SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 WWW.OCCC.EDU/PIONEER COVERING OCCC SINCE 1978 INSIDE IONEER OKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE P EDITORIAL OPINION, p. 2 Staff Writer Christy Johnson has some some advice for President Obama: Stand up for yourself. Read more inside. BOEHNER THE BULLY; OBAMA THE PUSHOVER To comment on stories, or to access the latest news, features, multimedia, online exclusives and updates, visit occc.edu/pioneer. CAMPUS LIFE NEWS, p. 7 Learn how OCCC’s Richard Steere is helping automotive students get ahead of the curve — and how it earned him Employee of the Year. More inside. STEERING STUDENTS RIGHT Keeping in shape is tough during holiday foodfests. It can also be expensive. Luckily, OCCC has every budget type covered. Exercise your eyes, read on. FITNESS, WELLNESS FOR ALL PIONEER ONLINE CAMPUS LIFE COMMUNITY, p. 10 Campus clubs and organizations recently held a student fair, hoping to get your attention. Did it work? Find out inside. CAMPUS CLUBS SEEK MEMBERS OCCC site set for redesign See WEBSITE page 9 DIRECTOR KEY IN BRINGING PROGRAM TO OCCC RACHEL MORRISON/PIONEER Design major Emily Cooper picks up her backpack from security student employee Megann Kroenert, at a security check-in station Aug. 31, outside the Bookstore. The security office offered this service free of charge for individuals who leave items outside of the Bookstore while they shopped inside. In good hands Plan is to make college’s online presence more ‘welcoming’ SPORTS, p. 8 Program exclusive to college There are students and patients that need services and there are a limited number of providers.” —KATHY J. WHEAT SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY PROGRAM DIRECTOR “ JEREMY CLOUD Editor [email protected]SARAH HUSSEIN Staff Writer staff[email protected]e digital presence of OCCC is getting a complete makeover, said John Richardson, online marketing coordinator. e college's new website design has a ten- tative launch date of Nov. 15, and is intended to streamline the current site, making it more navigable to incoming students and current students, as well as faculty and staff. Richardson said although the site was up- dated roughly seven years ago, the update didn’t change any of the basic design or structural elements. “When we built the site, it was one page, and we didn’t expect to ever do anything with it,” Richardson said. But that’s all changed, as the Internet has become one of the foremost portals for infor- mation. And as the website has grown in size, its increasing complexity has made it more difficult to use, Richardson said. Behrang Allahyar, OCCC student, said he likes the current design, but acknowledges that it does have problems. “It seems like it’s all crunched, and it’s not as simple as it could be. (And) I would think a better, more welcoming interface would be good,” Allahyar said. Richardson said obtaining a “better, more welcoming interface” is one of the major rea- sons behind the redesign. But the team behind the redesign hasn’t stopped at just updating the interface. In order to update the technology, and solve multiple issues at once, the team decided to build the new website from the ground up. “I think it would be fairly easy to use the new JOEY STIPEK Contributing Writer [email protected]. edu Oklahoma’sonlySpeech- Language Pathology As- sistant program has now enrolled its first class of 25 students at OCCC. e pro- gram blends on-site clinical experience with predomi- nantly online coursework. One of the individuals instrumental in develop- ing the program at OCCC, in partnership with the Oklahoma Speech and Hearing Association, is new Speech-Language Pa- thology Program Director Kathy J. Wheat, who began her tenure on campus in June. Wheat has 18 years of experience working in the field of speech-language pathology services. Wheat said right now there are severe and per- sistent shortages of speech pathologist assistants in the state and the nation. “ere are students and patients that need services and there are a limited number of providers,” she said. “So job opportunities are abundant.” Wheat said speech-lan- guage pathology assistants work under the supervision and licensure of a speech- language pathologist. To- gether they work to treat adults and children with communicative impair- ment. “e field is broad, with lots of opportunities,” she said. Speech-language pa- thology assistants might work with a patient who has had a stroke, might work with a patient who has had swallowing difficulties or issues, might work with students in public schools who have had difficulties listening, speaking, reading or writing. Wheat said students in the program are partici- pating in three speech lan- guage pathology assistant courses this fall, targeting their degree program. “ere are 61 credits with 18 of general education courses and 42 in speech- language content work. Of that, they will have two See LANGUAGE page 9
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SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 WWW.OCCC.EDU/PIONEER COVERING OCCC SINCE 1978
INSIDE IONEEROKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGEP
EDITORIAL
OPINION, p. 2
Staff Writer Christy Johnson has some some advice for President Obama: Stand up for yourself. Read more inside.
BOEHNER THE BULLY; OBAMA THE PUSHOVER
To comment on stories, or to access the latest news, features, multimedia, online exclusives and updates, visit occc.edu/pioneer.
CAMPUS LIFE
NEWS, p. 7
Learn how OCCC’s Richard Steere is helping automotive students get ahead of the curve — and how it earned him Employee of the Year. More inside.
STEERINGSTUDENTSRIGHT
Keeping in shape is tough during holiday foodfests. It can also be expensive. Luckily, OCCC has every budget type covered. Exercise your eyes, read on.
FITNESS, WELLNESS FOR ALL
PIONEER ONLINE
CAMPUS LIFE
COMMUNITY, p. 10
Campus clubs and organizations recently held a student fair, hoping to get your attention. Did it work? Find out inside.
CAMPUS CLUBSSEEK MEMBERS
OCCC site set for redesign
See WEBSITE page 9
DIRECTOR KEY IN BRINGING PROGRAM TO OCCC
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Design major Emily Cooper picks up her backpack from security student employee Megann Kroenert, at a security check-in station Aug. 31, outside the Bookstore. The security office offered this service free of charge for individuals who leave items outside of the Bookstore while they shopped inside.
In good hands
Plan is to make college’s onlinepresence more ‘welcoming’
SPORTS, p. 8
Program exclusive to collegeThere are students and patients
that need services and there are a limited number of providers.”
—Kathy J. Wheat Speech-Language pathoLogy program Director
But that’sall changed,as the Internethasbecomeoneoftheforemostportalsforinfor-mation.Andasthewebsitehasgrowninsize,its increasing complexity has made it moredifficulttouse,Richardsonsaid.
BehrangAllahyar,OCCCstudent,saidhelikes the current design, but acknowledgesthatitdoeshaveproblems.
Oklahoma’sonlySpeech-Language Pathology As-sistant program has nowenrolleditsfirstclassof25studentsatOCCC.Thepro-gramblendson-siteclinicalexperiencewithpredomi-nantlyonlinecoursework.
One of the individualsinstrumental in develop-ingtheprogramatOCCC,in partnership with theOklahoma Speech andHearing Association, isnewSpeech-LanguagePa-thologyProgramDirectorKathyJ.Wheat,whobeganher tenure on campus inJune.
Wheat has 18 years ofexperienceworkinginthefield of speech-languagepathologyservices.
“There are students andpatientsthatneedservicesand there are a limitednumber of providers,” shesaid.“Sojobopportunitiesareabundant.”
Wheat said speech-lan-guagepathologyassistantsworkunderthesupervisionand licensureofaspeech-language pathologist. To-gether they work to treatadults and children withcommunicative impair-ment.
“Thefieldisbroad,withlots of opportunities,” shesaid. Speech-language pa-thology assistants might
work with a patient whohas had a stroke, mightworkwithapatientwhohashadswallowingdifficultiesorissues,mightworkwithstudentsinpublicschoolswho have had difficultieslistening,speaking,readingorwriting.
Wheat said students inthe program are partici-patinginthreespeechlan-guage pathology assistantcourses this fall, targetingtheirdegreeprogram.
“Thereare61creditswith18 of general educationcoursesand42inspeech-languagecontentwork.Ofthat, they will have two
Obama sent a message toHouseSpeakerBoehnerinre-gardstoaspeechObamawantedtooriginallymakeSept.7,butwasrescheduledforSept.8.
Boehnerandhisofficewerenoted as saying the denial ofthepresident’srequesttospeakonSept.7wasbecausehedidnotwantthespeechtointerferewiththeGOPdebate,whichwas
Obama needs to realize he is the president andstopbeing“politicallypunked”byBoehnerortherestofCongress.
NomatterwhereU.S.citizensstandontheissues,itgoeswithoutsayingprettymuchallsidesfeelthatthe people who are put in office to represent thepeopleofthiscountryneedtogettheiracttogetherorgivetheirjobstosomeofuswhoareinneedofemployment.
—Christy JohnsonStaff Writer
To the editor:Regarding Ms. John-
son’s review of “TheHelp,” I would like tomakeseveralcorrections.
The character Skeeterwas not raised by Aibi-leen.ConstantinewasthenameofSkeeter’snanny.
Skeeter did not selecther topic for a story in
the newspaper as yourreviewerimplies.
The newspaper jobwasasimplecolumnonhow to clean and cook.The book project wasunrelatedtoSkeeter’sdayjobasacolumnistforthenewspaper,andhertopicfor a book project wasselectedafterwitnessing
thepoortreatmentofthedomestics by Skeeter’sownpeers.
Therehasbeenagreatdeal of interest in “TheHelp,”(bothpositiveandnegative.)
In August, the (web-site)OralHistoryH-Net(www.h-net.org) pub-lished an official state-
ment by the Women’sAssociation of BlackHistorians which con-demned the movie foritsnegativeportrayalofBlackAmericanmaids
The PIONEER is a publication of Oklahoma City Community College through the Division of Arts and Humanities. It is published weekly during the 16-week fall and spring semesters and the eight-week summer session.
Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the PIONEER, the college or the publisher.
The PIONEER welcomes letters to the editor and encourages the use of this publication as a community forum. All letters must include the author’s name, address, phone number and signature. E-mail letters should include all but the signature. The PIONEER will withhold the author’s
name if the request is made in writing. The PIONEER has the right to edit all letters
and submissions for length, libel and obscenity. Letters should be fewer than 250 words. Students must list their major. OCCC staff and faculty must list their work title.
Letters to the editor can be submitted to the PIONEER office, located in room 1F2 on the first floor of the Art and Humanities Building, mailed to 7777 S. May Ave., Oklahoma City, Okla. 73159, or submitted via e-mail to [email protected] with a phone number for verification included. The PIONEER ONLINE also can be accessed at www.occc.edu/pioneer.
Traditionally, close to 4,000 job-seekersattend this largest employment event in theOklahomaCitymetroarea,anditisopentothepublic!Nopre-registrationisrequired.
Approximatelyseventygeneralemployerswillbe located intheGeneralDiningareaof theStudentUnionfrom10a.m.to2p.m.andthirtyhealthemployerswillbeavailable inCollegeUnionRooms1and2fromnoonuntil6p.m.Ican’tthinkofabetterprocessforinvestigatingfuturecareerfieldsthanactuallytalkingwithpotentialemployers.Manyemployerswillbehiringonthespotandseveralareconductinginterviewsthedayoftheevent.
Arecentvisit toDéjàVuSalon&Spalocatedoff Interstate-240 andWalkerleftmereminis-cent of my past experi-encesinhairsalons,andthatfeelingwasanythingbutdéjàvu.
Too often my experi-encewithhairstylistshasbeenabeautydisaster.
Either they cut toomuchofforhavestyleditintosomethingthatre-sembledaFrenchpoodle.
Never a good combi-nation when you are ayoung woman aimingtohavestylethatwouldmake the Kardashiansenvious.
DéjàVuisyourstereo-typicalhairsalon:stylistssportingthelatestinhairtrends,thearomaoftop-of-the-line professionalhair products, and thesound of blow dryersmixed with the uselesschatterofsalongossip.
All of the things that
give you warm fuzzyfeelings.
Beyond the commonhaircutsandcolors,thissalonalsooffersproductsand services such asan infrared sauna, hairextensions, permanentmakeup, massages, fa-cials, hair straighteningtreatmentsandsoon.
ThestylistsatDéjàVuall had clients in theirchairs that appeared tobequitepleasedwiththeworkbeingdone.
Thestylistwhoworkedonme,Tammy,gavemeabriefconsultationbeforeshebeganherwork.WediscussedthehaircutthatI desired, and she gaveme input on what shethoughtwouldworkwellwithmyfacialshapeandstylepreference.
Tammy, who also
worksforbighaircom-panies such as CricketandBionic,hasthebestprices for the skills sheperforms.
Though I didn’t par-ticipateinanyofthespatreatments, my initialimpressionhaswonmeoverasarepeatclientandwalkingadvertisement.
With an increased
boost in confidence, Iwalked away loving myhair and feeling sexierthanIhadinawhile.
Alas, I could finallygive the Kardashians arunfortheirmoney.
ThoughIcanbecyni-cal and critical withmost places of businessand products, Déjà VudeservesanArating.
Rating:A—Casey R. Akard
Videographer
this is a big one: Thereare some things thatyoucan’tdo,nomatterhow badly you want todo them. And, while itlookslikeyoucoulddoit, it’s probably a badideatotryit.
The concept of themorals in the gameweren’t lost on me.However, the moralof the story isn’t whatmakesthegamefun.
The game itself playslike “Super Metroid”,andnewer“Castlevania”games.There isa lotofbacktracking involved,lots of upgrades andgeneral itemcollection,aswellasapet.
The pet is Chomp,
and he’s your ownpersonalguard.
He gains experienceforhelpingkillenemieswhile he’s on the topscreen and uses food,toys,andequipment.
You can improvethe effectiveness ofhis fighting throughlevelingandgivinghimitems.
He also evolvesdepending on if youfeedhimcertain foods,though the maximumlevelforhimis30.
Some things arebetterforevolvingthanothers though,sogototheevolutionpagewithselectfrequently.
The graphics remind
me of some of thelater “Megaman”games, especiallyas the protagonist’sranged attack involvesshooting energy fromanarmband.
The action isentertaining, and theabilities Chomp picksup from his evolutionsare fairly good, thoughonce you get “Musashisomersault,” you won’tbe using much else. It’sthatawesome.
There is even apercentage completedby the end of it, soyou can set quirkychallenges for yourselflike with most“Metroid”games.
Overall, I reallylikedthegame.Ithasaclassic feel to it,evenifitdoes looka lot likea“Megaman”copy.
I would suggestplayingthegame.
Rating:A—Robert Bolton
Online Writer
Stacy Mckinley, Déjà vu stylist, cuts a client’s hair.
Inrecentyears,however,thatfamily-friendlyfunisnowheretobefoundinflickslike“HighSchoolMusical”and“HannahMontana,”whichamusethetween crowd but leave the rest of uscringing.
Assimpleas that titlemightseem,don’tletitfoolyou—foramoviere-volving around a high school dance,thisonesurehasalotofheart.
Afterafiredestroysthepromdecora-tionsshepouredherheartintocreating,overachieving senior Nova Prescott(Aimee Teegarden) is saddled withanunsympatheticbadboytohelpherrebuild.
ThatbadboyisJesseRichter(ThomasMcDonell), whose character goesmuchdeeperthanhisleather-wearing,motorcycle-ridingpersonafirstletson.
While the movie may focus onNovaandJesse’sbuddingrelationship,“Prom”alsoincludesahandfulofsidestoriesaboutothercharacters.
Theseb-storiesrangefromthesilly,such as blissfully clueless Rolo (JoeAdler) preparing for a date with asupermodel, to the serious, like pre-sumptive prom queen Jordan (KylieBunbury)strugglingwithherlongtimeboyfriend’sinfidelity.
It’sgreatforparentsseekinghealthyalternativestoshowslike“GossipGirl”and“PrettyLittleLiars”—showsthatare marketed towards teenagers butcontainsex-soaked,booze-ladensto-rylinesthatmightaswellbelonginanR-ratedhorrorflick.
Buteventhough“Prom”issuitablefor teens and tweens, it is perfectlyenjoyableforadults,too.
Especiallyifyou’resickofhoweverymovie nowadays is full of smut that
Movie offers family-friendly fun
Music venue adds color to college town Astheweekend iscoming toanendandSundaynightapproaches,peoplearewindingdownandgettingreadyfortheweekahead.ButnotthepeopleinNorman—forthem,it’sjustanothernightatTheDeli,309WhiteSt.
ItisnotarulethatapersonhastobeastudenttopartakeinwhatTheDelioffers.Therearemanylocalsthatareat The Deli every Sunday night. It isnotevenarulethatyouhavetobeanOUstudenttobeallowedin:Thereareoftenstudentsfrommanymetro-areacollegesatTheDeli.
Don’t be discouraged with the oc-casionallonglineatTheDeli,becauseitwillmovequicklyandthereisaviewtoeverythinggoingonintheinside.
Thecost is$5at thedoorand it is21toenter,butthosewhoareunder-age have been known to watch fromoutsidethroughthewindow.
everySundaynight“until theendoftime,” so says Big Bill Mulligan, TheDeli’sbartender.
Hosty’smusicisfunandfunny,and
letsthemindwonder.Titleslike“EatYer Mac and Cheese” and “FraidyHole”bringout the laughterandthedancing of the crowd. While titles
like “Took the Train” and “ MarriedMan”getalittlebluesy.Thenthesongs“Chewbacca”and“Pterodactyl”comeonandthecrowdjustscreamsrandomsounds.
ThemaintreatoftheentireSundaynight Deli experience is “The DeliLight Show.” Hosty begins playing“OklahomaBreakdown”andnomatterwherepeopleareinthebar,everyonecomes running to the stage. It is thepointinthenightthatcommemoratesa “Deli Night” for most. The songplaysandthenitgoesintoachant,“abreakdown,”“acrescendo,”“ascream,”and“alightshow”fourtimesover.Thered,yellowandgreenlightsofTheDelibegintoflashandthecrowdgoeswild.
It might not sound like much, butbeingcaughtupinthemomentwithaRedCupandsomegreatfriendswillbeaSundaynightthatyouwillwanttorepeatoverandoveragain.
1. The Help 2. The Debt3. Apollo 184. Shark Night 3D5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes6. Colombiana7. Our Idiot Brother 8. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark9. Spy kids: All the Time in the World10. The Smurfs11. Crazy, Stupid, Love12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 213. Captain America14. Cowboys & Aliens15. 30 Minutes or Less16. Final Destination 517. One Day18. Fright Night19. Cars 220. Bodyguard
MUSIC REVIEW | The Deli offers the legendary ‘Red Cup’ and local music for a five dollar cover
FILM REVIEW | ‘Prom’ is a movie with a lot of heart and isn’t all rainbows and butterflies
Courtesy Mike HostyMike Hosty plays at 10 p.m. every Sunday at The Deli, located at 309 White
St. in Norman.
PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 • 5
atedwithanassociatedegreeinbroad-castingandlaterreceivedabachelor’sdegree in public relations from theUniversityofCentralOklahoma.ShecontinuedhereducationatOklahomaState University where she earned amaster’sdegreeinSpeechCommunica-tionConsulting.
“Iimmediatelyresearchedthediffer-entuniversitiesandprogramsoffered,andappliedatOSU,”Corffsaid.“Iwasoffered the speech teaching assistantjob for two years while I was in theprogram.Ifellinlovewithteachingandbeingwithmystudents.”
Julie Young, OCCC’s accountinglab tutorial assistant, received theEmployeeoftheYearAwardforhourlyworkers at the school’s opening yearconvocation.
“Ifeltveryhonoredandgrateful[towin the award],” Young said. “Someof this award belongs to the greatpart-timestudenttutorsthathelpmeevery day in here. Their hard workanddedicationmakeme‘lookgood.’”
Fellow faculty and staff membersnominateemployees.Thereareformsavailable online for nominating anindividual.
Young said, though accountingclassesdonotrequirelabtime,manystudentsusethefacility.
“We help students understand theconceptsthatthey’relearningintheiraccounting class,” Young said. “Wehelpthemwiththeirhomework,createpracticetests,wejusthelpthemdowellintheiraccountingclasses.”
forStaffandOrga-nizationalDevelop-ment, an organiza-tionwithamember-ship of more than700 communitycollegesaroundtheworld.
Attendingclasseshere, and meetingher husband of 22years in an OCCCsummertheaterpro-ductioninspiredhertoteachhere.
“I have always desired to teach atOCCCsothatI could givebackwhatsomanyprofes-sors pouredinto my life,”Corff said,“Especia l lyD r. L i n d aT h o r n t o n ,P r o f e s s o rGwin Faul-c one r- L ip -
pert, and Professor SueHinton.”
The veteran educatorhas taught for more than22years.She taughtasanadjunctprofessorfor14ofthoseyears,andisgoingonher sixthyearas full-timefaculty.
“[Winning this awardmeans] that my motto inlifeprovestrue:“If it is inyourpowertodogoodtosomeone,alwayschooseto
ThisLaborDayweekendap-proximately23,700peopleandover320vendorsgatheredonOCCC’sgroundsforthe33rdAnualArtsFestivalOklahoma.Spiritswerehigh,thedisplayswere vibrant, and the foodwas reminiscent of old-timecountyfairs.
The crowd’s kinetic en-ergy mellowed into an auraofrelaxationastemperaturesleveledoffontheseconddayand welled up again for theperformancebytheOklahomaPhilharmonicandthemulti-mediaexperiencethatwasthefireworksextravaganza.
Manyoftheartistssaidtheywere positive about the im-pactoftheirworksandsomeof them would comment onindividualpieces.
“That’s White Rock Lake,”saidClarkCrenshaw,photog-rapher from Garland, Texas,aboutthepieceofhisthatwonapurchaseaward.
Festivalgoers pack OCCC campus Labor Day Weekend
“Iwentout thereonarealfoggyday,whichI liketodobecause it makes everythinglooksodifferent.”
Something that also stoodoutwithfestivalgoerswasthefood. In the foodcourtwerevendorspreparinganassort-mentofdishesincludinggyros,pulled pork, Indian tacos,gelato,cinnamonrolls,fajitas,andmuchmore.
“Roasted corn, anywherethere is roasted corn I showup,” said Doug Swope fromEdmond.
AmongthoseattendingwereOCCCstudents.
“ThisisoneofthegoodonesinOklahoma,”saidJacobNiles,festivalgoer and diversifiedstudiesmajorwhofrequentlyattendsartshows.
Stephanie Jackson plays the guitar and entertains a jovial crowd of fairgoers on Sept. 3. Jackson announced that she also enjoys performing for weddings.
“Itendtogetalotofinspi-rationwhenI’maroundotherartists. So seeing their workgives me ideas for my ownwork,”Rodriguezsaid.
Overalltheeventwasamajorhit with artists, visitors, andvolunteersalike.
For more information onArtsFestivalOklahoma,con-
A panda-faced Lacy paints her small pot at the Paseo Pottery booth Sept. 3 during the Arts Festival. Individuals paid a small fee to paint their pottery and have it fired in an onsite kiln.
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
ARTS FESTIVAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
WINNERSFINE ART 1 – CAROLYN MEJSTRICK
FINE ART 2 – RUSSEL COOPERFINE ART 3 – KIM NORTON
FINE ART 4 – C. J. BRADFORDFINE CRAFT 1 – DALE ROBBINS
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Regina (left) and Rebecca Samual of Oklahoma City admire the hand-carved, southwestern art showcased by artist Ron Martin. Many of Martins pieces included Native American depictions. Over 23,700 people gathered on OCCC campus to enjoy art, food, and enertainment.
tact the Arts Festival Okla-homaOfficeat405-682-7576or at artsfestivaloklahoma@
Director honored with OCCC Leadership AwardSHELLEY BRANUMNewsWritingStudent
This year’s recipient of the
college’s annual leadershipaward directed a multi-yearproject to move the ChildDevelopmentCenterandLabSchool to its current loca-tionaboutonemilenorthofcampus.
Dr. Mary McCoy, directorof the CDCLS, was recog-nizedwiththeRobertP.ToddLeadershipAwardatthe2011Convocation and EmployeeAwardsCeremonyoncampusinAugust.
The CDCLS was formerlyhoused on campus but re-located to larger quarters atthe Family and CommunityEducation Center in January
Originated in 2006, thisaward is named for the lateRobertP.Todd,whoservedasOCCC’seighthpresident,saidMarionPaden,vicepresident
ROBERT P. TODD AWARD GOES TO MARY MCCOY
Prof recognized for teaching tech
Dr. Mary McCoy
DREW HARTNewsWritingStudent
ThemostrecentrecipientofOCCC’s Faculty Employee oftheYearaward,RichardSteere,hashelpedhundredsofstudentsget off and running on a newtechnologicalfrontier.
Steere,AutomotiveTechnol-ogy coordinator/professor, isteaching his students how toconvertautomobilesfromgas-guzzling combustion-poweredmachines, to cost-efficientnatural gas-powered wondersoftheroad.
Armedwithnearly40yearsoftechnicalexpertise,16yearsofteachingexperience,andaclass-room brimming with cuttingedgetechnology,itbecomeseasytoseewhysuchanhonorwasbestoweduponSteere.ThoughSteerewasacknowledgedforhisteaching,heremainshumble.
“If you do something longenough,youareprobablygoingtogetrecognizedforit,”Steeresaid. “Not to downplay it, butIdon’tfeellikeIdomorethan
Paden spoke to some ofthequalitiesthatshebelievesmadeMcCoyperfectforthisrecognition.
“Dr. McCoy made this asmoothtransitiontothenewfacility and provided leader-shipforthefamilies,staffandsupporters of the CDCLS,”Padensaid.
But the move was not theonlyaccomplishmentMcCoydeservescreditfor,Padensaid.
“Dr. McCoy accepted thechallengeoffindingawaytoprovidehigh-quality,low-costchild care to the students of
OCCC.Shedevelopedwhatwenow
refertoasStudentScheduledChildCare.”
As a result of McCoy’sdevelopment of the StudentScheduled Child Care pro-gram,studentsatOCCCmayenrolltheirchildintimeblocksof three hours for $5 to $8,dependingonwhethermealsareservedduringtheirsession.
This program has creatednewopportunitiesforstudentswithchildrentobeabletoat-tendschool,Padensaid.
“Anytime I had a question,Rich was right there for me,”Walkersaid.“Comingintothefirstyearoftheprogramishard,butRichwasalwaystheretogivewordsofencouragement.”
The accolades are nice, butit’s what’s taking place in theclassroom that has Steere andWalkerreallyexcited.TheCNGconversion course they teachhasgainednationwidesupportand reach, attracting studentsfrom nearly every state in theU.S. These classes are in highdemand,fillingupasquicklyastwomonthsinadvance.
Sowhatisitthatmakesnaturalgas-powered vehicles the nextbig thing on the road? Steeresaid natural gas is the future,
becauseitcouldquitepossiblybe an answer to the growingconcernsaboutdwindlingfossilfuels.Steeresaidnaturalgasisgoing to stick around because“it’splentifulandcheap.”
How cheap is it? So cheapthatSteerecanfilluphisownconverted‘59Fordpickuptruckforamere78centspergallon.His tank is 10 gallons, so itcostshimlessthan$8tofillup.Though it cost Steere roughly$2,000toconverthisvehicle,itquicklypaidforitselfandthensome, saving Steere $22 everytimehefillsup.
While combustion enginesbellow out tons of pollutantsintotheatmosphere,naturalgashas a cleaner burn with fewerharmful emissions. Not onlycouldnaturalgasvehiclespro-videananswertoaworldwidefuel shortage, the implicationsfor a greener tomorrow arestaggering.
That’swhySteereenjoyswhathedoessomuch.It’snotaboutthe money or the acclaim forhim,butratherhisloveoftech-nology,hisloveofteachinganda45-year-oldloveofcars.
SPORTS | Wellness Center offering multiple classes with a single pass
Have sports news you want to share?
e-mail Sean at:
Aug. 23 - Oct. 19: Registration for O-Trip 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament takes place Oct. 28 For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Sept. 17: Pepsi Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition — girls and boys age groups from 8 to 15. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Sept. 17: OCCC Youth Soccer. Ages 6 to 8 and 9 to 10. For more information, call the Well-ness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Oct. 15: OCCC will be spon-soring a Zumbathon. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
Oct. 18: OCCC will be sponsor-ing the Senior State Games. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 405-682-1611, ext. 7310.
All event news is due Monday by 5 p.m. for inclusion in
Theholidaysarejustafewmonthsaway and that usually means goodhome-cooked meals with the family.Andwiththatcomesthedifficultyofstayinginshape.
GoodthingOCCC’sWellnessCen-terisaroundtohelp.
For a nominal fee, there are manydifferent types of fitness classes of-feredinarangeoftimeslotsdesignedtoworkwithstudentschedules.
The facility offers a group fitnesspass for $50. Jessica Hughes, occu-pationaltherapyassistantmajor,saidthepassisgoodfortheentiresemes-ter and allows students to take anyaerobicsclassOCCCoffers.
Thegroupfitnesspassallowsastu-denttoparticipateinasmanyclassesas desired while avoiding additionalfee.
All of the classes are available forthe group fitness pass. Classes rangefrom$20to$30each,sothepassal-lows students to get more for their
Thecenteroffersacardioareawiththree treadmills, two elliptical crosstrainers, and recumbent bikes. Theweightroomhasavarietyofmachineand free weights. The center alsofeatures a gymnasium and aerobicsroom.
The classes offered in the centerrangefromthenewaquaZumbaandsilvercardiotobodysculpting,cardiokickboxing,andPilates.
In addition to the classes and ser-vices offered, OCCC also operatesan Aquatic Center, which featuresan Olympic-sized swimming pool,which is available for recreationaluse.
The Aquatic Center offers recre-ationalswimhoursfrom6:45p.m.to8:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday andFriday.TheAquaticCenteralsoofferswaterfitnessclasses.
MeganWoody,occupationalthera-pyassistantmajor,saidsheenjoysthefactthattheWellnessCenterisopenmost of the year, only closing whentheschooldoes.
“The center’s accessibility duringwintertime is key to its involvementinstudents’health,”shesaid.
“Ithinkit’sgreatthateverythingisinside.Winterisnottoofarawayandit’snice tohaveaplace to swimandworkoutduringthewinter.”
For further information aboutevents, hours and class schedules,visit www.occc.edu/RF/, or call 405-682-1611,ext.7860.
Stay fit on a budget with group passes
Improving motor fitness
Political science major Christine Phung uses the elliptical machine in the college gym Aug. 31. The facility is available to students with valid ID and community members with a valid membership card.
This entails 50 hours of clinicalexperience with a speech-languagepathologist either in a public schoolorahealthcaresetting.
Wheathasherbachelor’sdegreefromtheUniversityofSciencesandArtsofOklahoma, her master’s degree fromthe University of Oklahoma’s HealthSciences Center and her doctoratefromOU.
Associate Vice President for Aca-demicAffairsGregGardner said theSpeech-LanguagePathologyAssistantProgramwasdevelopedattherequestof the Oklahoma Speech-LanguageHearingAssociationafterOCCChad
beenlookingtodeveloptheprogramforseveralyears.
“The Oklahoma Speech-LanguageHearingAssociationcametouswithaneedinthisstateforspeechpathologyassistants,”Gardnersaid.
“Allofthemhaveapracticalexperi-ence in that clinical setting. It’s justreally important in creating a well-roundedpersonwhoknowswhattheyaredoinginaworkenvironment.
“Nursing, Occupational TherapyAssistant,PhysicalTherapyAssistant,and now SLPA have that clinical ex-perience.”
“If we do that we can impact thecommunications needs for studentsandpatientsacrossthestateofOkla-homa,”Wheatsaid.“It’saphenomenalopportunitytoimpactsomeone’slife.”
Whether the client is a student oran adult, the speech therapist startsopeningaworldforthemorre-opensaworldforthem,Wheatsaid.
Representatives fromOCCC’sstudentclubsandorganizationsgatheredfortheirsemiannualStudentOrganizationsFairattheendofAugust.Thebackwallofthegeneraldiningareawaslinedwithboothsallowing each club topromoteitselfandattractnewmembers.
According to many inattendance,theeventwasquitesuccessful.
“It’s been a blockbuster,”saidZackSumner,business major andrepresentative for theCollegeRepublicansandChristCampusFellowship.
“Wehaveactuallygivenoutseveralapplications,” said Laura Newton,advisorforTrio.“Wealsohaverequestedandgottenalotof informationfromstudentssothatwecansendthemmoreinformationafterthefairisover.
Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR
Kappa Beta Delta President Michael Southerland encourages economics major Carolina Daza to join the business honors club during the Student Organization Fair Aug. 31. Twenty-three clubs participated in the Student Organization Fair Aug 31 and Sept. 1.
“I would definitely say it’s a success. It’s always a success when you get anybody interested in what your club is wanting to accomplish this
semester.”—ZacK Sumner
the coLLege repubLicanS/chriSt campuS feLLoWShip repreSentative
““We are really excited for the
opportunitytobeatthisfair,thisyear.”Ben King, business major and
representative for Baptist CollegiateMinistries, said his club is open toanyone, an acceptance that everyonestewardingatablecarried.
Some representatives commentedpositivelyabouttheeventasawhole,notjusttheirownexperiences.
“Itgivesthepeoplewhoarehereandrepresentingtheorganizationstohaveexposuretothestudentbodyandtoaskquestions,” said Heather Pemberton,psychologymajor,ofPhiThetaKappahonor society, who was assisting theotherhonorssocieties.
ChaseParsons,communitysponsorfor Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship,saidtheenergyofthepeoplesigningup mirrored the energy of the clubmemberspresent.
“Ifitgoesinlinewithwhat they are doing incollegeoraneedthattheyhave, then excitementbreedsexcitement.
“Itdepends,youkindof throw your net outthereandyoutrytocatchpeopleandsomepeoplekindofwarmuptoyou.”
For moreinformation,contact theStudent LifeOfficeat405-682-7523, orv is it www.o c c c . e d u /StudentLifeandselecttheJoin-a-Cluboption fromthemenu.
MLA Style: A Royal PainThe Communications Lab is holding a
documentation workshop over the frustra-tions many writers have with MLA style. The workshop will be at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, in College Union 2. For more information, please call 405-682-1611, ext. 7678, or go to www.occc.edu/comlab.
GSA Popcorn SaleThe Gay Straight Alliance will be raising
funds for various events the club will be host-ing. This will be from 10 a.m. to noon Mon-day, Sept. 12, in the Union Foyer. For more information visit their webpage at occc.cam-pusgroups.com/gsa or their Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/OCCC.GSA.
Brown Bag: Part-time Jobs & InternshipsStudent Life is hosting a workshop on em-
ployment for students at 12:30 p.m. on Tues-day, Sept. 13, in College Union 1. For more information contact Student Life at 405-682-7523 or www.occc.edu/StudentLife.
Club raising funds for Somalia peopleThe Multicultural Business Club is raising
funds to support the people of Somalia. The fundraising event will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 15 near the Communications Lab and the General Dining area.
Hispanic Heritage DayMariachi Orgullo will be performing at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 in the General Din-ning Area. Contact Student Life for more in-formation at 405-682-7523.
OCCC planning garage saleThe Faculty Association Scholarship Com-
mitee will hold its annual garage sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6 and Friday, Oct. 7, in CU 1, 2 and 3. All proceeds will go toward student scholarships. Those who would like to make a donation should contact Librarian Linda Boatright at 405-682-1611, ext. 7468.
All Highlights are due Monday by 5 p.m. for inclusion in the next issue.
Highlight forms can be picked up in the Pioneer office, located in 1F2 of the
AH building, just inside Entry 2.
10 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CAMPUSHIGHLIGHTS
Pioneer classified advertising is free to all enrolled OCCC students and employees for any personal classified ad. Ad applications must be submitted with IDs supplied by 5 p.m. Mondays prior to the publication date. For more information, call the Ad Manager at 405-682-1611, ext. 7674, or e-mail [email protected].
FOR SALE: Limited edition wakeboard, still packaged: $200; new, limited edi-tion Jim Beam bean bag/cornhole toss game, $150. 405-818-0083.
NEED HIGH QUALITY CHILD CARE ON CAMPUS
WHILE YOU ATTEND CLASSES AT OCCC? For more information
contact: Dr. Barb Carter at the
OCCC CDCLS. 405-682-7561
READ THE PIONEER ONLINE FOR ALL THE LATEST IN CAMPUS NEWS!
www.occc.edu/pioneer
RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDResearchers at OU Health Science Center need
healthy volunteers ages 18 to 30, who have a parent with, or without a history of an alcohol or drug
problem. Qualified participants will be compensated for their time.
Call (405) 456-4303 to learn more about the study and to see if you qualify.
FOR SALE: 1994 Mazda Protege’, over 200,000 miles, but very well main-tained, good a/c. Stan-dard. Priced to sell. Call: 405-840-5334.
FOR SALE: Entertain-ment center/bookshelf/TV stand has multiple uses for books, photos, etc. Maple color engineered lumber. $50. Email: [email protected] for photo.
FOR RENT: Nice bedroom in a house with other stu-dents. $380 per month with all bills paid, including internet. Located in good neighborhood near 104th and Western,$100 depos-it. No pets or indoor smok-ing. Call:405-794-9999.
DO YOU ENJOY WRITING STORIES? ARE YOU A POET? IS PAINTING YOUR
PASSION? CAN YOU CAPTURE
LIFE ON FILM? Why not submit your
entry to the OCCC Absolute literary anthology for possible
publication?Applications are avail-
able on the table outside the Arts and Humanities
Division office.
INTERESTED IN VIDEO GAMES, pen and pa-per games, trading card games, board games or just gaming in general? Check out the OCCC Gaming Guild. Contact: M a t h e w. J . C a l d w e l l @email.occc.edu.
FOR SALE: Pecan, Bald-win, upright electric piano. Great sound. Call: 405-840-5334.
CAR FOR SALE: 2004, VW Beetle, GLS. Two door, power windows,locks and steering. Leather inte-rior. Sun roof. Cruise con-trol. 71K miles. Excellent condition inside and out. Gets great gas mileage. $9,995./OBO.Call:405-863-4195.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 • 11PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
CLASSIFIEDS TODAY’S CROSSWORD PUZZLE
12 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER
FACULTY TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE PROVIDES UNIQUE ACCESS TO COLLEGE TECH EXPERTS
Faculty and staff gatheredrecentlyforashowcaseofthetechnologies, both new andcurrent, that are the college’slifeblood.
Named “Convergence,” theshowcase featured a conven-tion-style setup, with thoseresponsible for the technolo-giesbeingdemonstratedandpresented sitting at tablesaroundtheroom.
Convergence is the brain-child of Robin Ying, Infor-mation and InstructionalTechnologyServicesvicepresi-dent, and Tim Whisenhunt,instructional video services
coordinator.“Iwantedtodoan
openhouse,togivepeople a chance tolearn more aboutwhat Informationand InstructionalTechnologyServicescando,”Yingsaid.
“But when Tim (Whisen-hunt)gotaholdoftheidea,hejustranwithit.AnditbecameConvergence,whichwasreallybetterthanwhatwe’dplannedtodoinitially.”
does. It brings all the newtechnologies and services,andmanyofthecurrentones,togetherinoneplacesofacultyandstaffcanlearnaboutwhattoolsareavailabletothem.”
“I’djustliketosaythankstoallthepeoplethatshowcased,”Cartersaid.“Ithinkitsparkedalotofideasamongthefacultyand staff, and I heard posi-tivereportsfrompeopleevenbefore I made it back to mydivision.”
FormoreinformationaboutConvergence, emailWhisen-hunt at [email protected].
“ To get that kind of expertise, I’d normally have to schedule a