering the lives of others. Zakaria addressed

students with hope and op-timism for the future financial world and explained his beliefs in how the economy got into the current situa-tion. Kennedy shared his vision of an environmental future where all American homes are “power plants” through the “use of renew-able energies and free mar-ket capital-ism.” Risley shared the suc-cesses of Phi Theta Kappa over the previ-ous year in-cluding record growth for the organization in new members and explained how the society is “Leading the Way” into the future echoing the conventions theme. “During times like these our closely held values, beliefs and principles as an organization will be challenged. It these times that reveal the relevancy of our mis-sion, the measure of our stew-ardship and the strength of our vision. Phi Theta Kappa will not survive these challenging times, but it will emerge from this storm in a position of greater strength than ever before.” RSC’s representatives felt they

learned a lot of from the conven-tion experience and understand the mission of Phi Theta Kappa better after attending the event. “I learned that Phi Theta Kappa is a lot bigger than I origi-nally thought. When I first joined I thought it was a relatively small group and only in this country but by going to the convention I realized that it’s filled with many different types of people from different places. It’s great to be a part of something so huge and

Phi Theta Kappans ‘lead the way’BY RACHEAL PRICE

Editor

Phi Theta Kappans Rose Taylor, Elexandria Murchin-son and Rosalind Evans prepare for the general ses-

sions cheering by acting silly. (Photo by Racheal Price)

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. explains his view on paying millions of dollars a day to foreign oil companies that

“do not share our values or our beliefs.” (Photo by Racheal Price)

BY NICOLE FORDAssignment Editor

Bricktown celebrates success Future bright despite economic woes

On April 18, the RSC Cheerleaders competed in the U.S. Finals at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Okla-homa City. The cheerleaders competed as a Collegiate All Girl Cheer Team and took first place. The cheerleaders continue to ride high after their recent win at the National Championship and Grand COA in Kansas City, Missouri where they placed first in their divi-sion, which gained them entrance to compete at the U.S. Finals. The team is the first all female com-petitive cheerleading squad in the his-tory of RSC and is coached by Chuck Seltzer and is advised by Towry Ber-nard and Kirby Harzman. Alex Funston heads the squad, but prior to competition at the U.S. Finals

she tore the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in her knee and was unable to compete. Funston was undeterred by the injury and cheered her teammates on as they competed. “They did really good except for that stunt that fell,” Funston said. According to Funston, all first place teams from the four competitions held across the country will be reviewed by videotape in order to determine the U.S. Champions. Results should be known sometime in May, Funston said. Members of the team include Aimee Gore, Stephany Johnson, Leslie Sneed, Kimberly Greiner, Skyler Mahia, Lyn-dzee Vieweg, Courtney Sutton, Taylor Towry, Aretha Grant, Deonne King, Brissa Burbank, Hailey Moore, Taylor Henthorn, Lauren Gray and Shelby Gentry. The team also has a Little Raider, Tatum Barnard.

BY J.L. MORRISSEYAssistant Editor

See CONVENTION, Page 4

SPI R I T

Page 2 • April 24, 2009

OPINION

polICIeS and letterS to the edItor Columns, commentaries and letters to the editor are personal opinions of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of 15th Street News or other students, faculty or administrators of the college. Editorials are written by the editorial staff. Letters to the editor may be hand delivered to FA110; sent by mail to 15th Street News, Rose State College, 6420 SE 15, Midwest City, 73110; e-mailed to the secretary, [cbenefee@rose.edu] or recorded nights on PhoneMail at 733-7400 between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Letters must include the writer’s full name, ID number and telephone number. Letters will be printed with full name and must be 500 words or less. Editing may be necessary for space, clarity or to avoid obscenity, libel or invasion of privacy, but ideas will not be altered. Publication of all materials is at the discretion of the editor. Anyone having a complaint may call the editor in chief, 733-7400, or the Student Publications Board chairperson, Towry Barnard, 733-7379. 15th Street News, a student newspaper serving the RSC community, is published weekly, except school holidays, on Fridays during the fall and spring semesters by the Office of Student Publications, 6420 SE 15,

Midwest City, OK 73110. 15th Street News is a member of Oklahoma Collegiate Press Associa-tion, which has designated this paper top junior college newspaper six years, and Associated Collegiate Press, which has rated it All American 30 semesters. This publication is printed by Edmond Sun, Inc., issued by RSC and authorized by the Coordinator of Student Publications. Cost to the state taxpayers is $301.81 for 4,000 copies per issue and $56.40 for spot color. This paper is recyclable. RSC, in compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Executive Order 11246, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services.

Editor in ChiefRacheal Price (rprice@rose.edu)

Assistant EditorJ.L. Morrissey (jmor-rissey@rose.edu)

Features EditorBryan Mangieri (bmangieri@rose.edu)

Staff WritersNicole Ford

PhotographersChelsea McIntire (cmcintire@rose.edu)Eric Tatom (etatom@rose.edu)

Graphic ArtistsBrian Allen

Circulation ManagerPaul Kim (pkim@rose.edu)

Tech SupportScottie Seger (aseger@rose.edu)

SecretarySharon Motley (smot-ley@rose.edu)

Coordinator of Stu-dent PublicationsJulie Lesko-Bishop (jlesko-bishop@rose.edu)

StaFF memberS

ditorialE ARIES (March 21-April 20) Start to look up and the world will seem

brighter.

TAURUS (April 21-May 20)

Playtime is over. It is time to knuckle down and act like an adult - at least for a couple

of days.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21)Generosity will get you far in life; just know when you are being taken advan-

tage of.

CANCER (June 22-July 22)

Life can be difficult and trying at times,

but perseverance and optimism can pay off.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

When the next per-son approaches you for help. You should agree, it will be re-warding for both of

you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)With finals coming

up it is time to lay off the laziness and kick

it into high gear.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Lousy excuses make terrible bedmates. Consider your re-

sponsibilities and you will sleep better.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

Children make excus-es; adults honor their

commitments.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)We laugh, we cry, and sometimes we merely exist. All of

those are fine ways to be as long as no one emotion dominates

your life.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)

Friends will be there for you no matter what. Fair weather

acquaintances won’t be there through troubled times.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Feb. 19)

Arrogance is an insult to both your integrity and spirit. Consider toning down to just

be confident.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20)

You’re relaxing more now and that is great. Continue the positive

mental health.

Leadership: The few, proud and determined

In my first column I invited you to submit questions. I have not been disappointed. Sev-eral fascinating questions found their way to me, including Susan’s, who asked, “What’s love?” Simple, yet exceptionally multilay-ered. I’m not sure where to begin, but let’s give it a go. We humans are never distant from our deepest desires, and none is more compel-ling than to create a consummate connection with a fellow traveler, a spiritual partner on a train bound for bliss, with whom we share a life of treasures as well as a blanket when the wind blows cold. We require profound connections with others, Psychology informs us, to preserve our emotional and physical

health. Before describing what love is, let’s declare what love is not. Mature love is not dependency. Depen-dency occurs when someone requires the caretaking of another in order to function, to feel whole. This bargain strikes a balance wherein one feels powerful and needed while the other is esteemed because they are “cared” for. Because of these shackles, neither can grow emotionally, so dependent love is a form of mutual indentured servi-tude. Love is not cruel. Some have learned to demonstrate their “love” with emotional or physical meanness. While its origins may be understood, such behavior is absolutely incompatible with love, and ought never to be tolerated, not for a second. Unfortunately, it is possible to be accustomed to anything, even misery. Love is not lust. Contrary to the long-standing adage, lust is the blind condition, not love. The hormonal and neurochemical

storm we call infatuation is nature’s way of promoting pair-bonding and procreation. Alas, it blinds us to the “true” nature of our

partner. This snowstorm does not subside immediate-ly, so it’s wise to not make commitments early in the game. Think of it this way: if infatuation is the appe-tizer, then love is the seven-course meal. Hors d’oeuvres may be tasty and easy to consume, but the main course is ultimately filling, even if it does require some effort to accommodate. So what is love? Love ap-pears when your partner’s growth, development and

well-being are as important to you as your own. In your commitment toward this goal, you are obliged to exhibit effort. Love is not an emotion; it is ultimately a set of decisions you make. As partners weave their love into fabric, kindness must prevail over being right, and impulsivity must give way to per-severance. Hope this answers the question, Susan.

Reader asks, ‘What is love?’

Linda Schaefer, an instructor at East Cen-tral University in Ada, visited RSC to share memories of her two trips to India. During her first trip, she photographed Mother Te-resa. Schaefer’s photography made up the contents of a book, “Come and See: A Photo-journalist’s Journey into the World of Mother Teresa.” She spoke about it April 14 during a meeting of the Library Club. “One thinks of Mother Teresa as this di-minutive woman who’s so tiny, but she led so many people through a journey of sacrifice, devotion and service, which is what we’re all called to do, which is why I entitled my book ‘Come and See.’” Schaefer said. “None of us are ordered to do anything. It’s all an invitation, and the invitation is open and extended to all of us,” Schaefer said. “And we have to be in a place very often to be able to hear that, to be able to hear those words ‘come and see.” Schaefer said the current crisis in the

world makes many people question their place in the world, forcing them to come out of their “material-istic slump.” “It’s kind of making a lot of people stop in their tracks,” she said. “I think there’s a great sense of hope in the midst of some despair that perhaps people will reevaluate what’s im-portant in life.” During her second trip to India Schaefer brought along students to photo-graph the country includ-ing Jarrod Doyal, who also spoke about his experi-ences. RSC student and net-working major William Cochran attended the event. “I heard about this lecture through the Li-brary Club,” Cochran said. “And I go to as

many lectures as I can. Obviously, I can’t go to all of them. This is one I did have the op-portunity to attend. Given the subject matter, I thought it a good use of my time.”

Local photojournalist and author Linda Shaefer of ECU ex-hibits her photography and student photography including

the work of graduate student Jarrod Doyal of ECU. (Photo by Chelsea McIntire)

BY BRYAN MANGIERIFeatures Editor

Photojournalist invites others to ‘Come and See’

MCT Campus

RSC is a great institution and to keep it that way during the turbulent economic times that are upon the world, it will take strong students to serve as ser-vant leaders. The idea of servant leaders is not new. Chanakya of ancient India said, “the king shall con-sider as good, not what pleases himself, but what please his subjects.” And more familiar to those attending the college is perhaps Mark 10:43-45, “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your ser-vant;/whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all./For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Essentially both texts are saying the same thing, to be an effective leader the person will put others needs before their

own. Leadership is not about power or possessing the most toys or people. It is truly about serving others in a positive man-ner that reflects their needs and desires. This college offers many op-portunities for students to serve. Some require students to ap-ply in March to the leadership groups and have varying re-quirements to be eligible. These students are interviewed and then selected to serve the col-lege. The fact is most students at RSC will never have the oppor-tunity to join them. However, hope for leadership development is not lost. Two organizations offer students the chance to lead and will be open in the fall to many. Now is the time to start considering them and planning. First, student senate is an ex-cellent opportunity for students to serve each other. Student sen-ators brainstorm and bring ideas forward that are discussed and voted on. If they pass, the ideas are sent up a chain of adminis-

tration to be considered. If the administrators think it is a good idea, it can be implemented. In this way, senate represents students, but only if students interested in serving the stu-dent body are interested, apply and campaign for election. And once elected continue to solicit student ideas. This will enable them to serve others and not just go after what will look fabulous on their college transcript and resume. The standards for Student Sen-ate membership include a mini-mum of a 2.5 GPA and enroll-ment in 6 credit hours. The next group students can join is the Phi Theta Kappa in-ternational honor society. The society’s standards may be considered high since it re-quires a 3.5 cumulative GPA and a minimum of 12 credit hours. However, once a student has been inducted into the organiza-tion the GPA standard lowers to 3.0 and the benefits are endless. There is no set number of stu-dents who can join the society

each semester. In an effort to develop servant leaders, Phi Theta Kappa partici-pates in Honors in Action. A ser-vice model that fosters develop-ment of service related projects that incorporate a number of the society’s values. The students are encouraged to lead through service. Through developing the lead-ers in Student Senate, Phi Theta Kappa and the other leadership groups RSC will continue to provide outstanding education, excellence, service and integrity. Finally in a related note, rep-resenting the Student Senate excutive board in the coming academic year, congratulations to Phillip Cox, Amanda Walters, Tracy McDade and Christina McDade. These four individuals will represent students’ interest and have said they will actively lis-ten to student input to facilitate a positive relationship with the students they represent. If you see any of them tell them what they can do for you.

BY RICH WEDEMEYERColumnist

Page 3 • April 24, 2009

CAMPUS CORNERBriefly

Speaking

Visual Arts SeriesRSC will host a Stu-

dent Art Exhibit April 20 - May 7. For more information call 736-

0313.

PegasusRSC’s annual liter-

ary and art magazine, Pegasus, will be un-veiled Tuesday, April 28. A reception honor-ing the students will be held as well. For more information call 736-

0313.

Law Day Chief Judge Robert H. Henry, United States Court of Appeals for

the Tenth Circuit Court will be speaking at the eighth annual James F. Howell “Country

Lawyer” Lectureship. Judge Henry’s lecture is given in recogni-

tion of “National Law Day,” a day set aside each year for people across the country to celebrate the law and the legal system. This year’s Law Day theme is “A Legacy of Lib-erty-Celebrating Lin-coln’s Bicentennial.”

The event will be held 12:15 p.m. Monday, April 27 in the RSC Student Center Main

Dining Room.

Dental Hygiene The 2009 RSC Den-tal Hygiene Program

graduates are in search of patients who will qualify for their re-

gional clinical board exam. The exam for state licensure con-

sists approximately a four hour commitment

from the patient on May 30, May 31, June

1 or June 2 to have their teeth cleaned. To qualify patients must

be 18 years of age and should not have had their teeth cleaned in less than 3 years. For more information call

733-7337.

Great Issues Lecture Series

Professor Karen Holt will speak on Existen-tial Choices in a Mate-rial World: Is Poverty of the Spirit a Result of Human Freedom 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 29 in the RSC Lecture Hall. This is the last Great Issues Lecture to be presented this

semester.

Oxfam Banquet Phi Theta Kappa

invites the community, faculty, staff, and stu-

dents of RSC to “share a meal at their table” to learn about climate change and poverty. The event is free to

attend, but donations to Oxfam will be ac-cepted. To reserve a place contact Kristin Hahn at khahn@rose.edu or Racheal Price at rprice@rose.edu or

922-8014.

ACROSS 1 Military units9 Blue and funny15 Friendless16 Dinner pick17 Suffered anguish18 Dollar bill artist19 Gesture of respect20 Rubberneck

22 Shout to sur-prise23 Beer buys24 Unit of mag-netic flux25 Sides of a cube26 “Little Women” author’s initials27 Brit. quarter-master29 B.C. fuzz31 Writer

Fleming32 Letters on a GI’s letter33 Suffered humiliation37 Like peekaboo fashions39 Source of hyoscyamine40 Computer mavens41 Knack42 CEO’s degree43 Hebrew letter44 Pub. submissions

45 Karachi’s nat.46 PC pic49 Aage __ Bohr51 Jonas of bacteriology52 Long time53 Singer Gibb54 “The Kid” star Jackie56 Possible to accomplish58 Canonical hour60 Spots61 Warm, cheerful brightness62 Flip do-over63 Put in order

DOWN1 Exclude2 Household novel3 Like noncarbon-based com-pounds4 Chaps5 Sale-tag notation6 Half asleep7 Suffix in linguistics8 Grasslike plant9 Those showing deferential esteem10 Burials11 Air-conditioner meas.12 U.A.E. populace13 The king of France14 Start of a rehab program

21 Lincoln and others24 Fuel storage building27 Fundamental grounds28 Haste30 Dangerous insulation mtl.34 Out of control35 All in all36 About to swoon38 Your of yore46 Yielder47 Gander’s partner48 Ill-chosen50 Spandex brand51 Gannet goose54 Letters for Spock or Riker55 Eye defect: suff.57 Short life story59 Dinghy mover

By Josiah Breward

Solution 4/10/09

New Student Senate President Phillip Cox III

potlight on ...SBY J.L. MORRISSEY

Assistant Editor

The gavel has been passed to Phillip Cox III, who was recently elected RSC Student Senate Presi-dent for the 2009-10 school year. Cox is a newcomer to Oklahoma having arrived less than a year ago from Bridgeton, New Jersey where he spent “half his life,” although he calls Louisville, Kentucky the place “where he was raised” his home-town. Shortly after high school, Cox joined the United State Marine

Corps in 2004. While stationed in Hawaii, Cox began attending classes at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu but ultimately duty called and he was “deployed to Al Asad [Airfield] in Iraq for seven months.” “That was a learning experience. I was introduced to a completely different culture on the other side of the world. It definitely matured me,” Cox said. After his service in the Marine Corps, Cox moved to Oklahoma. He then joined the Oklahoma Na-tional Guard and was determined to finish what he started in Hawaii and enrolled in classes at RSC last fall. “[RSC] is unlike any college that I have had the pleasure of visiting or being in. It is diverse, which is a great thing because I’m used to diversity. It really is a home away from home in some aspects,” Cox said. As a new student Cox frequently picked up the 15th Street News to gain insights into campus events. He learned of openings on student senate through the paper and decid-ed to apply for a senate position. “I remember sitting in the library and waiting for a class to start and I picked up the 15th Street News-paper. I read an article that men-tioned how the next session was short six senators. I was interested

and read a bit more and then went down to Student Activities and got an application to be a senator. After that it just kind of took off from there,” Cox said. Cox credits his quick rise in RSC student senate to his strong family traits and their collective military service. “When I was in the military, I rose pretty fast because I always give 110 percent. Everyone in my family is military oriented. We all share the zeal to want to be better. We want to help and serve people. I feel that service is instilled in me and wrapped around my DNA,” Cox said. Initially Cox was a business ma-jor, but his experiences in student senate have caused him to lean more toward political science. Cox maintains that he still holds an “in-terest in business” and feels that he is still “business oriented” but wants to pursue an education in po-litical science more fully. “Being involved in the student government is something I wish every student to experience. I en-courage more students to attend meetings and get involved in what is going on at the campus. My ex-periences in student government have had a profound effect on my view of RSC and also have helped me discover new ways to tackle different issues,” Cox said.

(Photo by Chelsea McIntire)

Springfest, which was held on April 14-15, gave RSC students an opportu-nity to unwind prior to final exams. The event featured interactive events such as rock wall climbing, volley-ball intramurals and plenty of free pizza. The event also coincided with the Student Senate Executive Officer elections. Several candidates set up a two day camp in front of the Student Center to campaign for the election. Many students took time to investigate candidates’ individual platforms as they sought out the best match for the positions. Several of the candidates waited

around late Wednesday night for the election re-sults. Christina McDade a Multi-Media/Web Design major was selected as the new Secretary. Tracy Mc-Dade, a Criminal Justice major was selected as the new treasurer. Amanda Walters, a Nursing Science major was selected as the new Vice-President and Phillip Cox III, a Political Science major was selected as the new President of the RSC Student Senate. Collectively, they were elected to represent the school for the 2009-10 school year, but were of-ficially sworn into duty on Tuesday April 21 during the regularly scheduled senate meeting.

Springfest brings warm weather, fellowship, electionsBY J.L. MORRISSEY

Assistant Editor

Kelsie Tucker serves a “wallop of fun.”

RSC maintenance workers enjoy the spring fest activities with a lit-tle basketball as Dominique Flow-ers shoots a lay up over Dewayne

Johnson’s back. (Photos by Chelsea McIntire)

Sami Cravens and Trena Byas participate in the ever popular pizza giveaway.

Page 4 • April 24, 2009

NEWS & FEATURES

For the first time in many years, RSC will offer core courses with the honors designa-tion. Previously, students desiring to earn honors credit would contract with professors and complete an honors project or the Honors Lecture Series. Starting with the fall semester all three options will be available. However, enrollment in the three programs differs. In the fall English Composition I and Amer-ican History since 1877 will be offered to students enrolled in the Honors Program. Prior to enrollment in one of the classes students will be required to have been accepted into the Honors Program. Toni Castillo, program director for the Honors Program, explained the class work would be set up as a seminar instead of a traditional lecture to emphasize critical thinking, cross-disciplinary studies, and student-professor interactions. “I want to stress the classes are not more work, but different work. These classes will better prepare students for university and graduate level work,” Castillo said. The courses will be held in the UCO Uni-versity Center to utilize their state of the art classrooms. The Honors Lecture Series and honors con-tract aspects of the program will remain the same. Students will contract with willing pro-

fessors to complete additional projects that are not part of the typical classroom work. The lecture series students will attend pre-scheduled lectures throughout the semester and write essays regarding their experiences. Castillo will oversee their progress. Students who wish to complete honors con-tracts will approach an instructor about com-pleting an additional project for the class. The students design these projects with the profes-sor’s assistance and the professor will oversee the student’s progress. The lecture series and the honors projects do not require current enrollment in the Hon-ors Program. Students enrolled in the program are eligible for Honors Program Scholarships, awarded over the summer semester to outstanding stu-dents. Finally, beginning next semester the honors students will be able to participate in the book loan program. Students on honors scholarships and participating in the honors designated classes will receive preference, but any stu-dent enrolled in the Honors Program will be eligible. For more information regarding the Honors Program contact Castillo at 733-7512 or visit Fine Arts 115. Additional information can be obtained at the Honors Program Web site http://www.rose.edu/students/academic/hon-ors/index.asp.

Music Stand

Drive-By Truckers

important,” said Valtinson. A favorite moment shared by them was a moment when the entire congregation was on their feet and cheering wildly when challenged to raise a million dol-lars this year and the hotel sud-denly lost power. Upon the return of power Ris-ley said, “When we were going through rehearsals I had a con-versation with Mr. Ray Hites, he said ‘what if the students don’t react to the second challenge?’ I’ve seen a lot of things in my thirty years [as executive direc-tor], but I have never seen so much electricity from a group that you blow the power out. What an amazing group.” Watson was amazed by the diversity of students in nationali-ties and age. “I thought that it was quite an eye opening experience in several ways. I now know that there are students my age in other schools around the country.

Phi Theta Kappa is more than just in our country, I may have known that before, but it really hit home. I also learned that Phi Theta Kappa is a lifetime mem-bership, I thought that once you left the school that was the end of Phi Theta Kappa, but it is not, Watson said. Evans summed up the feelings of all members when she said, “I was truly honored to attend the convention. I was very honored and proud to be able to represent Rose State College. I would just like to thank Dr. Britton, Dr. Hendrix, Dr. Edwards, and Pro-fessor Hahn for giving me the opportunity.” For more information about the Phi Theta Kappa experience or joining the organization con-tact Hahn at 733-7519 or speak with any of the society’s officers. Highlights from the 91st annual Phi Theta Kappa International Convention can be viewed at http://convention.ptk.org.

Convention - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

BY BRYAN MANGIERIEntertainment Editor

RSC’s Honors Program is an “invitation to excel-lence” for students looking for an academic challenge in college coursework. Students accepted to the program will demonstrate the following:

• Further develop critical thinking skills• Enhance awareness of college and community or-

ganizations• Broaden academic achievement

Benefits of the program:• Opportunity to graduate with honors• Gain access to scholarship opportunities• Transfer opportunities into university honors pro-

grams• Ability to work closely with professors• Study areas of interest in depth

Eligibility Students will have attained one or more of the follow-ing:

• 3.5 cumulative high school GPA (include transcript)• Composite ACT score of 27 or SAT of 1200 or

equivalent CPT or COMPASS (must be certified by Honors Director)

• Completion of two RSC Honors classes with an A or B

• Demonstration of a special skill or award, which provides evidence of an ability to do Honors work.

Interested students must also write a letter to the Honors Committee explaining why the student wishes to participate in the Honors Program and a copy of their RSC transcript.

2009-2010 Student Senate executive board inaugurated

RSC Student Senate’s new excutive board: Christina McDade, secretary; Amanda Walters, vice president; Phillip Cox, president and; Tracy McDade, treasurer. (Photo by Chelsea McIntire

Rockers from Athens, Georgia, by way of Alabama, the Drive-By Truckers crank out southern rock with a passion that is a spit in the face to anyone who claims to be punk rock. Why it serves as a spit in the face is because the band proves rebellion is an attitude, a state of mind, not a trend. Rebel-lion doesn’t have to be hip. It can even have a twang. During the band’s live album “Drive-By Truckers: Live at the

40 Watt,” the band tears through a song list at the 40 Watt, an Athens based club whose name derives from the fact that the only lighting in the venue is a 40 watt light bulb dangling from the ceiling. Still, the band brings the heat by opening up with the standout track, “The Day John Henry Died,” country as it should be, with a downtrodden tale put to a beat that teeter-totters back and forth. On “Sinkhole,” the song’s gui-tar ascends and descends during the intro before singer Patterson Hood rambles off, “Always been a religious man, I’ve always been a religious man.” The ascending and descending carry out the story of

a destitute man, down on his luck with the bank, the church and vir-tually everyone in town. “We ain’t never gonna change/we ain’t doing nothing wrong/we ain’t never gonna change/so shut your mouth and play along,” Hood delivers into the mic, beaming with southern pride while the band takes a ride on “Never Gonna Change.” “Lookout Mountain” opens much like Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower”—with a burst of psychedelic gui-tar—before skidding into palm muted chord changes where the narrator battles thoughts of sui-cide. The fortitude of the message

could reawaken even the most jaded to all that’s sad in the world. The rest of the riffs are mean, as well. Hood snarls just when he should and ever so endear-ingly hiccups notes in between the points when his vocals soar. The band is a sight to see live, but this collection is perhaps more in-dicative of the band’s songwriting skills than the previously released “Alabama Ass Whuppin,’” primar-ily sold at the Drive-By Truckers’ tours earlier in the decade. If you want to get into a new band and need a place to start, the Drive-By Truckers might be for you.

Each smaller square, called a cell, is to be filled in with a numerical figure from 1-9.

These numerals are not to be repeated within horizontal or vertical rows or within a large

square.

Solution from 4/10/09

S U D O K U

Rod Risley speaks with students from the Oklahoma/Arkansas re-gion during the international convention. (Photo by Racheal Price)

Honors courses return to the college’s core curriculum

MCT Campus

BY RACHEAL PRICEEditor