Jan. 9 by MediaOCU

THE CAMPUS `

January 9, 2019 – Volume 112 Issue 13

Tuition to increase for first time in five years Emily Wollenberg

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

University officials increased tuition and fees for the first time in five years, and students are unhappy about it. President Martha Burger sent a universitywide email Dec. 20, informing students of the finalization of tuition and fees for the 2019-20 academic year. “Undergraduate tuition will increase 3 percent beginning with the Summer 2019 term. This increase amounts to $409 per semester for block tuition,” according to the email. “Graduate, doctorate, law, physician assistant, RN-BSN, and adult degree completion tuition will remain the same.” Fee changes for 2019-20 are: - An increase of $25 per credit hour with the exception of the physician assistant program. - A 3 percent increase in housing fees. - A 5 percent increase for student meal plans, as outlined in the contract with OCU’s food service provider. The changes amount to about a $400-700 per year increase for graduate, law and doctoral students, and a $2,000 per year increase for undergraduate students with a meal plan who live on campus. “A tuition increase is always a difficult decision to make and we spent a great deal of time analyzing and discussing our best options,” the email reads. Matthew Reindl, music theater senior, posted on the OCU Facebook page about the increase, addressing university officials. “I think the students are owed a deeper explanation about the tuition increase. What is this money being designated to? Why is it necessary? Cause if the money is going towards paying our professors more or improving our facilities, great. But I want to make sure it’s not just going into some executives pocket,” he wrote in the post. The post received more than 90 likes and 20 comments from students and alumni. Reindl said, even though the increase won’t affect him as a senior, he thought he should speak out about it. “I felt like it was my duty to speak up on behalf of the student body,” he said. “I wanted to do it publicly to give other students the chance to give their input and not just have the issue brushed aside. And, given the reaction, a lot of other people clearly agreed.” Aaron Bates, acting sophomore, said he is frustrated by the limited communication from university officials. “I understand, in the grand scheme of things, sometimes prices just have to go up,” Bates said. “There are times where there’s no avoiding that. But what really upset me was the entire lack of any heads up that a tuition raise may be coming.” Bates said he didn’t appreciate the lack of explanation about the purpose of the increase and that officals responded with vague answers to the frustrated Facebook comments on Reindl’s post. “If it’s an increase of pay to our professors that I’d wager many students think they deserve, then tell us,” he said. “If it’s possibly attempting to truly fix security at Cokes so someone can’t just stick their hand through the pedestrian gate and hit the exit button to open the gate, then tell us.” The purpose of the increase is so OCU can continue to offer all of the services it offers and to keep up with rising costs, said Kevin Windholz, vice president for enrollment management and university communications. “Naturally, the costs associated with the services we provide go up every year, just like things do,” he said. Tuition hasn’t increased at OCU since 2014, he said. “That’s a lot of years when the costs went up, but we have not

increased our base revenue with it,” Windholz said. Windholz said he doesn’t think the increase is significant compared to what it could have been. “You will find a lot of universities that go up 3 to 5 percent every year. Really, it could have been much more significant than that,” he said. Bates said he knows people who have had to leave the school, even after working for scholarships and requesting financial aid. He said he fears more students will be forced to do so after the increase. University officials are offering scholarship options for students who have financial concerns about the increase. “They would have to speak with their financial aid counselor, and we encourage them to do so,” Windholz said. “If it’s deemed that, based upon student need, based on the financial information of the student, that they need some sort of scholarship, that is something that we are prepared to do.” Dr. Beth Fleming, professor of musicology and Faculty Senate member said she was not informed of the increase until the last day of class of the fall semester during a Faculty Senate meeting. Fleming said she sees both sides of the tuition increase. “It’s one of those things where it’s hard on everyone to think about doing these types of things, but it’s also something that I’m sure they really used a lot of good sense and thoughtfulness when they did finally decide to do it,” she said. “Part of me says that raising tuition is a bad thing, but part of me says that it’s a good thing because maybe it will help bolster up some stuff that’s been waiting to get done because we didn’t have any raises.” Fleming said faculty discussed some of the issues caused by a lack of money. “In Faculty Senate this past semester, we talked about the fact that faculty salaries and benefits are low, especially for working in the state of Oklahoma,” she said. Students want to know what they’re paying for, Reindl said. “My whole thing is, they had to come up with a plan and a budget to get the numbers they did for the increase. They should already know where this money is going. It’s been budgeted for. So, if they’re not doing anything sketchy with it, I don’t see why releasing a breakdown would be an issue,” Reindl said. “If it’s going

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toward improving the student experience as they said, they should have nothing to worry about.” Windholz said the increase is to sustain an operational budget for the university. “All of our budgets are in one pot. The exact same amount of revenue that generates budgets for housing is the exact same amount of revenues that generates budgets for the library or for campus technology,” Windholz said. “It’s to keep up with costs to keep offering the services that we’ve always offered.” Windholz said he could not provide information about what the money is specifically being used for. “It all comes down to the whole budget. It’s about maintaining that operational budget to keep up with rising costs,” he said. Reindl said he thinks the email was strategically sent during Winter Break to create less pushback from students. He said it also could have been so students could communicate with their parents about the increase, but other students who commented on his Facebook post agreed with his first thought. “They haven’t exactly established trust with the student body surrounding this issue,” he said. The announcement about the increase was made during Winter Break because that was when officials reached a budgetary agreement, Windholz said. “We weren’t certain until we got halfway through the fiscal year that this was what we were going to pursue. There was nothing specific about the time period. It was just by chance,” he said. Jake Fox, kinesiology and physical education alumnus, said tuition increases are necessary at a university. “Tuition will increase. It’s going to happen,” he said. “While I was at OCU, the tuition and fees went up every single year. It wasn’t until my senior year where they made it so each student is locked into a single rate for tuition for the four years they were there.” Windholz said the classes that entered OCU under the locked rate policy came to the school in 2013-2014 and have since graduated. He said officials changed the policy because, with a locked rate, they could never increase tuition to keep up with rising costs. “If you lock the rate, you don’t have an opportunity to ever increase revenue if you’re in a position where you need to,” he said. Fox said transparency is important with a tuition increase. “I do think the students have a right to know why something increases. OCU is already super expensive,” he said. “Having to provide for myself and pay for everything in school by myself with the help of an athletic scholarship that barely put a dent in the cost was very hard. I had to make lots of sacrifices to be able to attend.” Jordan Tarter, Student Government Association president and English senior, said she is working to create a forum with university officials for students to attend and to ask questions about the increase. She said she has been unable to get into contact with President Burger because of the holidays. “I’m very adamant in trying to set this up so that students can get a more direct understanding as to why these tuition changes were made. I’ve also posted the emails of our VP for Enrollment Management and our CFO on social media so that students can email them directly with any questions and concerns they have,” Tarter said. Tarter will continue to be in contact with university officials to arrange the forum, she said. Burger was unavailable Jan. 7 for comment.

Panhellenic Council appoints new leaders, plans to unify Greek life Sarah Muscarella

STAFF WRITER

The Panhellenic Council will have entirely new leaders in 2019. Kendall Procaccino, theater and performance/education sophomore, was appointed president of Panhellenic Council, a student-run committee that oversees all OCU sororities and changes members every calendar year, said Levi Harrel, director of student engagement. “There is absolutely a new sense of energy and enthusiasm. These student leaders are excited, they are ready to go,” he said. Each position on the council rotates to a different sorority every year, and each organization handles choosing a nominee differently, Harrel said. Rather than have an election, Alpha Phi executives selected the Panhellenic president this year, Procaccino said. After running for a minor position in her sorority, Procaccino was chosen to serve as Panhellenic president. “It finally hit me what it was and how big of a deal it was. I didn’t know that I would be the person in charge of literally everything and representing Greek life in general,” Procaccino said. “I was super flattered and humbled by my sisters that gave me that opportunity.” Procaccino’s responsibilities as president include attending three meetings a week, representing all the sororities on campus and improving recruitment. Though the position requires quite a commitment, her responsibilities are worth it, Procaccino said. “It’ll take up a lot of time, but I want to do it, I want to have that. I love Greek life. It’s changed my life. I want to represent not only Alpha Phi, but OCU,” she said. Procaccino said she plans to focus on streamlining recruitment and amplifying Greek life’s presence on campus. Unifying the

M MEDIAOCU.com

I love Greek life. It's changed my life. I want to represent not only Alpha Phi, but OCU.

Kendall Procaccino theater and performance sophomore

houses is also a focus, she said. “I want the houses to become one and just represent OCU in general, and I also just want to make the recruitment process smooth, because it’s terrifying,” Procaccino said. “I want to really encourage and work with the freshman and the team and make it seamless and easy and chill.” Procaccino said she has not served as a leader at OCU, but was student body treasurer and thespian president in high school. “I’ve definitely always loved being a leader and guiding others and inspiring others,” Procaccino said. “I just thought I would have a small role, but I guess they saw something in me, which I was super humbled by.” Alongside Procaccino, Maddie Barnes, dance sophomore, will be vice president of recruitment, and Ellie Roth, finance junior, will be vice president of programming. Hannah Malinowski, dance junior, will be vice president of communications. In Phi Mu, Malinowski served as the assistant Phi director and Phi director, the point of contact for new members of the sorority. She ran for the Panhellenic position because she wanted

to get involved with recruitment, and Phi Mu executives chose her, she said. “I decided that I wanted to move to more of a Panhellenic scope because I love recruitment,” Malinowski said. “Getting to help women experience that in the best way possible is something that was so intriguing to me, and being able to enhance women’s Greek Life experience was something that I was really excited about.” As vice president of communications, Malinowski serves as Rho Gamma during recruitment, guiding freshmen through the process. She also acts as secretary during Panhellenic meetings and updates Procaccino’s agenda. Running the Panhellenic social media is her responsibility as well. “I am planning on being more active on social media. I think, especially for our generation, that’s how a lot of people communicate with each other, and so I think it’s important to utilize those media sources that we have,” she said. Malinowski said she hopes people follow the Panhellenic council pages for information about on-campus events, even if they are not going through recruitment. Students may follow Panhellenic Council on Instagram at @okcu_panhellenic or on Twitter at @OKCUPanhellenic. They also may like the Facebook page, “OKCU Panhellenic.” “I’m so excited for the people that I’m going to get to work with. All of the members from all the other houses are so extraordinary,” Malinowski said. “I think we each bring something so unique to our role, and I just can’t wait to see what we do this year with the new exec team.”

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opinion Lack of communication on tuition increase threatens student trust During Winter Break, university officials announced a $2,000 per year tuition increase for undergraduate students. Some students went to social media to express frustrations and concerns regarding the hike. See Page 1 for more on the increase. One of the main complaints from students was the lack of warning or discussion before the increase was announced, and rightfully so. If university officials had been more transparent about the possibility of an increase by communicating about it beforehand, students would probably be more understanding. Not giving a warning about something so important and often worrisome to students made the announcement jarring and frustrating, especially during a time when students were trying to relax with their loved ones and not stress about school.

Furthermore, students who already barely make ends meet may have to consider other options to complete their college degrees. While scholarships are being offered and assistance from financial aid is encouraged, the likelihood of everyone’s needs being met is slim. It is true that tuition increases typically happen every year at most colleges. This is the first one in five years, which explains why it is so large. While increases are common, it’s frustrating for students that neither a specific list of reasons for the change nor an idea of where the money will go were released. It’s no secret that there are improvements on this campus that need to be made, and students just want to know if those needs will be met with this change. The vague responses from university officials so far are an added layer of frustration for the student body. With President Martha Burger out of the office until

Talk Back “What do you want to see from Greek life in the new year?”

Jan. 14, her input on the subject also is unknown to students. Officials responded through the university Facebook account to a comment regarding the increase, writing, “The increase will help ensure the continuation and enhancement of the unique, personalized student experience that prepares our students for a bright future.” Though this shows a clear effort to address student concerns, this kind of language is too vague and generic to actually communicate anything the students want to know. As long as students respectfully request more information on the matter, a conversation needs to occur between the student body and officials about the tuition increase.

"More events between sororities and fraternities" Monica Brown dance senior

"More opportunity for the chapters to grow together on campus" Kaitlyn Griswell vocal performance sophomore

"I'd like to see us expand off campus with events."

"People involved in Greek life interacting with people they don't know"

Vance Klassen music theater/vocal performance sophomore

Lisi Levy acting sophomore

"I want to see more relationships with one another rather than competition."

"I want to see a more inclusive event for the spring semester."

Teddy Edgar music theater/vocal performance junior

Jeffery Dubey dance sophomore

New columnist discusses positive evolution of The 1975 The 1975’s newest album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, was released Nov. 30, and I turned 22 in late December. Like any birthday, I felt a contrived sense of being older and wiser than I had before. The album scored my entire month, and I couldn’t help but think how The 1975 has changed through the years. Reflecting on the band’s journey made me realize that the world doesn’t revolve around perfection. Instead it relies on intention and understanding. To say that the latter half of my high school experience was soundtrack-ed by previous albums by The 1975 would be an understatement. But, lead singer Matty Healy has been deemed a problematic fave by publications and fans alike,

thanks to insensitive tweets and comments, and onstage incidents that left audience members worried for Healy’s well-being. Something seems different about this era of Healy, though, as he’s less frenetic and offers more clarity in his opinions and responses. Healy seems to have cleaned up his act, at least in regards to his Twitter presence. When asked on Dec. 5 about the presence of misogyny and racism in music, he shared with his 866k followers that there were aspects he didn’t feel he could comment on because of his social privilege, stating, “What I believe is that I’m not educated enough to speak on THAT properly…” But Healy’s not ignoring the big issues in his work. He is at least attempting

Amanda Miller is an English senior from Kansas City. She likes pop culture, glitter and iced coffee.

to amplify voices and opinions through his own music. His attempt is evident in the single Love It If We Made It which was released July 19. The lyrics to the song reference Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling, Lil Peep’s death, Syrian refugees, and President Donald Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood recording. The song finishes each verse with the hook “Modernity has failed us… I’d love it if we made it.” The entire

piece functions as a mirror to society, a reflection of daily life and its controversies, and the way that we, as a population, have reacted. It’s as if Healy is asking, begging and pleading for us to reconsider what we’ve done to create points of such conflict. In addition to an increase in politically-charged songs, Healy has come clean about his past, including the popular song Medicine, which was featured

in the movie Drive. The song, which many fans thought may be about the romance between the movie’s two main characters, features the lines “You rid me of the blues ever since you came into my life, cause you’re my medicine.” On Dec. 3, Healy tweeted, “I think I have to come clean and admit this was never a metaphor. It’s not about a girl. You know what it’s about. And I’ve always felt weird about it. And I’m kind of sorry.” While anyone with internet access can ruminate on Healy’s past missteps or imagine a world where something goes wrong in the future, it feels more productive to look toward the positive and think about the desire to improve in daily life, as well as the desire to overcome mistakes and failures. For artists specifi-

cally, it is most important to consider the idea that music, or art in general, can be a bridge from talking about an issue to creating a change in our own world. Who knows what the future may hold for Matty and The 1975 (technically, they plan to release another album before summer), but, for now, fans and listeners alike may rethink some of their own views by listening and learn something about themselves along the way. By examining the influences of popular cultures and our environments, taking into account various perspectives and attempting to learn as much as possible, we can improve our own lives one quick read at a time. So, here’s to 2019, and here’s to that.

Smash Bros. Ultimate rewards players, embodies franchise spirit Imagine you’re at a party. Just you, a group of friends, a low-key and casual environment, and a television. If your friends are the kind worth keeping, then there’s no question what game you’d see on that screen—Super Smash Bros. The fighting game franchise has defined the gaming scene of generations, the No. 1 party game and the maker or breaker of friendships. I have spent 15 years playing it, from the clunky Nintendo 64 original to the 2014 Wii U iteration. After this many sequels, Super Smash Bros. is almost a sport, as common as a driveway basketball hoop or a ping-pong table, and in Major League Gaming Corp., it may as well be an

Olympic category. This is the precedent Nintendo executives set for themselves, and, when the fifth installment Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was announced, some immense internet hype started building. The instant I received a text message reading simply “Smash is bonkers,” I knew it was all worth it. The word “bonkers” is appropriate because I could tell the physics had seriously altered the second I started playing. Series Director Masahiro Sakurai apparently thought everything in the game needed to be cranked up to 11, and, since everything was increased uniformly, it scales out perfectly. The hits are harder, the moves

Chandler White is an English senior from Meeker, Oklahoma. He likes gothic horror and good hip-hop.

are crisper and each blow feels like it really connects. In fact, some attacks are so hard-hitting, they actually change the entire level background or cinematically zoom the screen in just to see how epic the KO is. The central appeal of the Super Smash Bros. series is the variety of characters one can choose from. Everybody knows at least one Nintendo character,

so there’s always a player for you to choose. Maybe you’re the one who enrages the entire room simultaneously by playing as “Little Mac,” or maybe you’re the one who picks “Kirby” every time and waits for someone to stumble into your mouth so you can leap off the edge with them. But, in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it doesn’t matter what character you’re good with

because everyone who has ever been featured in any Super Smash Bros. game is included, making a roster of 74 different playable characters. A full house like this may seem excessive or unoriginal on its face, but it makes for more variety and accessibility to the game, and you can’t have enough of that. When you first open the game, though, you’ll be disappointed to see that only the original eight characters are available at first, which means you’ll have to grind quite a bit to one-by-one unlock the full roster. As annoying as this might seem, all it did was make me want to play the game more, and then I valued it that much more when I unlocked the

characters I really love. By the end of my first day owning the game, I had played more than 100 matches. Masahiro made the right call in titling this game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, because, with the maximized intensity and all-encompassing roster, this game really is the “ultimate” Super Smash Bros. game. It embodies everything the fans know and love about the series and everything that made the game so fun to begin with. So, next time you’re at a party, scan the room. If they don’t have a television with a Nintendo Switch hooked up to it displaying this game’s title screen, put your coat back on and politely leave the party.

State University at 3:45 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

Medium Rehearsal Hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

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 Chapel from 1-2 p.m. in B i s h o p W. A n g i e S m i t h Chapel Women's basketball vs. Wayland Baptist University at 6 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena

in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center Men's basketball vs. Wayland Baptist University at 7:45 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

Weekly Play Club meeting from 7-9 p.m. in the Honors Lounge in Gold Star Memorial Building SATURDAY Strut the Red Carpet Social Dance at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDan-

iel University Center Women's basketball vs. Panhandle State at 2 p.m. in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center Men's basketball vs. Panhandle

THE CAMPUS

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.

Jan. 9, 2019, Volume 112, Issue 13

Editor-in-chief: Nicole Waltman Associate Editor: Emily Wollenberg Copy Editor: Chandler White Photo Editor: Elina Moon Web Editor: Jessica Vanek

Staff Writers: Callie Dewees, Erik Hamilton, Paul Dower, Dru Norton, Sarah Muscarella, Hope Melton Columnists: Caroline Hawthorne, Amanda Miller Photographers: Carolann Stout,

SUNDAY Faculty Recital: Professor Jamie Whitmarsh at 7 p.m. in the

TUESDAY Facult y Recital: Professor John Allen Hall at 7:30 p.m. in Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-

Kylie Sullivan, Hope Melton Videographer: Emily Haan Ad Director: Emily Jones Faculty Adviser: Kenna Griffin

ters 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.

January 9, 2019

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First theater production to feature Greek classic Hope Melton

STAFF WRITER

The first Stage II production for the spring semester will be Phèdre, directed by Hal Kohlman, adjunct professor of theater and performance. The play is written by French playwright Jean Racine, who adapted it from classic Greek and Roman mythology. The play takes place in ancient Greece. It centers around “Phèdre,” the queen of Athens, who struggles after being cursed by the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Phèdre must fall in love with her stepson, “Hippolytus,” who does not return her affections. Reily Preston, acting senior, plays Phèdre. She said Kohlman and the actors are trying to make Greek theater more approachable. “He wants to see what we bring to the table and how we can flesh out these people and make them real and not make Greek seem so daunting while also bringing the heaviness of the story,” Preston said. “I think people that are wary of Greek or classical should go see this play because I think it is contemporary in a way. We want the text to be more conversational and to be more

It's good for the university to be able to see classical drama show up on stage every now and then and talk about whatever is brought up in that classical drama.

Hal Kohlman

adjunct professor theater and performance

accessible and understandable.” Kohlman said the play’s translation helps make it more accessible to a modern audience. “The play was originally written in Alexandrine rhymed couplets,” Kohlman said. “But the translation we are using is a blank verse translation, so it really is just like normal people having a conversation, so there is sort of modernization to it.” Kohlman said it’s good for the campus community to be exposed to classical works like Phèdre.

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“It’s good for the university to be able to see classical drama show up on the stage every now and then and talk about whatever is brought up in that classical drama, and how that may or may not have contemporary relevance,” Kohlman said. Preston said the play has some relevance to modern times. “I can see it kind of fitting into the Me Too movement and maybe the sides of the stories where women accuse men but it’s not accurate,” Preston said. “I think it’s really hard to tell that side of the story because you want the women to tell the truth, you want them to be the good guy, but she is almost like the bad guy because she schemes and she gets Hippolytus into trouble.” Phèdre will be performed at 8 p.m. Jan. 24-26 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 27 in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center. School of Theater students can reserve free tickets at the box office located in the Edith Kinney Gaylord Center. Everyone else can purchase tickets for $5 at the box office or at okcu.edu/tickets.

Elina Moon Student Publications

Practice makes perfect Katelyn Jassoy, music theater/vocal performance senior, sings Someone Like You by Adele while accompanying herself on the piano in a practice room in Wanda L. Bass Music Center. The practice rooms opened Jan. 4 for student use when the university reopened after Winter Break. Left: Jeremiah Rupp, bass performance senior, practices Variazoni Sul Tema Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento by Giovanni Bottesini. Rupp will play in the Symphony Orchestra Concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at Putnam North City High School, 11800 N. Rockwell Ave.

Oklahoma Children's Theatre to hire new student teachers Dru Norton

STAFF WRITER

The Oklahoma Children’s Theatre is offering opportunities for students to get involved in their programs. Applications are open for students to be a part of the local theater’s Page to Stage, summer camp, after-school classes, and Winter and Spring Break camps. Mercedes Arndt, acting senior, is in charge of the after-school classes. Arndt said they travel to three schools: Putnam Heights Elementary School on Wednesdays, Wilson Elementary School on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Eugene Field Elementary School on Fridays. “The after-school program is eight to nine weeks of teaching the students theater basics, improv, musical theater, and more,” Arndt said. “We’ll play improv games, sing, dance, and go over what theater is.” Arndt said she was excited to take over the after-school program. “I enjoy having a sense of ownership over something,” Arndt said. “I created a whole new curriculum. It was a challenge I really wanted to take on.” Mollie Reid, education director at Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, said the programs always have two adults in the room, a lead teacher and an assistant. “Our biggest program comes in the summer when we offer 12 weeks of camp,” Reid said. “OCU students serve as assistant teachers to begin with. There are opportunities for students to move to co-teachers and even teachers if they continue working

The after-school program is eight to nine weeks of teaching the students theater basics, improv, musical theater, and more. Mercedes Arndt

acting senior

with our program.” Adelaide Ross, acting senior, said she started as a teaching assistant at the 2018 summer camp. Ross said the duties of being a teaching assistant include leading the children to their class, eating lunch with them and helping out during class time. “I was assigned a group of kids every week, and each week would be a different class. I had a dance class, a Spanish class, a film class, everything,” Ross said. “It’s so cool to see the kids in all the different classes. It basically covered the bases of whatever the kids might be interested in.” The camp helps children gain self-confidence, make new friends and acquire different skills, Ross said. Ross was also a part of Page to Stage, a semester-long literacy theater program that teaches kindergarten through second graders theater skills, reading and more in their classrooms. “For the second graders, we read them a story and do a bunch of activities afterward. We teach them cause and effect, the sequence of events in the story and vocab. There are certain criteria that we have

to meet for the academic standards for Oklahoma public schools,” Ross said. “At the end of the week, OCT brings in the play of the book they read, Freckle Juice. They also get to keep the book.” Arndt said, although she enjoys teaching theater, it is not always easy. “I have learned that it’s one thing to do theater all the time, but it’s another thing to teach it,” Arndt said. “Theater is more abstract and doesn’t always have concrete answers like teaching math would. I’m always surprised by how smart the kids are.” Ross said her favorite part about working for Oklahoma Children’s Theatre is seeing the children perform at the end of the week. “The moment of seeing what they created and how proud they are of it is the best feeling,” Ross said. “It’s so rewarding to know that they’ll continue to do things like that and create their own art. It’s the best.” Reid said any student with a passion for working with children and who wants to get involved may contact her at mollie@oklahomachildrenstheatre.org, or may visit the “get involved” section of OCT’s website, oklahomachildrenstheatre.org. Applications for summer camp staff are due by Jan. 18. “Our goal at OCT is to instill a love of the arts in the children of our community,” Reid said. “We believe that the students that work with us leave with a better understanding of the art forms themselves, and a knowledge of how to effectively share the arts with children.”

Project 21 concert to showcase new music, choreography Paul Dower

STAFF WRITER

Project 21 and the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment will perform side by side in a concert this semester. The concert will be the second consecutive joint performance and will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. Dr. Edward Knight, professor of music and composer in residence, said the concert will be a collaboration between the Project 21 composers and choreographers in the dance school. January 9, 2019

“The composers that are interested in writing and the choreographers that are interested all had a quick meeting,” Knight said. “So the composers pitched their ideas, and the choreographers would pitch what they thought they would bring to the music.” Knight said the composers and choreographers will consist mainly of graduates and upperclassman undergraduates. “The students who are either upper class or graduate have the first opportunity because they are not going to be here,” he said. “We want everybody to have opportunities instead of a freshman doing it for four years in a row, I mean, it’s a little

redundant.” Matthew Campbell, music composition graduate and president of Project 21, said he participated in the concert as a composer before. “The amount of talent level that we have here is just unmatched anywhere in the nation, and how lucky are we to be able to write music for them,” Campbell said. “Not just for them to bring our vision to life, but to also bring their own vision brought to life.” Clint Williams, music composition graduate and organizational liaison between Project 21 and the dance school, said the concert is modeled off of a program at The Juilliard School.

“The dance school is the best school in the nation right now, and we are modeling this program off of the Juilliard school’s choreo comp program,” Williams said. “We are trying to take their program and make it better, to where it’s not just appealing for dancers because they love it, but make it appealing for composers to come here.” Campbell said the concert will be one of the best of the of year. “There is literally no reason you should not be there,” Campbell said.

Student Publications a�chives Brittany Dugas, dance sophomore, and Barrett Cahalen, dance senior, perform “Meditations of the Future,” at last year’s collaborative Project 21 concert Feb. 3 in the Medium Rehearsal Hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center.

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Rower nominated for international award Jessica Vanek

WEB EDITOR

Senior Rower James Francis practices for the upcoming season on the Oklahoma City River.

Senior Rower James Francis competes in the Head of the Hooch on Nov. 4 on the Tennessee River. Francis placed second with a time of 15 minutes, 15.25 seconds. Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com

An OCU student was a finalist for an international award. Senior Rower James Francis was one of the top four contenders for a Filippi Spirit Award presented by the World Rowing Federation, in partnership with Filippi Boats. Hadzo Habibovic, head coach of rowing, said the award is for exceptional collegiate athletes. “Every year, there’s the world rowing ceremony, and they have several awards they give out,” he said. “The spirit award is for the perfect collegiate athlete, if you will.” Francis said the nomination was a surprise. “I didn’t know about the award beforehand,” Francis said. “I didn’t really see it coming, to be honest.” Habibovic, several of Francis’s teammates and a professor had to submit letters to qualify him for the award. “The submission window was early in the fall semester,”

He's kind of the star of the team. You always know you're going to get 110 percent.

Hadzo Habibovic rowing coach

Habibovic said. “We all submitted a letter, and they announced the finalists, and Jimmy had made the cut.” Francis said the nomination was heartwarming. “It was an honor to be nominated by my coaches and by my team,” he said. The other nominees for the award were from Serbia, Australia and Sri Lanka. The winner of the award, Amidu Silva from Sri Lanka, was announced at the World Rowing Awards ceremony Nov. 23 in Berlin. “He was the only U.S. athlete in the final four, and the last time a U.S. athlete was named one of the final four was 2015,” Habibovic said. Francis has been on the

rowing team for four years. “I’m just really thankful for my friends and teammates and coaches,” Francis said. “I’ve learned a lot. It’s been an honor to see this team grow.” Former Rower Jacob Castro said Francis is an amazing friend. “He is, without exaggeration, the most uplifting person I’ve ever met in my life,” Castro said. Habibovic said Francis is positive and driven. “He’s kind of the star of the team,” he said. “You always know you’re going to get 110 percent.”

Fraternity discusses diminishing membership Erik Hamilton

STAFF WRITER

Luke Barrett

STAFF WRITER

The leaders of OCU’s Phi Gamma Delta chapter are preparing for a future with few members and possible departure. Phi Gamma Delta, also referred to as Fiji, is one of three fraternities on campus. Fiji currently has nine members, said Carlos Sanchez, English senior and Fiji president. The fraternity was added in 2010 because of the high demand for fraternity involvement on campus, according to Student Publications archives. The fraternity received its charter in 2015 from International Headquarters and officially became the Omicron Chi chapter of Fiji. The demand for fraternity involvement decreased overall in the past seven years, with about 75 potential members in 2010 and 46 potential members in 2018, according to Student Publications archives. The demand was lower in 2017, with 23 potential new members. The male population at the university has decreased since Fiji was established as well, with 809 male undergraduate students in 2010 and 526 in 2018, said Registrar Charlie Monnot. Fiji has five elected positions. These positions are president, treasurer, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, and historian. “We’re currently allowing graduating seniors to hold offices just so they can teach the new guys their positions. Because otherwise we’d have a freshman who would be holding a position with not

knowing anything about it,” Sanchez said. Blaze Stark, history/political science senior and Fiji historian, said this was abnormal. Election terms normally begin in spring semester and end fall semester. Fiji elections this year will take place after Spring Break, technically making them emergency elections, said Matthew Lavery, acting sophomore and recording secretary for Fiji. “Right now, with our current structure, it would be a huge hassle to restructure us and then keep going on the same course,” Lavery said. The fraternity’s five core values are friendship, knowledge, service, morality, and excellence. Members often volunteer for the Harn, a local historical farm, and their main philanthropy is the United Service Organizations, Lavery said. “Our main philanthropy is the USO, which seeks to help active, nonactive and retired members of the military. Whether that’s a USO show while they’re stationed somewhere, or if that’s assistance later, readjusting to civilian life. We like to donate money or actively volunteer for them,” Lavery said. Sanchez said the fraternity is in open recruitment. The organization can offer “snap bids” to prospective members. If accepted, the student then becomes an official pledge for the organization. The Fiji chapter is in contact with the Phi Gamma Delta headquarters to discuss recruitment strategies for next semester. “We’re hoping to double. But, at the very least, we want to be able to stay at nine guys when the seniors graduate,” Sanchez said. Sanchez and Stark said an easy way to get involved is to talk to them and the other members. Fiji members also will host events

this semester, including monthly game nights in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. Fiji will host a philanthropy week for USO on Jan. 22-25. The current plan is a four-day bake sale followed by Phi Gamma Melta, an all-you-can-eat grilled cheese event, Sanchez said. There are no plans yet for the other three days that week. Stark and Sanchez said there is a possibility the chapter may have to close due to a lack of membership. “The situation is, I think we all want to try our hardest to keep going. But, at the same time, I think some of us are resigned to the fact it might not work out. And I think a lot of us are kind of trying to—and succeeding, I think—in getting in that mindset, ‘Hey, just cause the chapter has to close doesn’t mean we’re not still gonna be brothers, we’re not still going to be friends.’ And it just removes the stress from the entire equation,” Stark said. Sanchez said Fiji is still an option for people interested in joining Greek life. “None of the Greek organizations here on campus are the stereotypical fraternity,” Sanchez said. “But, if you’re just looking for a small, close, tight-knit group of friends, and if you kind of just like nerdy things, that’s really it. You don’t even have to like nerdy things, just a group of nice guys that are always there to help each other out.”

Student Publications a�chives John McInturff, accounting alumnus, serves grilled cheese at Phi Gamma Melta in October 2017 in Watson Lounge in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel. The event was part of Fiji’s annual philanthropy week to support United Service Organizations, a nonprofit that supports military service members. Right: Austin Martin, vocal performance alumnus, is duct taped to a chair by John Metcalf, acting junior, for “Fiji’s Stuck for a Buck” in December 2017 in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. The members charged $2 for a foot of tape as a fundraiser for the fraternity.

Learning Enhancement Center offers new academic assistance Erik Hamilton

STAFF WRITER

The Learning Enhancement Center is offering academic coaching to students, in addition to tutoring sessions. The LEC offers free tutoring sessions in several fields of study, peer writing consultations and English conversation practice, according to the university website. The LEC is run by faculty and staffed with student employees, and is on the first floor of the Dulaney-Browne Library. Jenny Minsberg, senior coordinator for access and academic support, is in charge of the LEC and implemented academic coaching after learning about it at a convention in 2015. In academic coaching sessions, the coach teaches the lifestyle and organizational techniques of being a student. January 9, 2019

“It’s going through how to be a college student,” Minsberg said. “If you think about it, through high school most people have a whole bunch of people being their parents, their coaches, their instrument professors, whatever. They are really pushing them to do well. While some of that can continue on here, there’s that parent factor that’s missing, which is usually a pretty big motivating factor for people.” Minsberg said academic coaching sessions are good tools for students with ADHD and other learning disabilities. While academic coaching is more accessible this semester, they have been used on campus in recent history. Kenzie Slothower, cell and molecular biology senior, has worked as an academic coach since last academic year. Slothower said last academic year, new freshmen on academic probation were required coaching once a week for their first

fall semester, and this use of coaching will continue, unaffiliated with the LEC. But, Slothower also said the LEC offered academic coaching last semester but was not fully committed to the program. “It was still kind of a trial program at that point,” she said. Minsberg said employees are specifically trained to be academic coaches, that every coach has an undergraduate degree and that, at this time, they are not looking to hire any undergraduate students as academic coaches. Students may arrange a coaching session by emailing Minsberg at jlminsberg@okcu.edu. Students may schedule a tutoring session by visiting libguides.okcu.edu/lec.