August 21 by MediaOCU

THE CAMPUS

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August 21, 2019 – Volume 113 Issue 1

Clara Foster Student Publications

Welcoming a new class

Left: Leah Mossman, music theater sophomore, Camille Kostick and Mia Sherlock, dance sophomores, help students move into their dorms in Walker Hall on Aug. 12 and 13 as part of the fraternity and sorority life move-in crew. Above: New Student Orientation leaders and members of Greek Life help new students unload their cars and

Sou�ce: okcu.edu

get their belongings to their new dorm.

Printing future uncertain for Student Publications Emily Wollenberg

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Administrators are considering eliminating the printed edition of the student newspaper this year. The cut may be made to keep up with industry standards, administrators said. The Campus newspaper has published at OCU since 1907. Over the past year, 7% of college newspapers have switched to online only according to a College Media Association benchmarking survey. Dr. Amy Cataldi, dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences and acting assistant provost, said the possibility of cutting the newspaper comes from looking at other universities and comparing programs. “It’s a question of, is this practical to be doing the newspaper as well as online,” she said. “Should we harness our resources and just look at the online?” The decision would be made after discussion with administrators, Student Publications staff and local experts, Cataldi said. “I intend to continue some form of the OCU media,” she said. “I’m not sure if it’s print and online or just online.” No official decision has been made, Cataldi said. She did not confirm when this decision will be made. Chris Evans, president of the College Media Association, a national college media advocacy organization that reaches thousands of people each year, said while some college newspapers have reduced publications, the majority still produce print versions once or twice a week. “If you are seeking to teach students how to be good journalists, you should also have a print product,” he said. Working on a newspaper teaches students different skills than online—skills that are important for a career in the journalism industry, including graphic design, layout and using softwares that are staples to the industry, Evans said. “You’re always going to be better off the more forms of media you can possibly have,” he said. Evans said print and online have different readerships in a university. “One thing that a print product does is it creates a sense of community on campus that doesn’t exist otherwise,” he said. “It would be closing down one avenue of communication.” Print newspapers give students the story in the palm of their hands, said Nicole Waltman, former editor-in-chief of Student Publications. “Newspapers allow people to have something tangible to grasp

It’s a question of, is this practical to be doing the newspaper as well as online. Should we harness our resources and just look at the online? Dr. Amy Cataldi dean Petree College of Arts and Sciences

onto,” Waltman said. “It gives the Student Publications staff the opportunity to work together as a team to build and distribute something that they can be proud of.” Cataldi’s statement comes after the resignations of two mass communications faculty. Dr. Kenna Griffin, former director of Student Publications, assistant professor of mass comm and university alumna, resigned May 8 after she said Cataldi told her in a meeting that the Student Publications budget was being eliminated. Cataldi told Griffin at the time that the newspaper’s online version, MediaOCU.com, would be kept, but that student salaries also would be eliminated, meaning Student Publications’ previously fully-paid staff would be expected to work for free, Griffin told Student Publications. Cataldi told Student Publications June 10 that salaries would remain the same. Griffin is a frequent presenter at national student media conventions and currently serves as the president-elect of the national College Media Association. She says she wasn’t consulted about the changes and would have advised against them. “Kenna was a staple in the department and of course, Student Publications,” said Trae Trousdale, mass communications junior and Student Government Association president. “I’m extremely interested to see how they go about remedying that and who they’re going to bring in to work with Stu Pub and to work with that whole track.” Matt Hamilton, professor and former mass communications chairman, resigned May 31. He also was in the meeting where the cuts were announced. Hamilton, a university alumnus, taught in the department for 22 years. Ben Felder, news director for The Oklahoman, was hired to replace Griffin as the Student Publications advisor. Beth Adele, director of marketing at Lyric Theatre, was hired as the director of mass communications. Students could still get real world job experience without a

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newspaper, Cataldi said. “We have internship programs, and I am currently working with lots of alums and networking with alums to get them real world experience in addition to what they might be able to do on campus,” she said. The possibility of the newspaper being cut does not stem from a lack of funding, Cataldi said. “We don’t know what the budget is, so we don’t know about any budget deficit,” she said. “There’s no budget cuts to the newspaper. There’s no budget cuts to the faculty of arts and sciences.” An April 22 email sent to the Petree College of Arts and Sciences faculty by Dr. Mohamed Daadaoui, political science chairman, read that David McConnell, interim chief financial officer, said OCU has a $6 million budget deficit during the current fiscal year. “Nevertheless, the university will have to make adjustments to the budget because, in his view, there are a number of issues facing OCU,” Daadaoui wrote. The budget deficit is a result of an error, McConnell said in an interview with Student Publications—an error that donors are helping to fix through gifts to the university. The university could see some program changes due to the deficit, McConnell said. He said he does not make decisions with any budget cuts to Student Publications. “I don’t see that having a negative impact on the student experience,” he said. McConnell, who has worked in higher education for over 50 years, said universities are constantly evaluating their programs and where they spend their budget. “In most of my institutions in the past, some programs go away because they’re just not relevant anymore. You’re not graduating many students,” he said. “They’re constantly evaluating ways to improve and make sure their curriculum providing is relevant to today’s needs.” McConnell said university officials were finishing the new fiscal year budget June 13 and it will be reviewed by the board. “Do we have challenges? Yes, we do have challenges. That’s the nature of higher ed right now,” McConnell said. “But OCU has got a great future.” Trousdale said through SGA, he has been working to further communication between officials and students and ensuring students have a voice in university changes.

New freshmen class radiates positive enthusiasm Jessica Vanek

COMMUNITY MANAGER

The OCU class of 2023 is on campus and they’re ready to start the college life. To adjust to life at OCU, freshmen students go through Stars Week, a week of activities to help incoming students get involved on campus and get to know the campus community. Stars Week included “Scooby Doo @ OKCU,” a mystery tour of campus, OKCUReads discussion groups, diversity training, the Traditions Rally, a night of performances from each Stars group based on an OCU tradition, and other events for students. Bella Wright, undecided sophomore, is a New Student Orientation leader for this freshman class. She said the new class is adjusting well to the campus. “They’ve been doing good, better than I did,” Wright said. “They’re not getting annoyed with us, which is awesome. They’re taking everything in stride and being super fantastic.” Wright said the class is willing and open to talk about anything. “They all seem to really, actually care about things that are going on. If conversation gets funny, then they are funny, but they can also talk about serious things,” she said. Carly Pontius, dance freshman, said the university gives off positive energy. “What I’ve noticed about the campus is that there’s just an

M MEDIAOCU.com

These students seem very invested in the academic experience.

Levi Harrel dean of students

overall environment of support here from the upperclassmen, as well as the incoming freshmen and the faculty.” In addition to new performance students, the sports programs have recruited new faces, including Elonda Jennings, biology freshman. “I actually got an email from the school to be recruited for the track team,” Jennings said. “We meet on the 18th for the first time.” Jennings said meeting new people has made her feel comfortable. “It’s cool meeting everybody, new dormmates and upperclassmen,” she said. Sara Cobb, cell and molecular biology freshman, is also at OCU fulfilling a sports scholarship. “I actually found this school because I got a cheer scholarship,” Cobb said. “I’m on the STUNT team.”

Cobb said she has benefitted from attending the Stars Week events. “Just going to my Stars group and meeting new people has made this week great,” she said. Levi Harrel, dean of students, said the class size is not any different than usual. “There’s this aspect of all new students and traditional students, but we’re right on par with previous years,” he said. Harrel said this group of incoming students is dedicated to the idea of well-rounded college involvement. “These students seem very invested in the academic experience,” he said. “They really seem to be invested in getting to know how they can get involved more deeply rather than quantitatively.” Harrel also said the freshman class has a desire to form closeknit personal relationships with their fellow colleagues. Harrel said there is one important thing to remember in college. “Remember to ask questions,” he said. “Ask what you don’t know, whether that be in the classroom, walking to class, in the Caf. If it’s a question you need to ask faculty, staff or another peer, don’t be afraid to ask.”

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opinion Administrators must better inform students about staff, faculty changes In the past year, OCU has undergone a series of unexpected staff changes. Former police chief Jennifer Rodgers left OCU under unclear circumstances, and Police Chief Rusty Pyle replaced her as the new chief of police. Several faculty members and the dean of the School of Theatre have also left the campus. See page 3 for more about the new police chief and theatre and performance faculty changes. The mass communications department underwent several faculty changes, requiring flexible planning for courses and instructors this year. See page 1 for more about the departmental changes. The campus also has a new interim provost, Dr. George Sims. See page 4 for more about the new provost. While some students may be aware of faculty and

administration changes, they do not have clear information about why these changes have occurred or who will be filling in absent positions, even temporarily. These changes also confuse student workers who may be connected to these departments, creating potential stress about work study availability and time commitments when returning to campus from summer. Last year, President Martha Burger created a committee for updating campus values, and a survey was sent to students asking their opinion on what values should be promoted. This survey included ideas such as diversity, communication and inclusion. The university also advertises a close, personalized connection between faculty and students. The ability to communicate individually with professors is useful in a classroom setting, but the lack of communication

about larger-scale changes leaves students confused about their future at OCU. Students in departments undergoing changes need to know if their classes will continue as scheduled, as well as if the structure of their department will change due to new administration. When administrators don't communicate about these changes, students begin looking for their own answers and rumours start to spread. While administrative changes are challenging and require time and focus to complete, students deserve to have a more active part in this cycle. This will ease student anxiety about these changes and create a closer connection between administrators and the students they seek to serve and educate.

Talk Back “What are you most excited for this year?” "I'm excited for working on projects with other film majors."

"To see all the friends I made in Stars Week venture out into their element"

Colton Tompkins film sophomore

Camilo Gonzalez music theater freshman

"I don't have to take any gen eds."

"To get back into my craft."

Meredith England acting sophomore

Kayleigh Adams acting sophomore

"I'm actually excited for Calculus I."

"Getting to meet my new professors"

Alex Powell computer science sophomore

Charlie Freeman business administration sophomore

New editor-in-chief encourages students to share their stories, communicate “Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.” -St. Catherine of Siena This is an important motto for a journalist, no matter what level they are writing at, and an important motto for a student, no matter how loud they feel their voice might be. Hello, and welcome to a new year at OCU! My name is Emily Wollenberg, and I am your new editor-in-chief of Student Publications. I am a BFA Acting major with a minor in mass communications. I am a fan of true crime podcasts, Michelle Obama, and all types of cheese. I started working for Student Publications my freshman year, having little journalism experience, yet three years

later, I’m privileged to lead the Student Publications staff in seeking out the truth and educating our campus community. I have always had a passion for writing and different forms of media, but I didn’t find an outlet for that passion until I found Student Publications. This job has allowed me to tell the stories of our university. Each year at OCU brings new leadership, new students and countless other additions and changes to our ever growing OCU family. OCU is unique in its sense of community, its diversity of passions and stories and the drive and determination of its students. I have many goals for this year. As an organization that serves as the voice for the

Emily Wollenberg is an acting senior from Clarksville, AR. She enjoys true crime podcasts, Michelle Obama, and all types of cheese.

campus community, we have a responsibility to listen to our peers. It is my goal to tell the stories of students which aren’t always told. I want to sincerely invite our readers to reach out to us with ideas and share the interesting and unique narratives of this student body. We are here to serve you—truthfully, accurately and equally. As an organization, we want to find new ways to bring the OCU community information.

Through more immediate, online coverage and new mediums of sharing information, we want to ensure you continue to stay informed about your campus community in ways that work for you. Our mission statement also includes, “to entertain and serve the campus community,” and I want to further that this coming year. If one of our columnists can make you laugh and help the stress of academics

disappear for a minute, we are doing something right. I want to ask for open communication with you. Our job is to inform, but we can’t do that without your help. Please talk to us, reach out to us and give us feedback. You can contact our email, stupub@ my.okcu.edu, or my email, elwollenberg@my.okcu.edu with any questions, concerns or comments. Student media is important for so many reasons; it is the voice of the students. It is a way to hold officials accountable. It gives students the ability to be educated about the university they invest so much in. Even if you’re not the biggest reader, or you don’t care about news, pick up a newspaper every now and

then or check out our website, MediaOCU.com, to stay educated about your university. Lastly, I want to encourage the incoming freshman to get out of your comfort zone, explore your passions, find new hobbies, and try something you have never thought to try. College is the time to thrive and make mistakes— we all have so much to learn from our failures. If I had not applied for the newspaper my freshman year on a friend’s suggestion and a whim, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. This year, I am looking forward to growth, seeking the truth and telling your stories. I can't wait to see how this campus community gets stronger together.

The Farewell starts with strong premise, fails through lack of development I thought it would be funny to start the school year off with me reviewing a movie called The Farewell, so hello all and here is The Farewell. The Farewell is a movie directed, written and produced by Lulu Wang. The story follows a girl named “Billi,” portrayed by Awkwafina, and her family as they discover their grandmother is dying of lung cancer. According to their Chinese customs, the family witholds this information from their grandmother, and no one in the family is allowed to tell the grandmother the news. The family meets up in China to spend time with her as a family for what may be the last time. From the beginning, the story feels like a very personal one for Wang, even without

the knowledge that the story is based on her own life experiences. And no where else is this personal connection shown than in the directing. The way Wang directs in the first act really allows the audience to understand what the main character is going through due to the creative ways the scenes are shot and the overall compositions of the scenes. For the most part, this direction carries on into the rest of the movie. The rest of the movie, however, is not as good. The premise of the movie is very solid. There are definitely story pieces to explore within the setup, but the movie does not dive much deeper than it’s premise. After the first act of the movie, most of the conversations between characters can be boiled down

Paul Dower is a film production sophomore from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He likes squishy toys, hoodies and Stanley Kubrick.

to three repeating statements: “We should tell her!” “Should we tell her?” “No, we shouldn’t tell her.” The cultural reason for why they don’t tell the grandmother isn’t even brought up until more than halfway through the movie. The cultural tension between the different family members is not developed very well outside of one dinner conversation. The conversations feel as though they don't go any deeper than this: “Well, America does this.

But, China does this,” and so on. This back and forth storytelling leaves the movie feeling one-note. Speaking of one-note, Awkwafina’s character narrowly escapes being one-note due to the thin development given to her by the writing or dialogue. Awkwafina does not pull much weight acting-wise, making the main character uninteresting, which is sad because of all the potential within the story for her character. The rest of the

cast, however, felt very authentic. Everything, from physicality, to line delivery, to looks, to character interactions all felt very real. The grandmother has such grandmotherly qualities to her that everyone can see their own grandmother in her, which makes her condition so much more believable and sad. The family does a good job interacting and believably conveying the emotions that this kind of story gives. The most upsetting thing about this movie is how thin the premise appears to be after watching it. If Wang had chosen to focus on just one of the different elements of this story and then developed it, the movie would have turned out to be a fantastic. All that being said, it is

still one of the better movies I have seen all year just due to the amount of personality and direction and care that Wang put into the movie. If you get the chance to see it, I would still check it out. I would definitely look for more movies from her in the future. Sadly, this movie just barely missed the mark for me. I don’t really mind saying farewell to this one. Thank you all for reading my first column of the year. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to talk about my favorite subject on a platform such as this. I look forward to an excellent year in film (although that most likely will not be the case based on the rest of the year) and documenting my thoughts.

Activity Center

p.m. at Stars Field

Women's Volleyball vs. Wiley at 3 p.m in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

Men's Soccer vs. Bethany at 7 p.m. at Stars Field

Campus Calendar Calendar items must be received in the Newsroom or stupub@okcu.edu by noon Friday for inclusion in the following Wednesday issue.

THURSDAY Weekly chapel service from 1-2 p.m. in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel Weekly Play Club meeting from 7 p.m. to midnight in the Honors Lounge in Gold Star Memorial

Building

out a professor's signature

Dean's Welcome Back BBQ from 5-6:30 p.m. at Meinders School of Business West Lawn

Women's Volleyball vs. Paul Quinn at 12 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

FRIDAY Final day to add a fall class with-

Women's Volleyball vs. Huston-

THE CAMPUS Aug. 21, 2019, Volume 113, Issue 1

Editor-in-chief: Emily Wollenberg Copy Editor: Paul Dower Photo Editor: Clara Foster Community Manager: Jessica Vanek Web Editor: Luke Barrett Staff Writers: Erik Hamilton, Francesca Iacovacci, MaKayla

Baxter Columnists: Francesca Iacovacci, Paul Dower Photographer: Clara Foster, Carolann Stout Ad Director: Maddie Bowes Faculty Adviser: Ben Felder

Tillotson at 6 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center SATURDAY Women's Volleyball vs. University of the Southwest at 11 a.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and

TUESDAY Women's Soccer vs. Bethany at 5

Doctor of Physical Therapy Info Session from 5-6 p.m. in Ann Lacy Vistor Center

The Campus has served the Oklahoma City University community since 1907. It is published Wednesday during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and exam periods. The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s phone number, address, major, and classification. The staff reserves the right to edit all letters. The staff also reserves the right to refuse letters without explanation. Letters can be sent online at mediaocu.com, emailed to stupub@ okcu.edu or dropped off at the Newsroom in Walker Center for Arts and Sciences. Submitted items may appear on MediaOCU and in the print edition.

August 21, 2019

news

Celebrate good times Members of the Phi Mu sorority new member class celebrate during Formal Sorority Recruitment on Aug. 18 on the Quad. Over 90 women participated in recruitment, which started Aug. 14. The chapter’s theme was “Race home to Phi Mu.” Each sorority recruited at least 20 new members.

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Carolann Stout Student Publications

New police chief works to improve safety on campus MaKayla Baxter

STAFF WRITER

Rusty Pyle was promoted to chief of police after serving as interim chief since spring. Pyle officially became chief July 1 and was recognized July 17 at a pinning and swearing-in ceremony. “The position was open, and the university had the confidence in me to pick up the job and do what needs to be done,” Pyle said. “It’s a learning process, and you pick up more as you go.” He said he felt his previous experiences working in law enforcement helped him prepare for his new role. “I’ve been in law enforcement for almost 49 years,” Pyle said. “The position of chief of police is new for me, but as far as working in law enforcement, it’s not new at all.” Previously, Pyle served as supervisor for the Oklahoma City Police Department, and undersheriff for Grady County Police Department. Before being named chief, Pyle had served as lieutenant, and later, assistant police chief for the OCU Police Department. Pyle said dealing with severe weather threats has been a challenge. “The spring always brings extra workload because of the weather,” Pyle said. “However, we are prepared to handle that. I think everything went well.” Pyle said the department received positive feedback on its handling of severe weather drills and alerts during the Maymester period. “We put out timely weather warnings on a regular basis,” Pyle said. “We even put some out for heat advisories. We were very cautious.” Brianna Williams, acting junior, said the weather notifications were efficient for the first half of Maymester, but were not quite as reliable when severe weather threats became increasingly common.

I don’t know if every goal is attainable, but there’s a lot we are currently working on. Rusty Pyle chief police

“For the first half, it was really good,” Williams said. “Eventually, we started having to cancel classes due to the weather, and we wouldn’t always know what was going on right away.” Williams said she was concerned about students not knowing what specific weather threats meant and what precautions they needed to take. “We have so many students from all over the country who may be confused, so I wish they would be clearer about what we need to do and where to go.” Hannah Boyens, film/music senior, said she felt most of the alerts were issued in a timely manner. “Of course, people around me figured out the weather was bad, but I always got a Blue Alert around the same time,” Boyens said. “I didn’t feel like I was unsafe, or cheated by it or anything.” Williams said one severe weather warning was not issued until after the weather had already passed. “There was a really long lag with figuring out what was going on,” Williams said. “There was a lot of confusion, and it took a while for them to tell us what was damaged.” Boyens was also present at the time the weather hit. “It worries me that the first notification of danger I got was from a friend rather than OCUPD,” she said. “The response time could have been sooner. By the time the alert went out, everyone was already in the basement.” Williams said she hopes campus police can give suggestions on

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what weather apps or channels would be beneficial for students and faculty. “It was frustrating because we got an email saying we shouldn’t rely on OCUPD to tell us the weather, but a lot of us don’t know which weather sources are accurate. So, really, we do depend on them,” Williams said. “It would be nice if we could get that information ourselves and all be on the same page.” Pyle said he has many goals aimed at improving the police department and its presence on campus. “I don’t know if every goal is attainable, but there’s a lot we are currently working on,” he said. Pyle said he hopes to add additional campus police officers and equip them with newer, more efficient body armor. “We currently have nine positions, and I would like to increase that as much as possible and get more officers together on campus at one time,” he said. Williams said she wants to see more police presence on campus. “It would be nice to actually see them on campus, in case we need them, instead of being parked in their cars or driving around,” Williams said. “I feel like I always see them driving or pulling people over, yet when I’m walking back from the library at night, they’re never around. It would be really assuring to see them at times like that.” Boyens said she hopes the campus police will strive to pay more attention to student and faculty concerns. “Listen to us when we have problems,” Boyens said. “Lots of people have had issues with that. They have never felt listened to. However, I think that’s something the police department is trying to improve on, and I appreciate that.” Pyle asks that questions and suggestions be sent through SchoolDude at myschoolbuilding.com before emailing or calling him or campus police.

New head of BA theatre works to expand program’s network Paul Dower

COPY EDITOR

The BA Theatre and Performance program has a new interim head. On Aug. 4, Rick Reeves was asked to be interim head of the theatre and performance program for the year, replacing Greg DeCandia, the previous head of the program. Reeves will continue in his position as artist-inresidence: digital and media design. Reeves said the university will look for someone to permanently take the

position. “There will be a national search for the job,” Reeves said. “I will apply for that job because it is something I care about.” Reeves said he has several goals in mind for the program. one of which is changing the leadership structure. “I want to create more of a horizontal leadership structure, so everyone gets a voice in how we shape our organization this year,” Reeves said. “That way everybody feels valued, and everybody feels like they have a say.”

I’m excited for it, but it is going to be a lot of new things to deal with. Lauren Leppke theatre and performance sophmore

Reeves said he also wants to give theatre and performance students more summer opportunitites as well as expand the program’s reach to cities with more professional theater opportunities.

“Oklahoma City is far away from a lot of places like New York and Chicago, so I’m going to try to use our company meetings as time to Skype in theater artists from around the country, so our students

here, and me, can learn from people we wouldn’t normally have contact with,” Reeves said. Lauren Leppke, theatre and performance sophomore, said the change in leadership was a bit of a shock. “It’s going to be an interesting year. I’m excited for it, but it is going to be a lot of new things to deal with,” Leppke said. “With the head of the BA changing, which I just found out about three days ago, it’s just kind of like a new territory that we are nervous about.” Alyssa Peters, theatre and

performance senior, said she is excited for Reeves to lead the program. “He is a good person. I think he will have a lot of positive change in the program. I feel like I’ll be doing a lot with my major this year.” Peters said. “I’ve always loved the program, but with the changes he’s talked about, it just sparks a new passion and fire within me.”

Film department moves into mass communications space Emily Wollenberg

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Billy Palumbo, visiting assistant film professor, adjusts a light in the TV studio in the mass communication department. The film department, which was formerly housed in Dawson-Loeffler Center and the Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, is moving into the mass communications department in Walker Center for Arts and Sciences. Paul Dower Student Publications

August 21, 2019

Film students are moving to a new space that will make their program more accessible. The film department, which was formally housed in DawsonLoeffler Center and the Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, began moving their film equipment into the mass communications department in Walker Center June 7. Jeffrey Miles, film junior and film production equipment technician, said the move is a result of the film production lacking a fully-functional educational space. “We’ve resorted to a wing of a science building and a closet of two other buildings,” Miles said. The film department’s primary location will be the television studio in the mass comm department, Miles said. The technicians have already moved the film equipment into the studio. Bryan Cardinale-Powell, film chairman, said the film department is still part of the School of Visual Arts, while the mass communications department is part of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences.

“I think it’s too early to call it a merger,” Cardinale-Powell said. “The university has seen an opportunity for the film department to locate itself in a place that’s more central on campus.” Miles said the new space offers educational advantages to the film students, such as lighting and accessibility. He said the film department’s use of the space will not conflict with mass comm students’ classes or access. “I think in the long run, sharing the spaces will be great,” he said. “We have our documentary classes in the film school that people in the broadcasting style could benefit from, and the same goes for the opposite where we could find benefit from what they’re doing.” Trae Trousdale, mass communications junior, said mass comm department officials had talked about the merge in the past. “I think adding the film department could bring in more diversity of teachers,” Trousdale said. “It gives us that unique ability to see the current market and learn from true professionals that are at work.”

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Sou�ce: okcu.edu

Hail, Alma Mater Top: The incoming class of 2023 poses with the Gold Star at the 2019 Matriculation Convocation on Aug. 15 in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. Left: Tony Gonzalez, associate director of choral activities, leads the class of 2023 in singing the OCU Alma Mater. The students began learning the song at the beginning of the week. Right: Russ Tallchief, director of student diversity & inclusion, speaks to the class of 2023. Tallchief is a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma.

New interim provost to improve administration planning Luke Barrett

WEB EDITOR

The university’s new interim provost plans to streamline academic planning. Dr. George Sims was named interim provost of OCU and began work July 16. The provost is a senior academic position ranking similarly to a vice president. The provost ensures coordination between academic programs and administration systems such as the registrar and library, Sims said. “Overall, higher education in the United States is in a period of time when there’s a great deal of disruptive and tumultuous change,” he said. These changes include national policies regarding financial aid, student needs and expectations, technological advancements, and the economy. “It affects higher education because what we need to do and especially what our faculty members need to do to prepare students for life is all changing, and it’s changing pretty quickly,” Sims said. “What I want to introduce is the habit of understanding academic planning as the continuous participation in a set of planning processes.” Sims said this ongoing process differs from making a single

What our faculty members need to do to prepare students for life is all changing.

Dr. George Sims interim provost

plan, following it for several years, then changing it. Sims said this process includes four parts: 1. Observing the world and anticipating societal changes 2. Identifying and implementing new programs 3. Understanding and supporting academic student needs 4. Maintaining a process of academic program review Sims said he meets with the school deans every two weeks and has a weekly meeting with President Martha Burger. “I need to, in all of those meetings, consistently be asking, ‘okay, what are you learning as you’re scanning the outside, what ideas do you have for program development, new programs or revisions or improvements,’” Sims said. “I have to be asking, ‘where do you

see opportunities to support students better and more effectively, so that they are successful academically, so that they persist in their degree program, so they graduate, so they get to the next step in life.’” In June, Sims left his provost position at Spring Hill College in Alabama after over a decade in the role. He joined the Registry, an organization of retired academic presidents and leaders who make themselves available to serve as interim officials at various universities. Sims said OCU administrators found him through this site. Sims said he believes he was chosen to help fill a needed position and because he has experience as a provost at several colleges across the country. President Burger said Dr. Sims will likely serve as provost the entirety of this academic year and possibly for next year. “He really brings a great deal of experience with private universities,” she said. Burger said he was chosen for his thoughtfulness regarding OCU’s connection to Oklahoma City. She said his thoughts regarding liberal arts resonated with her. “He’s very erudite; he’s so able to explain what we all know to be true, which is how a liberal arts education benefits a person,” Burger said.

Greek Life officials consider adding new fraternity to campus Francesca Iacovacci

STAFF WRITER

Greek Life has an open spot for a new fraternity after the disbanding of Phi Gamma Delta. Last spring, the OCU chapter of Phi Gamma Delta dissolved due to low membership. Phi Gamma Delta was part of the Greek Life community as a colony since 2010 and was officially chartered in 2015. At the end of fall semester in 2018, Fiji had 10 members. Other fraternities such as Lambda Chi Alpha and Kappa Sigma had 53 and 45 members, respectively. Phi Gamma Delta members struggled to fill cabinet positions and agreed they could not provide a fraternity experience to new pledges with such low membership. Levi Harrel, dean of students, said OCU may add another fraternity on campus. “It’s absolutely a possibility for our campus community,” said Harrel. “I fundamentally believe competition builds a fantastic fraternity system that makes us all better.”

If we had more good, healthy competition, it would loosen up the tension between the two existing fraternities and would definitely bring more diversity to campus. Cooper Clack music sophomore

OCU currently has two Interfraternity Council organizations, Kappa Sigma and Lambda Chi Alpha. An additional fraternity would introduce more opportunities for incoming students to get involved, said Cooper Clack, music sophomore and Kappa Sigma member. “If we had more good, healthy competition, it would loosen up the tension between the two existing fraternities and would definitely bring more diversity to campus,” Clack said. “We would think more outside of the box, especially for events like Homecoming.”

Erik Rangel, finance and economics junior and member of Lambda Chi Alpha, said another organization would benefit student life. “Having another option would allow the young men of this campus to grow as individuals and have a brotherhood,” Rangel said. “Greek Life has given me more opportunities to lead and an organization I’m really passionate about.” There are no current plans set to add a specific fraternity; however, the decision lies with students and their interest in founding a new chapter. “We do have the campus population to support three IFC fraternities,” Harrel said. If interested in founding an IFC chapter on campus, contact Harrel at ljharrel@okcu.edu for more information.

Officials leave OrgSync behind, transition to more streamlined platform Erik Hamilton

STAFF WRITER

Administrators are looking to engage with students through an updated service. OrgSync is a system OCU has used for years in order to manage student organizations. Now, officials are transitioning from OrgSync to a new platform called Engage. Student organization leaders now use Engage to officially layout positions of officers, store forms and documents and reserve spaces for events. All information student organizations had on OrgSync has already been moved over to Engage, said Levi Harrel, dean of students. “It’s business as usual,” Harrel said. “If they encounter any issues, they can speak with me or they can speak with Allison Hudson, our new assistant director of student engagement. I’d be more than happy to help students navigate that process.” Campus Labs LLC ran OrgSync and shut the platform down entirely, replacing it with Engage, Harrel said. “Honestly, functionally speaking, there’s not a tremendous amount of difference in Engage versus OrgSync,” Harrel said. “It’s owned by the same company. It is really their more revamped version of OrgSync. I think there will be some more streamlined August 21, 2019

I did have some trouble navigating OrgSync because I wasn’t sure what other events were scheduled on cer tain days. Hannah Boyens film/music senior

processes. I think it’s going to be more user friendly than OrgSync was for our student population, and I think they’re going to take to it really quickly.” Harrel said OCU will use Engage as its primary system for management of student organizations for the foreseeable future. “I did have some trouble navigating OrgSync because I wasn’t sure what other events were scheduled on certain days, or who I needed to ask for permission, or if it was just through OrgSync,” said Hannah Boyens, film/music senior and artistic director of The Shadow Collective. “Sometimes I realized you had to email the people as well as go through OrgSync, but if this process makes

that easier, I’m all for it.” The new system will also help make Student Government Association documents more accessible. “OrgSync was starting to expand my senior year, and we were having to upload more information and update it more,” said Jordan Tarter, English alumna and former president of the Student Government Association. “But I still feel like it was a bit difficult for people who were unfamiliar with OrgSync to navigate. So, I think making documents more accessible, the constitution more accessible, is going to be really helpful, especially if we talk about it and inform people about it from the time they’re freshmen and really emphasize how helpful it’ll be for getting involved in the community.” Tarter also had experiences with OrgSync before her tenure as SGA president, when she was president of the formerly operational group Students Against Sexism in Society. “I think that the Involved Center did a great job of getting people to use OrgSync, however, the site in itself wasn’t the most accessible. If this new site is a little more accessible and user friendly than OrgSync, if the site improves, that’s a win,” she said.