IONEERPOklahoma City Community College

www.occc.edu/pioneer

• Apathy has no place, editorial, p. 2.• OCCC moves ahead in technology, p. 8 & 9.• Flag football, basketball, sports, p. 12 & 13.• Program benefits students, clubs, p. 14.

This WeekInside November 3, 2008

Vol. 37 No. 12

Service with a smile

Photo by Kenny HilburnCarson’s Fresh Market deli clerk Beverly Haley makes a specialty turkey sandwich for

Joel Gifford, occupational therapy assistant major. Along with a deli sandwich bar, Carson’salso offers a hot bar, pizza, salad and pasta bar, soup, and a made-to-order grill featuringsuch favorites as French fries, hamburgers, grilled sandwiches and chicken strips. Patronsalso can chose from both fountain and bottled drinks. Carson’s is open from 7 a.m. to 6p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

OCCC makes$3 million dealto sell building

Nov. 7 last day to drop classesBy Dillon HartStaff Writer

Friday, Nov. 7, is the last day OCCC stu-

dents can drop classeswithout receiving a grade.

Students who drop aclass between now and thedeadline will receive a “W”grade, which means thestudent did not completethe course.

“A W is not as bad as anF,” said Registration Assis-tant Mary Vick, because aW does not affect thestudent’s GPA.

Vick said after Nov. 7,students cannot drop froma class unless given specificpermission from the courseinstructor.

She said a good way for astudent to decide whetherto drop a course is to look

at how well they did on themid-term exam.

Vick said students alsoshould put their classgrade in context with theirmajor.

“If you’re a nursing stu-dent here, they only acceptgrades B or higher,” Vicksaid. “So if you got a C onyour mid-term and your in-class exams haven’t beenso good, get out.”

Another option for stu-dents is to transfer to au-dit status.

Vick said students whochange over to audit canstill come to class and getthe benefit of all of the as-signments and lectures,but they cannot receive agrade in the course.

An audit is a good optionfor students who are hav-ing trouble grasping the

concepts of a class or feellike they will receive a badgrade, Vick said.

They can attend classand learn the materialwithout having to stressabout what grade they willreceive.

That way, when they takethe class again, they willalready have an under-standing of the subject.

“You won’t get yourmoney back anyway; youshould at least get some-thing for the money thatyou paid,” Vick said.

However, switching toauditing the class will nothelp in the area of insur-ance or financial aid, saidLearning Support Special-ist Mary Turner.

Some students must

By Cynthia PraefkeStaff Writer

The John Massey Center, the college’s satellite facil- ity that houses finance, purchasing and payroll, is

being sold for $3 million.While the sale may not be final until the beginning of

2009, the purchase agreement has been drafted and theBoard of Regents has approved the sale of the propertyto Chesapeake Land Company, which owns the sur-rounding property.

Four years ago, John Massey donated the land andbuilding on S.W. 119th and Interstate 44 to OCCC.

The land and building were in foreclo-sure and Massey was an official with theUnited Bank of Durant, which held themortgage.

He convinced shareholders in the landthat it would be in their best interest todonate the property to the school, saidOCCC President Paul Sechrist.

Since space was limited on campus atthe time, the Massey Center proved tobe the ideal option for relocation of Hu-man Resources and financial services,he said.

Sechrist said the sale means these of-fices are likely to be moved back to the main campus, orat least closer.

“While, these operations have functioned quite well atthis location, having them closer or on campus will pro-vide some advantages,” he said.

Faculty and staff often need to meet with Human Re-sources staff. Sechrist said having the office close to oron campus will facilitate more face-to-face meetings.

The Board of Regents has a number of other reasonsfor deciding to sell the property, he said.

“The John Massey Center is a very nice office and con-ference facility, but its location has some challenges in-cluding limited parking, being isolated from the maincampus, and long-term access to the property concerns,since the building does not have its own entrance to amain road,” Sechrist said.

The agreement between OCCC and Chesapeake is inthe final stages of completion. The next question is whereto house the center’s operations.

“At this point, no final decisionhas been made as to a new loca-

John Massey Center being soldto Chesapeake; deal in final stages

See “Drop,” page 16See “Sale,” page 11

Paul SechristOCCC

President

2 • PIONEER • November 3, 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. 37 No. 12Matt Montgomery..................EditorMatt Bishop...................Staff WriterDillon Hart......................Staff WriterDaniel Martin................StaffWriterCameron Buchholtz......Staff WriterBartees Cox..................Staff WriterKenny Hilburn..........PhotographerCynthia Praefke...........Ad ManagerBrian Stansberry..........WebmasterStephen Sossamon...Online EditorLuke Carter...................WorkstudyChris Lusk...............Lab AssistantRonna Austin.............Lab DirectorSue Hinton...............Faculty Adviser

These are timesfor changing

The Oklahoma City-County Health Departmentwill begin giving influenzavaccinations on Monday,Nov. 3.

This year the immuniza-tion clinics will be held invarious locations through-out the county. Clinics areplanned to continuethrough Dec. 11 with addi-tional clinics to be an-nounced based on avail-ability and demand.

This year, 404,000 dosesof adult and children vac-cines have been ordered bythe Oklahoma State De-partment of Health.

OCCHD is expecting tohave an estimated 9,000doses available for the resi-dents of Oklahoma Cityand Oklahoma County.

Health officials believethis year’s supply of vaccinewill be sufficient to meet thedemand for shots. Vaccineis also available throughprivate healthcare provid-ers.

Health department offi-cials want to make the pub-lic aware of new recommen-

To the editor:

Artist Andy Warhol once said, “they always saytime changes things, but you actually have tochange them yourself.”

Warhol died in 1987, but his advice is still rel-evant 20 years later.

The world is desperately in need of change. Look-ing around, the world is consumed by strife, vio-lence and war. The global economy is collapsing.Sectarianism is winning the day.

Do students at OCCC care about this? No, judg-ing by the level of student activities.

OCCC has more than 30 student clubs and or-ganizations.

Why, then, are the Campus Events bulletinboards devoid of events? Why is the calendar pub-lished by Student Life bare of anything save duti-fully scheduled regular “meetings?”

The most hotly-contested presidential race inrecent memory is coming to a close. Were therepolitical rallies on campus? Awareness events?As far as OCCC is concerned, the election willwash over us without causing even a ripple.

Politics aren’t the only thing we seem to be dis-interested in, however.The environment facesgrave threats in the future.

Are students on campus doing anything to help?If they are, they’re not telling anyone or invitinganyone to help.

Change starts with us, and in order to changethings, we have to find a cause and become in-volved. A pervasive apathy blankets this campusand we need to shake ourselves out of our mal-aise.

We are the America of tomorrow. Whether weare young or old, Democrat or Republican, maleor female, we are the people who will create thefuture. We must participate in that future andwork to ensure it will be the absolute best pos-sible future for all of America.

That participation starts on the college level. It’snot too late to break free from collegiate apathy.Start now by finding a student organization to join.Plan events.

Get passionate about something.The times need changing and we’re the only ones

who can change them. It’s time to start.—Meagan Bradley

Staff Writer

Don’t forget about flu shots

Comments? SugComments? SugComments? SugComments? SugComments? Suggestions?gestions?gestions?gestions?gestions?Let yLet yLet yLet yLet your vour vour vour vour voice be hearoice be hearoice be hearoice be hearoice be heard!d!d!d!d!

E-mail MaE-mail MaE-mail MaE-mail MaE-mail Matt att att att att attttteditor@occceditor@occceditor@occceditor@occceditor@occc.edu.edu.edu.edu.edu

dations regarding whoshould receive the immuni-zation.

According to Centers forDisease Control and Pre-vention, children ages 5 to18 years of age should re-ceive the vaccination annu-ally.

Annual vaccination of allchildren age 6 monthsthrough 4 years and olderchildren with conditionsthat place them at in-creased risk for complica-tions from influenza,should continue to be a fo-cus of vaccination efforts asproviders and programstransition to routinely vac-cinating all children.

Parents are encouragedto speak with their child’spediatrician or other healthcare providers.

As in previous years, thevaccine is also recom-mended for all pregnantwomen, anyone age 50 orolder, person of any agewith chronic medical con-ditions, residents of nurs-ing homes and other long-term care facilities, andthose who live with or care

for persons at high risk offlu complications, espe-cially health care workers.

For more information goto the Center for DiseaseControl’s website at www.-cdc.com.

—H.R. HolmanOklahoma County

Health DepartmentPublic Information

November 3, 2008 • PIONEER • 3

Comments and Reviews

Ray LaMontagne’s voicesoothes listener’s hearts

Ah, Wal-Mart ... Wherethe only thing lower thantheir prices is the quality;where the shelves arestocked with clothes, elec-tronics, groceries and de-spair, and now, where youcan exclusively get the AC/DC album, “Black Ice.”

AC/DC’s move to havetheir first album in eightyears be a Wal-Mart exclu-sive says a lot about thealbum and where the bandis in their career.

They seem to have com-pletely abandoned anysense of creating music forartistic or creative expres-sion, and are doing so nowfor only financial reasons.

AC/DC has been a cor-porate rock band for a longtime, but the Wal-Mart deal

AC/DC’s ‘Black Ice’ frozen

It’s a difficult time in the semester.␣ aLookingback, you can see the long, and perhaps rockyroad you’ve traveled so far. Yet, the end isn’t quitein sight.␣ As we slip into our twelth week, some ofyou have some hard decisions to make regardingthis semester’s classes.␣ Is it reasonable to remainin class, or cut your losses and plan for a bettersemester in the spring?

Sixteen weeks might seem like a lifetime.␣ Youdon’t have to think about winding things up forfour months so surely there is time along the wayto gather your wits about you and pull out of what-ever bogs you might have stepped in.␣ For you, lifeis about the destination.␣ When the proverbialplane lands, you’ll start to think about where youare and what you want to do.␣ If that strategy worksfor you, so be it.␣

There is no reason to attempt to fix what appar-ently isn’t broken.␣ Others, however, might find thatthis strategy is less than ideal, and fraught withstress and academic peril.␣ If you find that you be-long in the latter category, please allow me to of-fer some suggestions.

The snails in the quote arrived at their destina-tion because they considered their journey.␣ Sincethey are not the fastest creatures on the planet,they had to develop a plan and stick withit.␣ Eventually, by doing as much as they couldevery day, they arrived at where they weregoing.␣ Had they waited until the day before theark set sail, they never could have made it.

Getting through school is a similar process.␣ Ithelps to know where you are going.␣ Having long-range and short-range goals can help you plan,not only your destination, but also your journey.␣If you know which classes you need to take for adegree, it can be easier to understand why youneed them.␣ Then, at the beginning of a semester,you can plot out a strategy for how you will movestep-by-step through each of those 16 weeks,knowing that each one is important.

It’s also important to remember each studentgets through the process at his or her own pace.Snails aren’t nearly as swift as cheetahs, but theyget through life in their own time.␣ If your life situ-ation will only let you attend part-time, then thatis the strategy you should employ.␣ What do yougain by enrolling in, and dropping out of, classesthat you must pay for but get no grade for?␣

It’s wiser to save your money, and the wear andtear on your psyche, so that you might experi-ence some joy and success along the way.␣

As you ponder decisions that might be loomingon the horizon for this semester, don’t forget tospeak with someone about the semester ahead.␣If you need a safe place to catch your breath be-fore you journey on, remember that we in Stu-dent Support Services are here for you.

—Mary TurnerLearning Support Specialist

All the way from Maine,Ray LaMontagne is backand this time he has takenhis classic folk style to awhole new level.

“Gossip in the Grain,” re-leased on Oct. 14 by RCArecords, is LaMontagnes’sthird and much anticipatedalbum. It captivates listen-ers from the very start.

“You are the Best Thing,”the album’s first song, is anold-time tune comprised ofa fleet of brass instrumentsand tromping bass beatsthat resemble the works ofThe Band and Bob Dylan.Complete with a chorus offemale backup vocalists,this song puts a smile onyour face.

LaMontagne’s voice isaccompanied by some ofthe most emotional acous-tic guitar licks heard sincethe years of Crosby, Stillsand Nash and James Tay-lor.

He has a rustic sound

that will sooth your soulupon contact.

The album’s second song,“Let It Be Me,” is a slowballad, made up of beauti-ful piano riffs and classypercussion rhythms thatshowcase eloquence.

This song helps portrayan image of Lamontagnethat many will see for yearsto come.

One of the best songsfrom this album is tracksix, “Meg White.” It startsout with a high-pitchedwhistling tune that soundslike it could have beentaken from ClintEastwood’s The Good, the

Bad and the Ugly. Thensuddenly the song breaksdown into sections of romp-ing drumbeats and sooth-ing vocals that completelytake over.

Producer Ethan Johnstouched upon a wide rangeof LaMontagne’s musicalstyles that include settingsof pastoral folk, railroadblues and front porchcountry.

“Gossip in the Grain” hasproven to be one ofLaMontagne’s most cre-ative and emotionally-ex-pansive collections to date.

Simply put, this CD hasquickly made its way to myvault of favorite albums.

I would highlyrecommend this album to

anyone.Do yourself a favor and

get a copy of “Gossip in theGrain.”

Rating: A—Daniel Martin

Staff Writer

puts an even bigger empha-sis on thecorporate part.

AC/DC’s always beenknown for repeating them-selves.

They even changed leadsingers and managed to re-tain their same exactsound.

But the repetition fea-tured on “Black Ice” is farmore obvious and lazy thanit’s ever been before.

The album, just like ev-ery other AC/DC album, isfilled with big blues riffs,chugging verses, pointlesssolos and an endless bar-rage of lyrics about party-ing, sex and the importancerock ‘n’ roll.

The word “rock” appearsin not one song title, nottwo, not even three but four

song titles.The song structure is

bland and boring, with eachsong following the exactsame song structure as theone before it.

Something is seriouslywrong when a 55-minutealbum feels like an hourand half.

AC/DC claims that theyare still an “album band,”which they say is the mainreason they made the Wal-Mart deal; people wouldhave to buy the album inits entirety.

But if they really were analbum band the new albumwouldn’t consist of so muchfiller.

Rating: F—Cameron Buchholtz

Staff Writer

Check out audio versions of Pioneer reviews onlinewww.occc.edu/pioneer

4 • PIONEER • December 3, 2007

Comments and Reviews

Kings of Leon continue to impresswith new album ‘Only By The Night’

During the month ofApril, the highly successfulKings of Leon returned toBlackbird Studios in Nash-ville to record their fourthfull-length album with theguidance of experiencedproducers Angelo Petragliaand Jackquire King.

The Kings of Leon consistof brothers Caleb, Jared,Nathen, and cousin Mat-thew Followill.

They released their lat-est album entitled “Only ByThe Night” on the heels ofthree chart-topping al-bums.

“Only By The Night,”picks up where “Because ofthe Times” left off.

However, it seems thatKings of Leon have movedinto a more mature sound,while still retaining theircarefree grooves.

The album kicks off witha song aptly entitled“Closer,” highlighted byspacey guitar riffs, accom-

panied by surprisingly un-derstandable vocals fromlead singer Caleb.

“I just hid my singing forso long because I was ner-vous that people would lis-ten to my lyrics, assume Iwasn’t intelligent becauseI’m from Tennessee, andpick me apart” he said.

The first single to comefrom the album is a songentitled “Sex on Fire” andis by far the catchiest songon the album.

Its upbeat guitarrhythms and an undeni-ably brilliant chorus thatinvites the listener in tosing along.

“There’s always been anelement of sex in our mu-sic, so I thought I’d justwrap it all up in one songand be done with sex for therest of the record,” Calebsaid.

Track six, a song titled“Revelry,” slows thingsdown a bit and begins with

a melodically moving kitbeat, soothing piano andsoft slide guitar that staysapparent throughout theentire song.

“Revelry” could easily beconsidered the best song onthe album, lyrically andmusically.

In the song, the drumsbuild to a light peak withall instruments, vocal har-monies soon become ap-parent by the end of thesong.

The album closes withan emotionally-chargedballad entitled “ColdDesert,” which, accordingto their website, is about aman at the end of his rope.

The song is beautiful andharmonious in every way.

Evoking pure emotionsranging from sadness toeuphoria, “Cold Desert” isa great closer to an albumthat is sure not only to de-fine Kings of Leon, but alsopush them to the next level.

‘In the Ever’ sixth album release from JenningsMason Jennings has

been called the best-keptsecret in pop music, andafter hearing his latest al-bum I am inclined to agree.

“In the Ever” was releaseMay 20 of this year withpositive reviews.

“In the Ever” is Jennings’sixth full-length album, hisfirst on his friend JackJohnson’s Brushfire label.It is a definite positive stepup from his last album“Boneclouds.”

Jennings produced thealbum with Mitchell Froom,who has worked with thelikes of Elvis Costello, LosLobos and Phantom Planet.

To record “In the Ever,”Jennings decided to ven-ture to a recording studioin the woods and beginwork with a couple of mi-crophones and a laptop.

Jennings has a soundthat seems familiar yet

unique at the same time.His songs are heartfelt

and he doesn’t seem towrite anything that cannotbe related to on a personallevel.

His acoustic and folksound is reminiscent of NeilYoung or Bob Dylan.

So much so, that Jen-nings was recruited to per-form the songs “The Times,They Are a Changin’” and“The Lonesome Death ofHattie Carroll” in the recentbiopic about Dylan, “I’mNot There.”

Jennings carries on thetraditional topics of his folkroots.

He covers political issueslike Hurricane Katrina andthe war in Iraq with hissong “Going Back to NewOrleans.”

He sings about his feel-ings on religion with songslike “I Love You and Bud-

dha Too” and “How Deep isthat River,” on “In the Ever”

The most interesting andintriguing songs on the al-bum are also some of hisbest.

He sings about love inseveral songs and it alwaysseems a little tongue-in-cheek.

In “New Man” Jenningssings about a girl he dumpsbut then wants back afterhe finds out she’s with anew man. It’s definitely astand-out song on the al-bum.

Another example of hisquirky view of love is a songcalled “Fighter Girl.”

This song is a heartfeltplea to pick him over an-other. It has a sound thatis most familiar to his fans.

Jennings will be touringwith Brushfire label-mate,Zack Gill, through the endof November.

Mason Jennings

“Only by the Night” isone of the best albums ofthe year and is sure tocatch the attention ofmany.

For more informationabout the band or about

the new album check outKings of Leon on MySpaceat www.myspace.com/kingsof leon.

Rating: A—Kenny Hilburn

Staff Writer

For more information ontour dates, to read his blog,watch his videos or to lis-ten to music from Jennings’current album or check outJennings’ website at

www.masonjennings.comor at www.myspace.com/masonjennings.

Rating: A—Luke Carter

Staff Writer

November 3, 2008 • PIONEER • 5

National accreditation earned byComputer Aided Design programBy Rachel BryanNews Writing Student

The Computer Aided De-sign program at OCCC hasnow joined the rankings ofschools like the Universityof Oklahoma, OklahomaState University and theUniversity of OklahomaHealth Sciences Center.

The CAD program re-

cently received national ac-creditation, making OCCCthe first two-year school inOklahoma to receive thishonor, said Doug Gregory,Computer Aided Technol-ogy professor.

Gregory said the Accredi-tation Board for Engineer-ing and Technology recog-nizes thousands of pro-grams every year that ex-

hibit leadership and qual-ity assurance in appliedscience, computing andother areas.

“It takes the whole pro-gram to a different level,”Gregory said.

The award not only rec-ognizes students and fac-ulty for their hard work, italso generates increasedrespect and interest in theCAD curriculum, he said.

Gregory has been withOCCC’s CAD program for23 years. He said the phi-losophy of CAD is to “al-ways be ahead of the tech-nology.”

OCCC’s program, whichGregory said is “the best inthe Southwest,” resemblesthose of OSU and South-western Oklahoma State

University in that all threehave technology specifictargeted programs.

He said these programsfocus mainly on design cre-ation through computers.

Because graduates willnow be recognized as hav-ing been part of a distin-guished curriculum, Gre-gory believes the accredita-tion will attract more stu-dents to the program be-cause of the heightenedlevel of opportunities thatwill be available to themfollowing graduation.

Gregory said many ofOCCC’s CAD graduateshave gone on to hold lead-ership positions in the in-dustry.

Five to 10 percent havealso gone on to engineering

technology and technologyeducation bachelor pro-grams, he said.

OCCC student ChristinaDobrovonly said she washappy to hear of the ac-creditation.

She said this honor hascaused her to considerlearning more about theCAD Program.

“I’m excited about the [ac-creditation],” she said.

“Graduating with a de-gree from a renowned pro-gram would be an honor.”

“Graduating with adegree from a renowned

program would be anhonor.”

—Christina DobrovonlyOCCC Student

OCCC becomes first two-year college in the state to receive this recognition

By Rachel BryanNews Writing Student

When discussing the African continent, itseconomy is typically not the most popular topic ofconversation. That is, unless you are talking toGermain Pichop.

Pichop, economics professor at OCCC, spoke tojournalism students on the sub-Saharan Africa’s im-proving economy.

Pichop passionately discussed Africa’s increasinglymodernized society, while putting particular empha-sis on the positive strides many of its countries havemade in past years.

“The media only reports what is going wrong, neverwhat is going right,” Pichop said. A lot of progresshas been made that has been widely unpublicized.

The economy in Africa relies heavily on raw mate-rials, Pichop said. The mining of cobalt, copper andother minerals is essential to the continent’s contin-ued economic success.

Pichop also spoke of currently unexploited re-sources, such as some minerals, tourism and hu-man resources. These resources will further the pros-perity of Africa’s economy in the years to come,Pichop said.

In addition to discussing the booming economy,he also addressed the possibility of other countriesconducting business in Africa.

“Profitability is consistently higher for foreign com-panies in Africa than most other regions,” Pichopsaid.

“Africans want investments, not just the aid of oth-ers,” he said. “The people of these countries wanttheir economy to grow so they can afford their ownfood by working.

“They are eager to do away with the ‘beggar’ label.”Pichop grew up in Cameroon, in west Africa, and

moved to Oklahoma after receiving a Fulbright schol-arship to Oklahoma State University. After graduat-ing with his doctorate, he worked as a researcheconomist in Tanzania.

Prof speaks onAfrican economy

Christina BargerNews Writing Student

Students at OCCC havea voice, even if they don’tknow it.

The Leadership Councilwas established more then25 years ago and is madeup of student club leaders,said Darin Behara, TLC co-sponsor and Student Lifedirector.

The goal of The Leader-ship Council is to representthe student perspective andenhance student life oncampus, he said.

The issues on the agendaat the TLC meetings in-clude campus develop-ment, job fairs, transferfairs, college tours, tuitionfees and book costs.

Students get to vote on

topics that affect the stu-dent body.

TLC member ShareeDemby said she has beenable to participate in im-portant votes.

“The most important votethat I’ve taken part in waswhether or not tuition feesshould be increased in or-der to raise money for thenew school theater,” Dembysaid.

The vote was passed andfees were raised.

If it happens on campus,there is a good chance itwas discussed at a TLCmeeting, said Demby.

Meetings are held everyother Thursday in collegeunion room 1.

The group hears fromspeakers like Vice Presidentfor Business and Finance

Mark Davis, who gave apresentation on the masterplan for OCCC campus de-velopment.

Davis discussed makingcampus more peoplefriendly and adding build-ing signs, Demby said.

There are several ways tobecome a member of TLC.Every student club selectsone member to representtheir group in TLC.

Or, students can becomeindependent members byfilling out an at-large appli-cation in the Student Lifeoffice.

For students who want toknow what’s taking placeon campus or wish to havea voice in student life andschool development, TLC isthe place to be, Dembysaid.

TLC gives students a voice

Comments? Suggestions?Let your voice be heard!

E-mail Matt ateditor@occc.edu

6 • PIONEER • November 3, 2008

Engineering lab to be ready by spring

By Alison TravisNews Writing Student

With the group testingroom in use by Arts andHumanities this semester,students need to planahead to take tests in theTesting Center, said Testingand Assessment DirectorJim Ellis.

The group testing roomcurrently unavailable fortesting.

Only 100 seats areavailable and the TestingCenter is only using two-thirds of its normal size.

However, group testingwill be moved to otherplaces around campus,said Ellis.

The Testing Center has

By Karlee BohnNews Writing Student

This year’s FacultyAssociation garage salebrought in more moneythan last year, said LindaBoatright, referencelibrarian and FacultyAssociation scholarshipcommittee chair.

“The grand total was$2723.70, up $723.70.”

Boatright said she thinksmore people were countingon the garage sale this year,both as a way to clear outtheir clutter and to help

Faculty Association garage sale raises funds

By Bishal MallaNews Writing Student

Although the programwas established in 1972,for the first time in its his-tory, the engineering pro-gram at OCCC is getting adedicated laboratory, saidGregory Holland,enginerring professor.

The engineering studentswill experiment with newtechnology in a well-equipped laboratory by thespring semester, Holland

said.He said the construction

of the lab has started.The large room, which

used to be the math lab,was given to the engineer-ing department last yearand will be converted intoa lab.

“The lab will give stu-dents more practicalknowledge and a chance tointeract with each otheronce the lab is con-structed,” said Holland.

He said there also will be

a geology lab and anotherroom where students canwork on chemicals neededfor demonstrations of engi-neering projects.

The department has al-ready started to purchasethe equipment, Hollandsaid.

The majority of the workwill be done by the end ofthis semester, he said.

The professors and stu-dents in the engineeringdepartment are looking for-ward to new lab.

“I am very excited to seethe new lab,” said SteveKamm, physics professor.“After all, it’s an idea thathas been waiting for 20years.”

OCCC Engineering clubpresident Donna Schrubensaid the engineering lab willbe good for the students towork in.

“It’s great and we feel soblessed to get the new labas we all get a chance toexperience more practical,rather than theoretical,

knowledge,” said Engineer-ing club vice-presidentKevin Hecksher.

“It’s like a dream cometrue,” Engineering club sec-retary, Ben Farber said.“Because now we will beable to get better resultscompared to earlier in thesemester.”

The engineering studentsare doing their labs in theold math lab, which is notequipped with the tech-nologies needed in the en-gineering field.

Testing Center low on space,plan ahead before test-taking

students in need at thesame time.

All the proceeds of thegarage sale go towardstudent scholarships.

During one shift,Assistant Nursing programdirector Debbie Myers saidshe sold many large andexpensive items such asprinters, vacuum cleaners,shelves and antique dishes.

Boatright said a few of themost unusual items were a1970s combination recordplayer and radio, and anoriginal copy of the frontpage of the newspaper

depicting the moon landingfrom July 1969.

One of the shoppers wasLisa Adkins,Administration OfficeTechnology professor.

Adkins said she wasbuying clothes for theBusiness Clothes Closet.

The business facultycreated the BusinessClothes Closet for allbusiness majors who maynot own business clothes.

It was created to provideproper attire for job inter-views for those who maynot be able to purchase

them otherwise.Adkins said the Clothes

Closet was funded by adonation received from theOCCC Foundation.

The garage sale did morethan just help studentsfurnish their apartmentsand fill their closets.

Boatright said she wouldlike to thank the Scholar-ship Committee and themany students, faculty andstaff who helped make thesale a success.

The garage sale will beheld in October again nextyear, Boatright said.

been using the academicside of the Test Center,along with rooms in theLibrary, old Heath Profe-ssions building and thegroup testing room when itis not in use, Ellis said.

“Students do not need toworry about not being ableto take a test,” said Ellis.“They do need to choose awise time and plan aheadto take their tests.”

However, there may bedelays in taking tests sincethere are fewer seatsavailable, Ellis said, whichmakes it harder to find aseat to take a test.

“The most open time inthe Test Center is earlier inthe day, between 8 to 10a.m.,” Ellis said. “Between

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to4:30 p.m. seem to be thebusiest hours in theTesting Center.”

The Testing Center isdoing everything it can tomake sure that everythingruns smoothly and no onehas to wait, Ellis said.

Some Arts andHumanities classrooms areundergoing construction,which was supposed to befinished early October.

“Now we’re hearing thatthey won’t be out of thegroup test room until nextsemester,” Ellis said.

The Testing Center isbusy during finals sostudents need to take theirtests in a timely manner,Ellis said.

October 18, 2004 • PIONEER • 3

Election Coverage ’08

Nov. 4 elections more thanabout choosing a presidentBy Meagan BradleyStaff Writer

As the 2008 electionlooms, Democrat and Re-publican Senate candidatesare in a high-stakes race forthe future of the Senate.

Democrats have held themajority in the Senate sincethe 2006 midterm elec-tions. This year, however,the Democrats are makinga strong push to hold notjust a majority, but asupermajority of 60 seats.

Holding a supermajorityin the Senate is significantfor a number of reasons.

A common delaying tac-tic in the Senate is a filibus-ter, where a senator speaksfor hours in order to pre-vent passage of legislation.

According to the U.S.Senate website, a super-majority of 60 votes is re-quired to invoke cloture, avote to end the filibuster.

“Having a supermajoritywill make the Democrats

filibuster-proof,” said DanaGlencross, political scienceprofessor.

Additionally, holding asupermajority in the Sen-ate would make it easier forCongress to override apresidential veto, if neces-sary.

Overriding a presidentialveto requires that two-thirds of both the House ofRepresentatives and theSenate vote to override theveto. A Democratic super-majority would give them60 of the 67 votes needed.

A supermajority is withinreach for the Democrats.The Democratic partyneeds to pick up nine moreSenate seats during thiselection.

Incumbent Republicansare seeking to retain theirseats in 23 Senate races.

Pundits predict Demo-crats will pick up at leastfive and possibly as manyas nine of those seats.

“With every day they get

closer. There are races nowthat are competitive thatwere not competitive amonth ago,” political ana-lyst Jennifer Duffy said inan interview with CNN.

Both Democrats and Re-publicans are concernedabout the possibility of asupermajority. Accordingto CNN, the Democrats areurging voters to help thempush for 60 seats, whileRepublicans warn of un-controlled spending andunchecked legislation if ithappens

Duffy said that failing toprevent the Democratsfrom picking up 60 seatswould be a psychologicalblow to the Republicans.

Some are worried abouta possible Democraticsupermajority for other rea-sons. Glencross pointedout that a single-partysupermajority short-cir-cuits the federal system ofchecks and balances.

“[A supermajority] essen-

tially lessens the power ofthe executive because itlessens his power to over-ride [the Senate],” Glen-cross said. “The foundingfathers put checks and bal-ances in place for a reason.”

In a blog posting onCQPolitics.com, analystDavid Nather makes note ofthe problems with a one-party government.

“One-party governmentcertainly helps to break theendless stalemate in Wash-ington, but it can easilylead to a decline in over-sight of the executivebranch and a general re-fusal to ask healthy ques-tions about the president’s

agenda,” Nather writes.Glencross said a Demo-

cratic supermajority couldbe beneficial, though.

“The executive will haveto work with Congressmore,” Glencross said.“That might force morecompromise.”

Oklahomans may findthemselves affected by thepossible Democratic super-majority.

Both of Oklahoma’s sena-tors are Republican and arelikely to remain in the mi-nority in the Senate.

“That puts us in a weakposition compared to otherstates,” said Glencross.

The election is Nov. 4.

Voters to elect senators as well; a supermajority is in sight for Democrats

“[A supermajority] essentially lessens thepower of the executive because it lessens hispower to override [the Senate]. The foundingfathers put checks and balances in place for areason.”

—Dana GlencrossPolitical Science Professor

The elections areTuesday, Nov. 4

Have you educatedyourself?

Failing economy unanimous top concern foreducators in upcoming presidential electionBy Daniel MartinStaff Writer

With the 2008 presiden-tial elections just aroundthe corner, OCCC’s educa-tors are overwhelminglyconcerned with the state ofthe national economy,among other issues.

OCCC President PaulSechrist said the economiccrisis has affected his opin-ion on what the most im-portant issues are.

“In normal times, I al-ways place my high prior-ity on the differing candi-dates’ views on education,”Sechrist said. “However, I

do not believe that Americaand the world are in nor-mal times.

“We are on the brink of aneconomic crisis.”

Sechrist may be right.The government was forcedto pass a $700 billion bail-out package last month,the stock market has beenextremely volatile andmany people are losingmoney daily.

English Professor JonInglett had concurringthoughts.

“According to a GallopDaily poll, 81 percent ofU.S. citizens do not haveconfidence in the econ-

omy,” he said, “The econ-omy is the issue.”

Inglett said regardless ofwho wins the election, thepresident needs a biparti-san cabinet, economic ad-visers with multiple view-points, and long-term solu-tions developed by Repub-licans, Democrats and In-dependents in order to facethe problems ahead.

“We need trust in theAmerican citizens’ efforts totransform themselves andtheir community,” Inglettsaid.

Although the economyappears to be the main con-cern, it is not the only is-

sue facing voters.Iraq, the environment, al-

ternative energy, educa-tion, health care and themortgage industry also arehot topic issues being dis-cussed by both presidentialcandidates.

Community OutreachDirector Jessica Martinez-Brooks said the other is-sues are important becauseof the candidates’ differentviews.

“It will be interesting tosee who is elected becausetheir views on healthcare,tax cuts and the middleclass seem to be completelyopposite,” she said.

Martinez-Brooks said thefinancial state Americansare in must be taken careof first and foremost.

It is by far the most im-perative issue the newpresident must face first,she said.

Staff Writer Daniel Martincan be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

8 • PIONEER • November 3, 2008

At 3 p.m. Oct. 21, an emergency call went out to the paramedic students of OCCC. According to their instructor, an 82-year-

old man collapsed while walking at the mall and theywere needed to save him.

Visiting students and professors milled around,watching as the students worked together to rescuethe patient. With a combination of electrical defibril-lation and CPR, the team resuscitated the patient.

After the students stabilized the patient, they loadedhim into the waiting ambulance.

It was a successful call — except the patient wasactually a medical dummy called an ALS simulator,used to teach emergency medical students criticallifesaving skills.

The emergency call was staged as part of a demon-stration of the new Health Professions Center, whichwas dedicated that day.

The building includes new classrooms, labs andoffices for the health professions students and pro-fessors.

Students took turns showing off the equipment,including various patient simulators and medicalequipment.

The most prominent feature of the new EMS lab isits working ambulance, permanently stationed out-side the lab. St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa donatedthe ambulance to the school.

OCCC is the only college in the state to have a work-ing ambulance in the building that can be used fortraining.

“What a privilege we have with all the new equip-ment,” said Kamila Willyard, EMS student. “Theyreally prepare us well here.”

The new facilities and labs allow emergency medi-cine students to practice a variety of skills. “If theyhave areas they need to get checked off on their skills,they can do that here,” said Valerie Frederick, labcoordinator for health professions.

Frederick said the lab has facilities for students topractice patient trauma assessment, treating patientsfor shock and splinting broken bones, among otherthings.

Students take turns practicing on each other andon the lab’s advanced medical simulators.

One of the newest simulators is an infant-sizeddummy in an incubator, used to teach students howto treat the youngest patients.

The EMS lab is also fully stocked with everythingparamedics would need to save a life. Students areable to use real medical equipment like oxygen tanks,cervical collars and laryngoscopes during practicedrills.

EMS students praised the new facilities.“It’s really nice,” said Matthew Burns, paramedic

student. “It’s a lot more spacious. You’re not havingto share space with other students.”

College President Paul Sechrist said OCCC has theonly nationally accredited paramedic program in thestate.

EMS students are enthusiastic about the program.“We learn a lot of skills to help people,” said Tyler

Patterson, EMT Basic student.“This is honestly the best way to learn to help

people. We’re doing this for the knowledge.”

New building boasts top lifesaving equipment:Students say OCCC prepares them well for saving lives in the future

Photo by Kenny Hilburn

Student Lori Hogan and EMS professor Bruce Farris do an intubation demonstration during thededication of the new Health Professionals building. The EMS lab is fully stocked with everythingparamedics would need to save a life. Students are able to use real medical equipment like oxygentanks, cervical collars and laryngoscopes during practice drills. College President Paul Sechristsaid OCCC has the only nationally accredited paramedic program in the state.

• Text by Meagan Bradley • Photos by Kenny Hilburn •

November 3, 2008 • PIONEER • 9

OCCC only college to have working ambulance

Above: One of the newest medical simulators isan infant-sized dummy in an incubator, used toteach students how to treat the youngest patients.Valerie Frederick, health professions labcoordinator, said lab students take turns practicingon each other and on the lab’s advanced medicalsimulators.

Above: OCCC is the only college in the state to have a working ambulance in the building that can beused for training. The ambulance is secured to a pad and stays within the lab. “What a privilege wehave with all the new equipment,” said Kamila Willyard, EMS student. “They really prepare us wellhere.”

Right: EMS students Adam Taylor and Kamala Willyard practice an emergency situation insideOCCC's new lab ambulance.

10 • PIONEER • November 3, 2008

By Rachel EwersNews Writing Student

More than 600 studentswho are active military orarmed forces veterans at-tend classes at OCCC, ac-cording to the college’sVeteran’s Services office.

OCCC is prepared to helpthose students who haveexperienced combat andmay be particularly at riskfor depression or post trau-matic stress disorder, saidJanis Armstrong, StudentAid Programs coordinatorand Veterans Certifying of-ficial.

This year’s suicide rateamong U.S. soldiers is onpace to break last year’s all-time record. Ninety-threeactive-duty soldiers hadkilled themselves by theend of September, accord-ing to a report from theArmy Behavioral Healthwebsite.

Experts say the main fac-tors leading to suicide arestress, insufficient support,and post traumatic stressdisorder. Soldiers experi-encing PTSD have usuallywitnessed or been involvedin a traumatic, life-threat-ening situation, reports theArmy. They are unable tostop thinking about what

happened to them and of-ten have feelings of anxiety,anger, and depression, ac-cording to the Departmentof Veterans Affairs.

The Veteran’s Servicesoffice is located across fromfinancial aid. Armstrongsaid the office is there forany guidance a veteranmight need and can offerreferrals to students whohave symptoms of PTSD,depression or thoughts ofsuicide.

A Student Support coun-selor is located right downthe hall, or a veteran mightbe referred to a specialistoff campus, Armstrongsaid.

“It is up to the veteransto reach out for help, be-cause we do not alwaysknow they are in need ofhelp,” Armstrong said.

She also recommendspamphlets, full of advice,that are always availableoutside the Veteran’s officefor students who may notfeel comfortable speakingto staff.

J.C., a current studentwho worked for the Depart-ment of Veterans Affairsoffice in Ardmore, recallstalking to veterans abouttheir return home fromwar.

“Sometimes it is more dif-ficult for soldiers to comehome after war,” J.C. said.“Especially if they have wit-nessed a traumatic event,because they don’tknow whetherthey are going tobe welcomed withopen arms or spiton and havingnegative thingssaid to them.”

The Ardmorebranch of Veter-ans Affairs offerslong-term care forany veterans thatneed help.

“The Army con-tinues to makeforward progressin issues involvingdepression andsuicide for sol-diers,” medicalcorrespondent,Col. Paul Little,M.D. reports onthe U.S. ArmyCenter for HealthPromotion andPreventive Medi-cine website.

According to theDepartment ofVeterans Affairswebsite, a prob-lem is that sol-diers are taught to

Veteran’s Services office helps combatincreasing suicide rates among soldiers

College plans Veterans Day activitiesBy Bartees CoxStaff Writer

Student Life will host theVeterans Day Recognition11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11,in the College Union. Stu-dent Aid Programs and Ser-vices Coordinator JanisArmstrong will cohost theevent.

The date of the event issignificant considering thatat 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 Vet-erans Day became a na-tional holiday.

The recognition will fea-ture a host of speakers whowill share their experiencesand also thank veterans fortheir service, Armstrong

said.Transcript assistant Gary

Wallace will play bagpipes.Also, William Brown willspeak, Armstrong said.

Brown works with veter-ans in Oklahoma City andhas just returned fromIraq.

Another guest will be Ca-reer and Employment Ser-vices Director DebraVaughn.

Vaughn will speak aboutthe history of Veterans Dayand how the holiday devel-oped over time, she said.

Vaughn is an Americanhistory adjunct professor atOCCC and a member of theDaughters of the American

Revolution.She said a member of her

family has been in everymajor war since the CivilWar and her cousin re-cently returned from hissecond tour in Iraq.

“Most Americans alsohave this history,” Vaughnsaid. “I am very honored tohave this opportunity tospeak in this recognition ofthe veterans.”

Students also are gettinginvolved in the VeteransDay Recognition.

Dentistry major KylieWillis said she plans to at-tend the celebration.

“I will definitely be there.Some people treat veterans

“I am very honored to have this opportunity tospeak in this recognition of the veterans.”

—Debra VaughnCareer and Employment Service Director

bad and don’t give them afair opportunity to workand live a normal life,” shesaid. “They deserve recog-nition.”

Engineering major JoshWest said he would be therebecause he has closefriends and relatives whohave served who deserve tobe recognized daily, not justone day out of the year.

For more information onVeterans Day activities, e-

be tough, strong and un-emotional, so when soldiersreturn home from war, theymay not feel comfortableseeking help.

Without proper supportfrom family or community,they may just give up try-ing, according to thewebsite.

mail Armstrong atjarmstrong@occc.edu

Staff Writer Bartees Coxcan be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

Veterans Day is Nov. 11

November 3, 2008 • PIONEER • 11

By Danniel ParkerNews Writing Student

In mid August, a lonebeaver launched a three-day reign of terror overOCCC’s plant life.

On the first day, a treewent missing from the is-land in the pond. No oneknew who was responsible.Later that evening, a cam-pus security officer wit-nessed the offending bea-ver but was unable to ap-prehend it.

“Beavers are a nuisance,”said J.B. Messer, facilitiesmanagement director.

“They can stay underwa-ter for long enough periodsof time that they just dis-appear.”

The next morning thebeaver continued to wreakhavoc so Messer called in aspecialist — Robert Frost,owner and operator of Crit-ter-B-Gone, a wildlife nui-sance removal service.

“On a few different occa-sions I caught the beaveron dry ground and chasedhim,” Frost said. “But thesucker was faster than me.”

Frost said beavers gener-ally have specific points ofentry into any body of wa-ter. So Frost set up under-water traps to catch thebeaver.

He said the traps areused to grip a beaver’s bodyso the animal can be heldunderwater long enough todrown. The traps didn’twork.

The last bald cypress wastaken from the island onthe third day of trying tocapture the beaver. Afterthat, it was decided, thebeaver had won.

“The problem with catch-ing this beaver was that webelieve the path the beavertook transversed outside ofthe campus to a pond areato the south of us,” Messersaid. “The beaver would

then go through the drain-age pipes and sneak intoour pond to get his lumber.

“Another problem is wedon’t know where the bea-ver took the trees it stole.”

In March of 2005, whenthe city of Oklahoma Citybuilt the retention pond onthe corner of S.W. 74 andMay Avenue, the three baldcypress trees were used asthe centerpiece of the is-land in the water.

“It takes time and moneyto plant trees and let themmature,” Messer said.

“After you add in all theequipment we rented totransport and plant thetrees and then the time ittook the trees to grow, I’dsay that beaver did $2,500worth of damages to ourcampus.

“Since then we’ve putwire mesh frames aroundthe trunks of our remain-ing trees.”

Frost said he has en-

By Esther ChongNews Writing Student

Professor Reeca Youngwalked swiftly into the Oc-cupational Therapy Assis-tant lab filled with newswriting students Oct. 14,excited to teach them alittle about her field and thework of an OTA.

The lab is designed tolook like a one-bedroom ef-ficiency apartment with aliving room, bedroom, non-working bathroom and afunctioning kitchen. It’s setup so that OTA and Emer-gency Medical Technicianstudents can experienceprofessional training in areal-life environment,Young said.

Occupational therapy is ameans of teaching adaptiveskills to those with disabili-ties so they can engage indaily living activities, shesaid.

An occupational thera-pist holds a master’s degreeand an occupational ther-apy assistant is trained ina two-year program, such

Beavers strike, cost college $2500 in trees

countered the financialstrain of dealing with bea-vers before, albeit on alarger scale.

“Once, Oklahoma Citypaid me to exterminatebeavers downtown on theriver walk,” Frost said. “Thecity had planted 125 cy-press trees. Only six wereleft. Those beavers cost thecity over $20,000 worth ofdamages.”

Frost said a common tac-tic in preventing a beavercommitting acts of eco-ter-rorism is to introducepredators into its habitat.

It is considered a practi-cal solution to release alli-gators into any wetlandsthat a beaver is destroying,

according to Wildlifedamagecontrol.net. Alliga-tors are heralded for theirability to protect wetlandflora.

“The problem with releas-ing alligators into the pondis that the body of waterleads out to a private golfcourse, just north of I-240,”Messer said.

“I don’t believe thosegentlemen want to dealwith a prowling alligatorwhen they’re teeing off inthe morning.

“Our plan is plant a fewmore trees on the island,along with some nativebluegrass. We will replacethe trees whenever we havethe money.”

Students tour occupational therapy classroom

as the one available atOCCC. The goal of the pro-fession is to help people tolive as independently aspossible.

Young said OTAs workwith those who are bornwith a disability and alsowith those who have beeninjured due to an accidentor illness, such as a car ac-cident or a stroke.

OTAs work with disabili-ties such as memory loss,and difficulties in physicalmovement, she said.

Young showed the differ-

ent types of devices OTAstudents work with.

In the kitchen, a one-handed cutting board witha rocker knife allows a per-son who is paralyzed onone side to cut food.

Slanted mirrors underthe vent hood on the top ofstoves can help those inwheelchairs view what iscooking on the stove.

Plate guards are put onplates to help food staywhere it belongs.

There also are varieties ofeating utensils.

Large-handled spoonshelp those who have de-creased strength in theirhands, Young said.

A spoon that wrapsaround the wrist minimizesthe need for hand dexterityand is usually used bythose who have arthritisand cerebral palsy, Youngsaid.

And for those with shakyhands, she said, a weightedspoon helps decrease theshakiness.

News writing studentKenny Hilburn had an op-

portunity to use the buttonhooker to fasten a buttonon his shirt. Limited to us-ing one hand, he experi-enced a portion of the frus-trations and difficulties ofthe disabled in somethingas easy as to button up a

shirt.Young said she was

pleased the students wereeager to hear what it meansto be an OTA.

“OTAs are there to im-prove the quality of life,”she said.

“On a few different occasions I caught thebeaver on dry ground and chased him. But the

sucker was faster than me.”—Robert Frost

Critter-B-Gone Owner and Operator

Human Resources, Finance,will move to new location

tion,” Sechrist said. “But itwill be a priority to returnthe operations and staffcurrently housed at theJohn Massey Center to themain campus.”

The buyer has agreed toallow OCCC to remain inthe building for up to twoyears, the time it may taketo prepare for the move.

“Since it will take almostthat long to design, build orrenovate new space for theoperations and staff, it isanticipated that the movewill take place in approxi-

mately two years or slightlyless,” Sechrist said.

He said the move will befinanced with the moneyfrom the sale.

“The details are beingworked out. This sale willbe for the good of the col-lege.”

Staff Writer CynthiaPraefke can be reached atadman@occc.edu.

Reeca Young

“Sale,”Cont. from page 1

Contact the editorContact the editorContact the editorContact the editorContact the editorwith story ideaswith story ideaswith story ideaswith story ideaswith story ideas

Call 682-1611,Call 682-1611,Call 682-1611,Call 682-1611,Call 682-1611,ext. 7409ext. 7409ext. 7409ext. 7409ext. 7409or e-mailor e-mailor e-mailor e-mailor e-mail

editor@occc.edueditor@occc.edueditor@occc.edueditor@occc.edueditor@occc.edu

12 • PIONEER • November 3, 2008

Sports

UPCOMING

OCCCINTRAMURALS

EVENTS

• Nov. 4: OCCC Chance clubbasketball team scheduled toplay Southwestern Christian Uni-versity at 7 p.m. in Bethany.

• Nov. 7: Intramural basketballgame scheduled for 1:30 p.m.,ReMix vs. Pretty Boyz.

• Nov. 8: OCCC club soccerplays Arkansas University at 3p.m. in Tulsa.

• Nov. 8: Team meeting sched-uled for OCCC Chance club bas-ketball team at noon in theWellness Center gym.

• Nov. 9: OCCC club soccerplays Oklahoma State Universityat 3 p.m. at Rose State Collegein Midwest City.

• Nov. 21-23: OCCC AquaticCenter will host the EAT TurkeyMeet. For more informationabout upcoming Aquatic Centerevents, call Aquatic and SafetyTraining Specialist James Hens-ley at 405-682-1611. ext. 7662.

• Dec. 6: OCCC Aquatic Centerwill host the Joe Stocker HighSchool Swimming and Diving In-vitational For more informationabout upcoming Aquatic Centerevents, call Aquatic and SafetyTraining Specialist James Hens-ley at 405-682-1611. ext. 7662.

Photo by Matt Bishop

Remix’s Chris Taylor goes up for a shot over the Pretty Boyz Edward Winslett during their game Oct. 24. Taylor scored8 points for ReMix in their 53-52 win over the previously number one ranked Pretty Boyz.

Highly touted Pretty Boyz getReMixed in weekend nail-biter

Get up-to-dateinformation on all

OCCC Intramural sports,as well as news on collegeand pro sports around the

nation.

Listen to the OCCCSportscast at:

www.occc.edu/pioneer

By Stephen SossamonStaff Writer

ReMix picked up its third win ofthe season, upsetting the PrettyBoyz 53-52 in intramural basket-ball Oct. 24, in the Wellness Cen-ter gym.

The previously number oneranked Pretty Boyz, played a toughgame against a good team.

The game went back and forthand was close through its entirety.

“We’re keeping up with them,”said Timothy Nguyen during half-time.

“We need to pick up our pace andmake lay-ups.”

ReMix came out of halftime re-juvenated as they jumped out to a35-29 lead over the Boyz.

Then, from 15 minutes down to13 minutes, the Boyz showed theirsense of urgency by speeding up

the pace.The Boyz found theirselves in an

unfamiliar place playing catch-upto ReMix.

At the 10:20 mark,in the secondhalf, ReMix led the Pretty Boyz 40-33.

Ryan New sparked the comebackfor the Boyz with a huge one-on-one block just 10 seconds later.

New said he wasn’t worried.“It’s a done deal,” New said with

the Boyz trailing 50-47 with justover a minute remaining. “We’vegot this.”

With 10 seconds remaining inregulation, the Boyz were up 52-50. The Boyz, trying to conservethe win, played aggressively in thefinal seconds.

But it wasn’t enough.Demarco Baucom found a hole

in the defense on the perimeter andhit a three-pointer with six seconds

DeMarco Baucom hits 3-pointer to win in final secondsleft to give ReMix a 53-52 lead.

After the crowd of about 20 spec-tators erupted over the improbableshot, the Boyz had one last shotbut could not connect.

“I knew I was going to hit it,” saidBaucom after the game. “It feelsgood to win over the number oneteam.”

Baucom led the charge forReMix’s upset with 15 points, 12of which were in the second half.Baucom was 5 for 8 on three-pointattempts.

Chris Taylor contributed 8 pointsand had numerous rebounds tohelp keep ReMix in control of theball.

New led in scoring for the Boyzwith 12 points, followed by Anto-nio Watson with 6 points.

Staff Writer Stephen Sossamoncan be reached at onlineeditor@occc.edu.

November 3, 2008 • PIONEER • 13

Sports

State flag football tournamentcanceled due to lack of teams

Short Bus take first place withdominating weekend showing

Photo by Stephen Sossamon

Short Bus guard Josh Vanover charges the Geek Squad’s David Gray in the 113-53 win for theBus, Oct. 25. The Bus displayed their dominance scoring 214 points in two weekend games.

The Bus amasses an impressive 214 points in back-to-back gamesBy Matt BishopStaff Writer

The Short Bus once againshowed why they are thebest team in intramuralbasketball.

During their two gamesplayed Oct. 24 and 25, theBus totaled 214 pointsagainst the Geek Squadand Zilla.

In their game against theGeek Squad, the Bus won113-53, led by JoshVanover scoring 35 points.

After the game Vanoversaid the Short Bus is click-ing on all cylinders andlooking forward to main-taining the top position.

“We are really starting tocome together as a team,”Vanover said after the win.

“We stay focused, the[other teams] are over con-fident. We just go play hardand that’s why we are ontop.”

Against the Geek Squad,the Bus opened up a 22-2lead during the first eightminutes. Later, ToddHolmes blocked a shot fromTimmy Nguyen and wentcoast-to-coast for a lay-into put the Bus up 35-7.

Juggernauting its waythrough the remainder ofthe game, Sean Trosperowned the offensive boardsand scored 23 points.

Todd Holmes andDeJuan Smith each scored21 points, Tony Carterscored 11 points and AaronRigsby counted for 2points.

Another key to the ShortBus’s success, is lack ofselfishness among theplayers on the team.

Vanover said the Buslikes to get all players in-volved during each game.

“We have a bunch of guyson our team that want towin, instead of just being aone-man show,” Vanoversaid.

Vanover hit a basket withfour minutes left in thegame to put the Bus overthe 100-mark.

After the Bus reachedtriple-digits, Vanover wentto the bench to let histeammates finish off.

Leading 101-46, the Busstarted taking a few badshots, all in fun.

“I don’t want to playsloppy,” Vanover said.“Even if we are up 130-46.

I don’t mind the bad shotsbut we need to play de-fense.”

During the last four min-utes of the game, the Busonly gave up 7 points.

Staff Writer Matt Bishopcan be reached atSeniorWriter@occc.edu.

Intramural Basketball Power Rankings

5-1

3-2

3-1

1-1

1-2

0-5

Short Bus

Pretty Boyz

ReMix

Spartans

Geek Squad

Zilla

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

RANK TEAM RECORD

By Casey McCallisterNews Writing Student

OCCC’s champion intra-mural flag football teamwas disappointed to learnthe October flag footballtournament at OklahomaState University inStillwater was canceled dueto a lack of participation.

“It’s disappointing be-cause we were preparedand we have a solid team

that can compete,” saidDevil Dog’s team captainZack Pinkerton. The Dogswon the right to representthe college at the tourna-ment after winning the in-tramural championship oncampus.

The last two years OSUhosted the NIRSA Region IVFlag Football Tournamentwhich was moved to Texasthis year. OSU was tryingto continue with the tradi-

tion of Extramural Sportsin Oklahoma by havingtheir own flag football tour-nament.

“There just simplyweren’t enough teams,”said Recreation and Fit-ness Specialist EricWatson.

The tournament needed12 teams, but with onlythree registered, OSU wasforced to cancel, saidBonnie Mitchell of OSU.

Watson said he is cur-rently working with peoplefrom other colleges to workon rescheduling the tour-nament, possibly at the

University of Central Okla-homa.

The tournament would beheld mid-November,Watson said.

14 • PIONEER • November 3, 2008

HighlightsLifeguard training offered

The OCCC Aquatics Center will offer a lifeguard trainingclass through Saturday, Nov. 8 in the Aquatics Center. Partici-pants must be at least 15 years old and able to pass a swim-ming skills test. Fee for the class is $130. For more informa-tion, contact James Hensley at the Aquatics Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7442.

Future Alumni Network to host speakerThe Future Alumni Network will host immigration and gen-

eral practice attorney Michael Brooks-Jimenez at noonWednesday, Nov. 12, in Main Building room 3K2. Brooks-Jimenez will speak and answer question on issues like eco-nomic development, immigration law, education and philan-thropic groups. For more information, contact publicity officerHarmony Curry at 405-886-8165.

Absolute 2009 looking for entriesAbsolute 2009, the college literary journal, needs poetry,

essays (non-academic), short stories, screenplays, plays andmusical scores. OCCC students and staff are invited to sub-mit their work. Deadline for all submissions is Monday, Dec.1. Submission forms are available on the table outside of theArts and Humanities office. For more information, contact ClayRandolph at crandolph@occc.edu or Marybeth McCauley atmmccauley@occc.edu.

OU and UCO Campus ToursThe OCCC Transfer Center will be taking students to the

University of Oklahoma and University of Central Oklahoma.Students will receive a campus tour, information on applica-tion deadlines and transferring. Limited space is available. Thetour date for OU is Nov. 6 and UCO is Nov. 13. Call Kim Luskat 405-682-7566 for more information or to reserve a spot.

College Poets and Writers meetingThe College Poets and Writers will meet from 1 to 1:50 p.m.

on Wednesdays, in room 1C3 in the Arts and Humanities area.For more information, contact Chris Verschage at 405-682-1611, ext. 7140.

Native American club meetingsThe Native American Student Association will hold its club

meetings from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday in room 2N7of the Main Building. NASA is an excellent place for NativeAmericans to meet other Native Americans and create life-long friendships. For more information, contact NASA public-ity officer Paul Varela at 405-313-2076.

WLCC offering tutoringThe World Languages and Cultures Center is now offering U.S.

history and government tutoring for international students. Non-English speaking college students needing help in those areasare encouraged to sign up. For more information, contact the WorldLanguages and Cultures Center at 405-682-7560.

Fall writing workshopThere will be a writing workshop entitled “Recognizing Rheto-

ric” at noon Monday, Nov. 10, in College Union room 2. Work-shops usually last about 45 minutes. For more information, con-tact Communications Lab assistant Nick Webb at 405-682-1611,ext. 7678, or visit www.occc.edu/commlab.

Psychology and Sociology club meetingThe Psychology and Sociology club will meet from 12:30 to

1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11 in room 1X3 of Arts and Humani-ties. For more information, contact Isela Perez at 405-519-6222.

Tuition fee waiver informationTuition fee waiver applications for the spring semester are now

available in the Financial Aid Office. Completed applications mustbe submitted before 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20. For more informa-tion, call Student Financial Support Services at 405-682-7524.

Program benefits students’leadership skills for futureBy Stephen SossamonStaff Writer

Six students sharpenedtheir leadership skills overthe last eight weeks andwere recognized Oct. 28with certificates.

Harmony Curry, DebbieWantland,Heather Creek-more, Tif fany Martin,Brandi Mills and DanielleShuman earned Leader-Quick recognization forcompletion of the program.

“To receive certification,the students had to attendseven of the eight sessions,”said Student Life DirectorDarin Behara.

The LeaderQuick pro-gram is a series of eightworkshops designed to of-fer insight into practicalleadership skills and prin-ciples that students canapply to their lives, careersand future endeavors, hesaid.

The sessions were gener-ally 35 to 50 minutes,Behara said.

Delightful treats

Curry said she thoughtthe workshops were help-ful

“[Behara] covered a lot ofareas that are importantfor considering leadershipin your daily life or career,”she said.

The workshops wereonce a week, she said, andwere during the typicallunch hour of noon, so itwasn’t too hard to attend.

Curry also said her favor-ite session was week six.

“[Behara] talked aboutorganizations, whetherthey be society or business,are set up and have differ-ent functions of leader-ship,” she said. “Some failand some succeed.”

Behara said he taught alot of the workshops, butStudent Life coordinatesthe events.

“We hope it’s beneficial ina manner people can ap-ply to their life, family andjobs,” he said.

Behara also said StudentLife was developing their

spring semester calendarand was planning on do-ing more workshops then.

Other students on cam-pus find the workshop aninteresting idea.

“Its always good to learnnew leadership skills,” saidaccounting major VictoriaWitte. “Everyone has roomto improve.”

Sophomore TraciBrowne said she agreeswith Witte.

“I wouldn’t mind attend-ing a couple of the work-shops,” she said.

For more information onLeaderQuick and its futureprograms, contact StudentLife at 405-682-7523.

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

Photo by Kenny Hilburn

Donna Schruben, engineering club member, sells some baked goods to Jennifer Jack-son, elementary education major. The engineering club, along with other clubs, have takento bake sales as a main way to raise funds for trips, meetings, and activities.

LeaderQuick workshops helpful for everyone

Does your club havean event coming up?

E-mail StephenSossamon at

onlineeditor@occc.edu

November 3, 2008 • PIONEER • 15

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 adman@occc.edu

Class ifi eds

FOR SALE: 2000 DodgeCarivan.Viper alarm, remote start,new tires and transmission. Tintedwindows. Power windows anddoors. 150k miles. In great shape.$2,500. Call: 405-310-3850.

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

FOR SALE: 1996 ChevyBlazer 4x4. Great condtion. Looksand runs excellent. 2 door, pw/pl.Asking $3,000 OBO. Call Lana at405-436-0400.

FOR SALE Across the street from OCCC.Two bedroom updated home.Storage building in back yard. $87,000. Open house everySunday 2 to 4 p.m. Call Deby

at 405-414-8742 .

NEED SOME DOUGH?Big Sky Bread Company

is looking for an ener-getic, reliable person to

help customers,slice bread

and bag granola.Apply in person at

6606 N. Western Ave.

FOR SALEOne bedroom condo.

Totally renovated with newtile, stove, refrigerator,

dishwasher and laminatefloors.Gated community.All appliances stay with

full offer of $36,000.Call: 405-431-9001

ROOMMATE NEEDED: Fe-male to share 2bed/2bath. $295monthly. Bills paid. $40 for cableand internet.Call:918-409-7122.Email: bwebre@yahoo.com.

FOR SALE: New Logitech VXRevolution cordless mouse. $35.Opened box Archos GMini 4GbMP3, WMA player and pictureviewer. $70. Compaq laptop 15.4”Intel Pent. $440. Call for informa-tion: 501-442-8260. Emaillittleox06_vn@yahoo.com.

IT PAYS TOADVERTISE INTHE PIONEERCALL 682-1611,

ext. 7674,or

e-mailADMAN@occc.edu

Call today and mentionthis ad to receive

$200 off at move in withyour student ID.405-717-0594.

16 • PIONEER • November 3, 2008

Students whodrop couldaudit instead “Drop,”Cont. from page 1

maintain a certain amountof credit hours for theirhealth insurance plan.

Turner said an audit willaffect insurance and finan-cial aid in the same man-ner a drop will.

“Financial aid rules re-quire that you complete acertain percentage of thecredit hours that you’reenrolled in.”

Since an audit means thestudent did not completethe course, it could still af-fect the financial aid plan.

Turner can be reached byphone at 405-682-1611,ext. 7544, or by e-mail atmturner@occc.edu.

Vick may be reached byphone at 405-682-1611,ext. 7682, or by e-mail atmvick@occc.edu.

Staff Writer Dillon Hartcan be reached at StaffWriter2@occc.edu.

The PIONEER isyour newspaper!Tell us what you

want to see!Call 682-1611,

ext. 7409.

Need helpor an escort

to yourcar? Callcampus

security atext.7691