THE CAMPUS Josh Eliot
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Student Publications
PAGE 2 Opinion The editors express their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Submitted
September 2, 2020 – Volume 114 Issue 2
Josh Eliot
Students organize to support BLM process for people who aren’t as well off as others.” Thompson also said he would like the university to hire more professors of color.
Francesca Iacovacci
NEWS EDITOR
PAGE 3 Arts & Entertainment New student organization OCU CARE hosts cabaret of music students of color.
Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com
PAGE 4 Sports
Abby Selzer was named SAC women’s athlete of the year.
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PAGE 5 Life Students and staff remember Ms. June Green and share memories of her.
PAGE 6 News The Kramer School of Nursing began a partnership with Mid-America Christian University.
M MEDIAOCU.com
Student Publications
A small group of students and faculty hosted a Black lives matter demonstration on campus. A professor who requested anonymity said he had the idea to put together a demonstration while reading about the National Basketball Association suspending games in order to boycott injustice and support the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly after national news that a man named Jacob Blake was killed by police. “I just wanted to show the people on campus that are people of color, that are Black and indigenous people of color, that we support them and we love that they’re here,” he said. “So I sent a text to some friends and said I was going to take my lawn chair out during lunch time and hold a sign that said ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and then I sent a message to a few students that I thought might want to participate. Another professor and 6 or 7 students came out. I don’t want to call it a protest; I want to call it a support circle for people in our community.” Shelby Parker, theatre and performance/film junior, was at the demonstration, and said the group plans to continue meeting weekly on Fridays from 11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. on the quad. “ We’r e t h i n k i n g o f making it a weekly demonstration, free for anybody to show up, whether or not you have a sign or anything like that, and just join in,” she said. “Friday is a day people have some free time, and we wanted to put that free time to good use. Parker said the group wanted to show their love and support for Black students and faculty. “It’s almost like, because everything can feel so dark right now, I think it’s easy to get caught up in the other things that might be making your life hard, because I would venture to say everyone’s lives are pretty hard right now. It’s important to stop and consider what other people are experiencing on top of what you, too, are experiencing. When you are reminded of it, you can reexamine the way that you thought before and generally just be a better person and a better listener,” she said. Patricia Ashford, political
So just to know that people do support us and value us and know that our lives matter is very comforting. Patricia Ashford
political science/philosophy senior
science/philosophy senior and Black Student Association president, said she saw the demonstration on the quad. “I saw it passing by, and it was nice to see people standing for support of Black Lives Matter,” she said. “I think it’s important to show support because it’s something that, when you look around, especially on our campus, you don’t see a lot of Black students. So just to know that people do support us and value us and know that our lives matter is very comforting, to come to a PWI (predominantly white institution) and know that you do have support on campus, whether it’s small or large. It shows an awareness people have of what’s going on in today’s world.” Ashford also said BSA’s goal for the semester is to create a stronger sense of community. “I think one of our bigger goals for the semester is to become connected with other Black students, and for OCU, make it feel more so like a home for students of color, specifically Black students, and also try to get more involved in the community at large and be more of a presence on campus,” she said. Ashford said BSA meetings are at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and are open to anyone. “They’re open to any Black students or any person that wants to come and learn about what it’s like to be a Black student at a PWI or stand in support with us,” she said. “Especially our events, they’re actually super open, anyone can come. We will have a virtual option as well as a socially distant in-person option. You can follow us on social media at @OCU_BSA to stay updated” Rodney Thompson, dance sophomore, also said he saw the demonstration on the quad. “It made me feel welcome because not only were they so happy and welcoming to people who look like me, but they were also more than
willing and so gung-ho about the feeling and the vibe of Black lives matter that they went out on a limb and stood on the quad,” he said. “They were bold enough to stand there and send a message to those who don’t think that other people are welcome. As a black person, I want you to be an ally, and I want you to be an upstander as opposed to a bystander, but sometimes people need upstanders to upstand for them.” Thompson also said he thinks the university can do better in implementing tangible change. “I think OCU Care has been the first thing that has really given a platform to performers who are the minority in their school,” he said. “Besides that, I don’t think there has been enough information or attention to the subject of diversity and inclusion. We have tried to hire a new diversity and inclusion president and things like that, and a lot of things have been vocally said, but there haven’t been that many changes I’ve seen implemented in our school. There have been so many emails about their opinions on the topics, but I care less about their opinions on the topic; I just want something to be changed for the better, and quite literally nothing has changed. They’ll say ‘we created a board, that we’ve done this and that,’ but I haven’t seen any tangible changes that have affected me or my fellow classmates directly, so I’m not a huge fan of that.” Thomspon said change would involve intentionally seeking out people of color in the admissions process. “Change, for me, is finding opportunities and ways the university can get their name out to minorities and advocate for them in the college search. I had to save up and pay for my own audition, and it was the only school I auditioned for, but a lot of people in performance audition for 12 or 13 schools. I know we have a Clara Luper scholarship, but maybe something in the admission
“I’ve never had a black teacher at OCU,” he said. “I had a Hispanic teacher, and it was so cool to get to know her and have culture in the room. She’d also speak in Spanish to her Latino students, and they felt more at home and more connected. It’s a pleasure and a gift, and it puts a smile on your face to see somebody who looks like you helping you and teaching you. I know one thing that would be so special to me is to finally have a Black voice teacher, because nobody will know your voice like somebody who has your voice. It would be my dream to have a Black male teacher, and I’ve never in my life had that option.” The anonymous professor said he thinks it’s important to voice his support for black students and faculty for two reasons. “First, I’m a middle aged white guy, and I haven’t always treated people the right way,” he said. “I owe an apology and my support to the people who I haven’t always consciously supported. I want to make sure I do that. Second, I didn’t know how it was going to go. I didn’t know if anyone would show up, I didn’t really care. It’s not a big deal to go sit on the quad. I was encouraged by the fact that other people joined, and to see people walk by and notice us, and their faces light up, particularly the people we were there to support, it meant a lot. My hope is that it meant a lot to them, but it’s really just a small step.” The professor also said he had an experience that changed his perspective on equality in which he helped two students mediate after one had made a racist comment towards the other. You can’t treat a victim and someone who has caused pain to that person the same way. It’s not about equality, it’s about justice, because there’s been so much inequality in our country. I want to make sure there’s justice and I think the goal is equality, but right now, some of that justice involves holding people up a little bit higher, or even a lot higher,” he said.
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Black Lives Matter The Editorial Board for Student Publications wants to make it clear; we support Black lives. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Over the summer, we saw a resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, people are protesting issues that have been present since before the United States of America was founded. At the time of Breonna Taylor’s and George Floyd’s unjust deaths, we wrote a piece in support of Black Lives Matter. Here is a portion of that piece: “Systemic racism is not a new issue, but it has been brought into focus through media coverage of recent hate crimes against Black Americans. Police brutality, white fragility and hatred have shaken our nation to the core, and now is the time to step up and fight for justice...It is not enough to not be racist. We must strive to be anti-racist and call out injustice when it bears its teeth.” To see the full editorial, go to mediaocu.com It has been a little over three months since the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police officers. Black Americans continue to be targeted, as we have seen with Jacob Blake, Robert Fuller and Malcolm Harsch. Each day it seems like there is a new name to add to the ever-growing list of deaths caused by police brutality or white supremacy. But, it cannot and will not end unless we continue to make our voices heard. Racism was a major part in the foundation of our
Talk Back
country. This means it will take a lot of time and effort to reverse. The time for these changes is long past overdue. Taking down systemic racism is not going to be an easy process, but it is a necessary one. We are in a war against hatred and discrimination, and no war is won with a single battle. We as a community must remain diligent. This can be done by going to protests, donating to anti-racist organizations, supporting black-owned businesses, calling your legislators and voting. These times call for more than performative activism, and we must actively fight to be on the right side of history. In the spirit of this, we encourage students and student organizations to reach out to us at stupub@okcu.edu with letters, columns, and ideas for news stories. It is easy for all of us to just drift through life because it gives us the path of least resistance, but we need to be vigilant and continue to fight for what we believe in, despite any obstacles. Black Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. Black Businesses Matter. Black Artists Matter.
“Who is your favorite Black creator?”
“Ella Fitzgerald”
“Otis Redding”
Abby Emmons psychology freshman
Alexandra Eckelbarger acting junior
“Nina Simone”
“Lupe Fiasco”
BreAuna Shaw business administration sophomore
Raymond Herrera first year grad student
“Debbie Allen"
“Beyoncé”
Ariana Feratovic dance universal freshman
Eli Nash music theatre sophomore
Swift’s new album “folklore” is ‘delicate, dreamy’ The year 2020 is truly the year no one could have predicted; Taylor Swift has released an indie album. Oh yeah, there’s the whole global pandemic thing, too. A lot has changed since we were last on campus in March. Since the coronavirus has made itself comfortable in the United States, many Americans are desperate for stronger action to flatten the curve. Widely circulated videos of police brutality have reignited momentum for the Black Lives Matter movement, which is more important now than ever. Additionally, we’re feeling four years of political tension climax as we inch closer to the 2020 presidential election. After a summer of great political divide, I can’t tell you how relieved I was to hear the word ‘hoax’ not used
to describe the pandemic or climate change, but rather as the title of a new Taylor Swift song. Swift’s eighth studio a l b u m , “f o l k l o re ,” w a s released on July 24. Swift surprised her fans by veering outside the pop genre and serving 17 indie, cottage-core, lyrical masterpieces. Swift, who entered the industry as a country singer and rose to stardom as a mega pop star, must have decided it was time for a change of pace. As our busy world slowed down, so did Swift’s style; written and recorded in isolation, it’s no wonder the soundscape takes on a different tone. “Folklore” strips down the barriers of commercial pop music to reveal an intimate, delicate and dreamy side of Swift that places emphasis back on her incredible story-
Francesca Iacovacci is a music theater senior from Clearwater, Fl. She loves zoodles, “Jeopardy!” and a good poop joke.
telling skills. The first time I listened to the album, I made the mistake of thinking I could be a passive listener. While “folklore” could easily fall into the category of background music, certain lyrics and phrases catch your ear and make you realize there’s deeper meaning inside these simple, calming melodies. Swift’s strong imagery and clever storytelling snuck up on me and demanded my full attention. They do this in a gentle way, and that’s reflected by the artistic choice to not use capitalization in the titles of the album and its
songs. Many have criticized that all the tracks sound similar, but I’d argue whatever the songs lack in musical diversity, they make up for through their vast range of storytelling. One significant difference from her previous albums is that the majority of the songs in “folklore” are not autobiographical. Even if you’re not familiar with Swift, you probably still know she often writes about her own life (specifically her love life, which wouldn’t be a big deal if she was a man—see “The Man” from Swift’s
last album, “Lover,” for her thoughts on that). In “the last great american dynasty,” Swift sings from the perspective of the debutante Rebekah Harkness who married into the family that owned Standard Oil Company and also just so happened to previously have lived in Swift’s Rhode Island mansion. The song is oddly specific with a “Great Gatsby” vibe, evoking a sense of nostalgia that begs you to stare out the window and play it on a road trip. Another interesting perspective is shared in “mirrorball,” which is told from the point of view of a disco ball which glimmers with beauty and has the ability to bring people together under its light, but also has the potential to cause real damage if dropped. My absolute favorite track, “invisible string,” also
happens to be the only feelgood, romantic one. Swift creates beautiful imagery of lovers having a string tied between them that connects them throughout their lives and leads them to each other until they finally meet. The verses entail vivid memories that are so specific, they somehow feel relatable. The chorus reads, “And isn’t it just so pretty to think / All along there was some / Invisible string / Tying you to me?” This invisible string ties together not only the two lovers, but also the whole album. This imagery reminds us there is purpose within any battles we’re facing, whether it be heartbreak, our mental health, a deadly pandemic, civil unrest or anything else we are facing this year. I’d like to think there’s always a little string pulling us along to help us find our way.
Film critic reviews ‘Tenet,’ dubs it ‘not the most engaging film’ “Tenet” is the newest film directed by Christopher Nolan, starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Kenneth Branagh. The film was originally set to release on July 17 but was delayed to July 31, then Aug. 12, until finally being set to release on Sept. 3. The string of delays were due to, you guessed it, theaters shutting down for COVID-19. Nolan’s films are pretty hit or miss for me. I have seen just about all of his movies except for “Following” and “Insomnia.” I love most of the films I’ve seen from him, but films like “Interstellar” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” are a little ‘meh.’ However, I was still really excited to see “Tenet” because, if nothing else, Nolan makes exciting and thoughtful thrillers. “Tenet” was not that thing I just wrote. I’m not sure if I would go out on a limb and say it was awful, but I don’t think it was very good. Full disclo-
sure, I think I need to see it again. I’m not sure if it was the theater I was in or the film itself, but I could not for the life of me hear what the characters are saying (The more I think about it, the more I think it might be the film because “Dunkirk” had a similar issue, but the dialogue did not matter as much in that film.) “Tenet” is about our main character, played by John David Washington (his character has a name, but I’m not sure if it is a spoiler or not, so I’m just going to refer to him as Washington). Washington is a CIA agent that discovers a material that is running backwards through time, called inverted material. Washington goes on a hunt trying to find the origin of this material with his friend “Neil,” played by Robert Pattinson, and ends up following it back to a Russian oligarch named “Sator,” played by Kenneth Branagh. The rabbit hole leads to Washington discovering a way to
Paul Dower is a film junior from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He likes squishy toys, hoodies and Stanley Kubrick.
invert himself through time and carry out missions while going backward through time and already knowing what happens. Hijinks ensue. I was immediately confused after watching this movie, and I think part of it, again, is due to the sound. Since I wasn’t able to hear most of the dialogue, I had basically no idea what was going on in the film. To me, characters were just going places and blowing stuff up, and I am not the only one who thinks this. If you look up ‘Tenet sound,’ you will find a lot of articles that write about the same issue. The concept and plot is already complicated enough, so making the dialogue
impossible to hear makes it even more confusing. There is a line in the film where a character says, “Don’t try to understand it, feel it.” The line certainly felt like Nolan trying to communicate that same sentiment to the audience about the film itself. However, the issue with that idea is that since I have no idea who these characters are or what they are doing, it makes it nearly impossible to connect or “feel” with the film. It made me want to just throw my hands up in the air and say, “you win, Nolan! I guess I don’t need to think about your high concept film and just ‘feel’ Washington walk around in nice clothing and talk to random people.” Which leads me to my
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thing that has happened has already happened, and there is nothing the characters in the film can do to change that fact. Nolan, for the most part, strikes a balance between this message and giving his characters enough agency to be somewhat engaging, but there are a lot of conversations about how time works and how everything is determined to be, so how can we truly be free and stop thinking about time as linear yada yada etcetera, etcetera. It’s not that I find the theme itself boring (far from it actually). It’s more like I just don’t care about the film already, and the messaging within the film doesn’t help it be any more engaging. “Tenet” is not the most engaging film in Nolan’s catalogue, but if you like cool sci-fi concepts put to action/thrillers, then I suggest giving it a shot. This new Christopher Nolan film is more like a Christopher NO-lan film.
The Campus has served the Oklahoma City University community since 1907. It is published Wednesdays during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and exam periods.
September 2, 2020, Volume 114, Issue 2
Editor-in-chief: Paul Dower Managing Editor: Luke Barrett Photo Editor: Stephen Jackson News Editor: Francesca Iacovacci Lifestyle Editor: Jessica Vanek Arts & Entertainment Editor: Troy Freeman Sports Editor: MaKayla Baxter Video Editor: Shelby O'Brien
next point. The characters in this film are kind of duds. Washington’s performance doesn’t give me enough to work with in order to care about him or even be invested in what he is doing. Pattinson gives a pretty good performance, but he seemingly jumps in and out of the plot at will, which leaves us with not-so-interesting-to-watch Washington. It would be like watching “Inception” except without Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance and his character’s family drama at the center of the film. The concept is cool, but if there are no personal stakes with the characters, why would I care about Cobb getting out of Limbo at the end? The dialogue I could hear, however, was pretty heavy-handed. One of the main themes the film deals with is fate vs. free will. If a world with what is essentially time travel exists, how can free will exist? Every-
Assistant Photo Editor: Josh Eliot Assistant Sports Editor: Hannah Prentice Columnists: Paul Dower Francesca Iacovacci Troy Freeman
Photographers: Jessica Casebeer Stephen Jackson Josh Eliot Mackenzie Shaw
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 Suite 112 of Walker Center for Arts and Sciences. Submitted items may appear on MediaOCU and in the print edition. The first issue of The Campus is free. Each additional issue costs 25 cents. Contents copyright © Student Publications 2020. All rights reserved.
September 2, 2020
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OCU Care hosts cabaret with students of color Troy Freeman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
OCU Care streamed “Color Cabaret,” a virtual cabaret fundraiser featuring music students of color. According to their Facebook page, OCU Care is a coalition of “Creatives for Artistic and Realistic Equity, dedicated to advocacy for marginalized populations in the performing arts community.” Nasir Panjwani, OCU Care president, said he was inspired to produce the event after seeing the University of Michigan’s own “Color Cabaret.” “It seemed like a really cool opportunity. At that time, I was talking a lot in my circles about the issue of diversity and casting at OCU as a whole and diversity on campus not being a huge thing,” Panjwani said. “So, we wanted a way for the BIPOC community to come together and celebrate one another.” The show consisted of entirely prerecorded performances and streamed live on Facebook and YouTube on Aug. 21. “Everything has been edited and recorded and sound mixed,” Panjwani said. “We want it to be quality and as professional as possible.” Panjwani said OCU Care reached out to BIPOC students by email and social media. “We were kind of nervous at first, because we didn’t know what the response would be like,” he said. “We knew, especially amongst the musical theater students, that this was a conversation happening, but we weren’t sure what the entire atmosphere at the School of Music was.”
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Shortly after sending the form, Panjwani said they received responses from over 30 people. Zoe Dongas, music theater senior, performed in the cabaret. She said the show was a good opportunity to feature students
of color who don’t have the same number of performance opportunities as other students. “I’m hopeful that opportunities continue to be created. I think OCU Care is doing a great job, and I think other groups’ events
are in the works,” Dongas said. Chris Richie, music theater junior and OCU Care member, also performed in the cabaret. He said he hoped the event would be meaningful for prospective students. “When I first got to OCU, I didn’t see that many people of color, and that was really concerning to me,” Richie said. “I want this to help future people of color that are auditioning think, ‘oh my gosh, this fella looks like me. I want to go here.’” Richie said the show was a huge form of positivity, inclusion and diversity. “It just makes me fall in love with the whole process again, like I’m going back to the beginning,” Richie said. Panjwani said students can support OCU Care by watching the stream and donating to OCU Care on their GoFundMe. “Those proceeds are going 50% towards OCU Cares’ on campus initiatives, which are things we’ve been working on during the summer through our various branches and things like having guests artists come and talk about issues of diversity in our industry,” Panjwani said. “The other 50% will go to an organization known as Restore OKC.” Panjwani said Restore OKC is a community driven organization working towards reconciliation, racial equity and restorative justice in Northeastern Oklahoma City. Panjwani said students can follow OCU Care on their Instagram and Facebook.
Film department screens films by Black filmmakers Troy Freeman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
The film department is hosting screenings of movies by Black Americans. Bryan Cardinale-Powell, chair of the film department and associate professor of film, said the weekly screenings are traditionally structured by students, but the recent demonstrations of social justice inspired change. “Traditionally, we have had a screening night that’s been organized by the department, and we just thought this was an appropriate time to have a specific theme,” Cardinale-Powell said. “In the past, we haven’t really necessarily had a theme.” Cardinale-Powell said
If you have a progressively leaning mainstream industry, I think you’ll see attitudes will change over time.
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Bryan Cardinale-Powell film department head
Hollywood has made improvements over recent years toward racial equity, but there is still a long way to go. “Mainstream filmmaking can do a lot of good and a lot of bad. If you have a progressively leaning mainstream industry, I think you’ll see attitudes will change over time,” Cardinale-Powell said. “If you don’t, then I think
you’ll end up seeing an industry that just reinforces the status quo.” Billy Palumbo, visiting professor of film, said he and Cardinale-Powell selected films their students may have not heard of or considered. “A lot of the recommendations I was seeing over the summer being passed around were so much about trauma:
Black trauma in America. Not to say it’s not an important piece, but it’s not the only thing that Black artists want to talk about,” Palumbo said. “So, I think it’s important to hear whatever it is that filmmakers want to say.” Cameron Hawkins, film junior, said the recent screenings offer an opportunity to better understand different perspectives through art. “With the current climate that we’re in, with Black Lives Matter, they felt it would be really beneficial for us to watch films that are made from Black directors, so we can all experience that perspective through film,” Hawkins said. Hawkins said racial equity within film has always been
a struggle, but he said he believes it is getting better over time. Cardinale-Powell said he hopes film students appreciate and enjoy the films for their perspectives and craftsmanship. He also said he hopes this series sticks with students when they work on their own projects. “I hope it gets them to think about the value of their own work and the value of encouraging work from people around them that may not have the same kind of perspective,” Cardinale-Powell said. Palumbo said space is limited for screenings, but if there is enough interest, accommodations can be made.
“A total of 12 people can fit in the room, but if there’s enough interest, we can add another room or add another date,” Palumbo said. “People shouldn’t feel like they can’t come. If they want to come, we can figure something out.” Palumbo said students can follow the film department’s Instagram @okcufilm for updates on upcoming films. The screenings are on Wednesdays at 7 p.m in the screening room in Dawson Loeffler Science and Mathematics Center. The next screening will be “Da 5 Bloods” directed by Spike Lee tonight at 7 p.m.
Student theater productions go online Shelby O’Brien
VIDEO EDITOR
Out of the Box, a student run theater organization, will be announcing some updates for their season over the next couple of weeks. Out of the Box typically puts on three fully staged productions each semester, as well as “edges,” staged readings. Olivia Laskin, acting senior and OOTB artistic director and, said this semester is going to look different due to current restrictions. “We are going completely online this semester, which we are really excited about,” she said. Laskin said the OOTB board is looking at some new formatting options for virtual performances. “We are looking at Zoom as an option, but we’re also looking into some other possible options,” she said. Laskin said the season announcements should be released later this week, or possibly next week if things go as planned. “We are doing our usual mainstages and edges, but we’re also doing a little bit of a twist and trying something new with our playwright-in-residence program,” Laskin said. Laskin said more information on the collaboration with the playwright-in-residence program will be announced and released over the next two weeks as the information and plans become more solidified. Lisi Levy, business manager for OOTB, said she appreciates the unique nature the organization. “I love Out of the Box so much because I think it gives students the opportunity to be a part of a creative community with a little bit more freedom than a traditional mainstage or School-of-Theatre-sponsored production,” Levy said. Levy said she is passionate about OOTB because of the side by side learning experience it provides to students. “The students are the directors, the actors, the producers, so you get this opportunity to grow and learn and collaborate in a different way than you might in a rehearsal room,” Levy said. Levy said she is excited for the opportunity OCU has with taking OOTB virtual. “A remote creative outlet ensures safety, and I think it’s super important right now to have a safe option for students who might not feel comfortable doing other activities at OCU this semester,” Levy said. Levy said she doesn’t think going virtual will be a detriment for the shows or the people performing in the shows. “I think this will actually give them chances to enhance difSeptember 2, 2020
We are going completely online this semester, which we are really excited about. Olivia Laskin
acting senior
ferent parts of the script or explore and make discoveries about the medium that is different than what you would experience onstage,” Levy said. Levy said she thinks the people who have been selected are up for the job. “I would encourage everyone to participate in student produced theater during their college careers because it has been the most artistically fulfilling thing for me to be a part of,” Levy said. For more information and updates on the season, student can follow Out of the Box on Facebook and Instagram @outoftheboxocu.
Josh Eliot
Student Publications
Let’s get involved! Students gathered on Aug. 20 for Division of Student Affairs’ annual “Student and Community Involvement Fair.” Above: Adamaris Lopez, music theater sophomore, (left) talks with Colin Mayo, acting freshman (right). Below: Brittany Andrews, philosophy/political science/economics sophomore, (left) talks with Reid Powell, political science junior, (right) about the Student Civic Engagement Committee.
Josh Eliot
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sports
Students begin work with motion capture room Troy Freeman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Last year, the School of Visual Arts was given over $100,000 to build a motion capture room in the Norick Art Center. Jeff Price, professor of digital design, said the room was finished only a week before OCU went online in spring. He said students and faculty are just now able to explore the technology. “We have a class now called ‘motion imagery,’ so we’ll be using the room for that class next spring,” Price said. “I have a student right now that’s learning it in an independent study, and at the very beginning of this semester, we had a couple of theater professors come over and show interest in it for maybe documenting some acting.” Price said the application of the technology, while oriented towards entertainment, has collaborative opportunities between many parts of the university. “The ability to work with athletes and life sciences are going to be great opportunities for our school to be innovative,” Price said. Price said there were several motion capture systems to choose from, but Vicon offered the most opportunities. “For the most part, the system is mostly cameras and software. So, the true tech is how much fidelity the cameras have and how integrated it is with the software,” Price said. Price said the cameras have to have a high enough resolution to enable the software to accurately pinpoint the independent parts of the body. If the software is confused, the data becomes messy, and the applications of the technology are limited. “This Vicon system is smart enough to keep track of your hands and stuff like that, so it’s less work on the back end,” Price said. Price said having this room provides both recruitment opportunities for future students and job opportunities for current students. “It definitely is a game changer for a program to have the ability to do motion capture. That’s sort of the next level in terms of entertainment technology,” Price said. “Having our students come, and being able to learn that and then go out into the field and get jobs in motion capture would really be the goal of what we’re doing.” Evan Barreiro, game design and animation senior, has
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Jessica Casebeer Student Publications
Enter the matrix
Joseph Gutierrez, game design and animation junior, (left) works with Evan Barreira, game design and animation senior, (right) in the new motion capture room to record action clips that will be used in a video.
been using the room to develop a game level. “I’m going to be recording different animations to use for the character as they walk around the scene,” Barreiro said. Barreiro said he had very little experience with motion capture technology before taking the motion imagery class last year. He said the technology is not hard to pick up, and he looks forward to job opportunities made available by having a background with motion capture. “This past spring, I helped the guy from Vicon set it up, and he was telling me how this is a great way to get jobs in the industry because not many people know it,” Barreiro said. “If you learn the hardware, you can get a job at a company doing hardware and eventually transition into another role.” Barreiro said motion capture will have an increasingly
significant role within entertainment. “For most video games, film, and animation, it will just be motion capture, instead of a person having to go in and create all the animations by hand. That’s probably the future,” Barreiro said. Price said motion capture has a large range of opportunities, and he hopes other departments at OCU continue to show interest in collaborating with the School of Visual Arts.
Selzer named 2019-20 SAC women’s athlete of the year MaKayla Baxter
SPORTS EDITOR
Hannah Campbell Student Publications
Play like a Champion
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Above: Abby Selzer, basketball center, shoots a ball at the March
3rd OCU vs. Langston game in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The Stars won 69-47.
Abby Selzer, criminal justice junior and basketball center, was named the 2019-20 Sooner Athletic Conference women’s athlete of the year. The accolade, first awarded in 2019 to OCU alumna Aminat Olowora, is based on seasonal athletic accomplishments and contributions at institutional, conference and national levels. SAC athletic directors granted Selzer four firstplace votes, and she ultimately won by a margin of two points (19-17). Selzer said she had no idea she was being considered for the award. “I didn’t know about it until they posted it on Facebook, so I was pretty excited,” Selzer said. “It’s an honor, and I’m happy to support my school in any
It’s an honor, and I’m happy to support my school in any way I can. Abby Selzer way I can.” Brett Tahah, head women’s basketball coach, said Selzer is very deserving of the honor. “She’s an extremely hard worker,” Tahah said. “She’s an extremely good basketball player and does a lot of things right, both on and off the court.” Through two seasons and 68 games played, Selzer has produced 1,185 points and garnered several accolades, awards and titles, including two Women’s Basketball Coaches Association all-American nods, SAC player of the week, SAC
criminal justice junior
player of the year, and she has ranked No.1 in the SAC and third in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division I in-field goal percentage (63.1%) in 17.7 minutes per game. Tahah said being named SAC women’s athlete of the year matches Selzer’s character perfectly. “It just says a lot about the type of person she is,” Tahah said. “She is a great young lady, and the whole program is proud of her, from the coaches to her teammates.” Selzer said the award speaks to the quality of the
women’s basketball team. “I only look good whenever my teammates make me look good,” Selzer said. “The award is so significant because there are so many people here who could potentially achieve it.” Selzer said the award represents not only her own abilities and characteristics, but also the university’s athletics programs as a whole. “Our university takes our athletics very seriously,” Selzer said. “We’re expected to do well in school, and there’s certain standards on how you act on and off the court. The goal is that we are a very controlled, overall nice team that does whatever we can to really support and represent the school.”
EOC reopens Aduddell Fitness Center under new guidelines Hannah Prentice ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The OCU Emergency Operations Center team (EOC) decided to reopen the Aduddell Fitness Center for student use starting Sept. 1. The decision was made after careful consideration by the EOC regarding new safety policies and cleaning measures, along with input from Josh Hall, assistant director for student life and intramural and recreational sports. Hall said the Aduddell Fitness Center will be implementing some new protocols with the reopening. “One of the many safety protocols that we will be taking in the fitness center is that all students will have to wear a facemask at all times while in the building,” Hall said. “There will be a sign in, sign out and temperature check for everyone who comes into the fitness center. There will also be a limit of one hour maximum at a time, and there will also be a maximum of 24 students allowed in at once.” Hall said the fitness center will update its hours of operation for the semester, and amend who can currently utilize the facilities. “Our hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and then 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday,” Hall said. September 2, 2020
Our hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and then 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Josh Hall
intramural and recreational sports assistant director
“This semester, the fitness center will only be available to currently enrolled students.” Hall said the standard towel service, showers, locker rooms, free weights, yoga mats and jump ropes will be unavailable until further notice due to sanitation guidelines. “We just have our cardio, elliptical machines, recumbent bikes and the weight machines,” Hall said. “Everything else we won’t be able to utilize this semester just because of the difficulty in keeping them clean.” Hall said he is glad the EOC chose to reopen the fitness center and believes it will be very beneficial to students. “I wasn’t surprised at all that we were told we could open up the fitness center, just because we have been using a very safe cleaning procedure, as well as some of the strongest cleaning materials out there,” Hall said. “We use a virucidal disinfectant that actually kills viruses.”
The fitness center has also invested in new sanitizing equipment for the building to aid with disinfection. “In addition to what we were already doing, we have also gotten a fogger and will be fogging the fitness center a few times a week to make sure that there are no germs or viruses in the gym.” Isabel Harwell, cell and molecular biology junior, said she thinks the gym’s reopening will be a helpful resource for students to be able to utilize. “In college, I feel like it’s already hard enough to get yourself to go workout, let
alone if you have to go out and get a gym membership that you have to pay for every month,” Harwell said. “Even then I feel like it’s hard to get college students to workout sometimes. But access to the fitness center is still a good thing for college students to have so they can go workout whenever they might need or want.” For questions, students can contact Hall at jhall@okcu.edu.
Stephen Jackson Student Publications
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lifestyles Community remembers beloved caf employee Jessica Vanek
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
A beloved campus employee died over the summer. June Green, Chartwells employee of 16 years, died on July 1 at the age of 67. Chartwells employee Willie Butler said he knew Green for a long time. “June started like six months after me, after Christmas break. We’ve been working together ever since; she worked the deli, I worked the grill,” Butler said. “June was a good lady, but you know she was feisty. It would not be June if she wasn’t feisty.” Butler said Green loved her job. “Why else would you come work 16 years in the same spot if you didn’t love it? That’s why we come to work, to make sure y’all are taken care of,” Butler said. “Whether she was ill or not, she came to work.” Butler said Green’s personality shined through in every interaction she had. “She loved the students. It was like having that auntie around who smacks you when you do wrong, but she doesn’t smack you. She just lets you know you do wrong,” Butler said. “You could ask anybody; June was a good lady.” Butler said Green became ill in the last four or five years. Chartwells employess Yolanda Chukwu said Green’s recipes will be immortalized by the Caf. “She is really missed. Chartwells is making her tuna salad recipe into a menu item, so all Chartwells locations can make it,” Chukwu said. Chartwells employee Patty Franklin went to Green’s viewing on July 16. Franklin said Green was always doing things for others, with the exception of telling them her
secret recipes. “She’d help you out any way she could, and I helped her out any way I could,” Franklin said. “She made the best sauces. She wouldn’t tell us the secret, just like she didn’t tell us the secret of her tuna, but I’m doing the best I can.” Franklin said Green always had something funny to say. “She’d always crack me up,” Franklin said. Butler said in memory of Miss June, the deli has been named after her. Two sandwiches have been named after her as well. A picture of Green will be hung behind the counter. “That’s pretty cool, to see her picture right behind Miss June’s deli,” Butler said. Butler said the students miss Green most of all. “I know a lot of students miss her now. They don’t get sandwiches made the way she made them; healthy and hearty sandwiches that fill you up for four or five days,” he said. Jason Gonzalez-Larsen, music theater/vocal performance senior, said Green was constantly encouraging him. “She always believed in me even though I didn’t know her super well,” Larsen said. “I went in the Caf enough that I could tell her about things. She could tell when I was anxious and she would tell me I would be fine and that I was talented, but she’d never even seen me perform.” Butler said Green will not be forgotten. “June was fabulous. You know they say ‘when one life is gone, another is born,’” Butler said. “Somewhere out there a feisty young lady was born with June’s spirit in her. It’s going to be pretty intense when that lady gets a little older.” For more quotes from students about Miss June Green, visit MediaOCU.com.
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Gone but not forgotten
Submitted
Chartwells employee June Green died July 1 at age 67. She had been employed at Chartwells and worked with them for 16 years. The deli in the Caf in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center is being named after her.
Instagram page encourages students to vote in elections Jessica Vanek
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
A new Instagram page is educating students about voting. The page, @ocuvotes, is an account run by a group of OCU alumni including Kaitlin Nelson, dance management alumna, Haley Fortune, acting alumna, Ali Wonderly, vocal music/theatre performance alumna, and Daxx Wieser, music theater alumnus. Nelson said the group has a lot of support from the OCU community. “As soon as I put this idea out there, I had so many people wanting to help,” Nelson said. “We have so many people who are in the current student body who are helping us behind the scenes, and we have some faculty as well. It’s a big group.” Nelson said she was inspired to start the page by her two 18-year-old brothers. “When I started looking up stats about Gen Z, I saw that it is going to make up one in 10 eligible voters in this election,” she said. “Twenty-four million Gen Z members are now eligible to vote. That’s a staggering number.” Nelson said almost all of the students at OCU will be eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Nelson also said Gen Z is on track to be the most diverse generation, as well as the most well-educated. The account provides students with
important information and guidance on different voting topics, from knowing how to change voter registration to connecting with other students in their voting communities. “When you’re going to college, it can be really confusing to figure out which state to vote in: if you want to vote absentee or register in Oklahoma,” Nelson said. “We just had a video with Kaley Were. She was rehearsing for a Disney cruise line in Toronto during the 2016 election, but she’s from Texas, so she had to figure out how to get an absentee ballot in a different country.” Nelson said connecting with other students during the voting season is important. “In a time when we feel out of touch or powerless, I think we need to realize we have power in numbers in this election,” she said. “Even if you think there’s no one else at OCU from your home state, out of all of our alumni, there has to be someone from your state. At OCU, we have students from all 50 states, international students and students studying abroad; I realized we span the whole world.” The page partnered with Feel Good Voting, a website that helps young and new voters get involved in elections. “Voter purging is happening. It’s just a fact,” Nelson said. “Feel Good Voting gave us links in our bio that will help you register to vote, check your registration status or request a mail-in ballot.” Nelson said students need to have a plan for
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Kaitlin Nelson alumna dance management
The most important thing is to realize that the elections that feel like they’re small sometimes make the biggest difference. the upcoming election. “Voting itself is super easy, but making sure that you make a plan for how you’re going to do it is one of the most important things,” she said. “To be honest, I don’t know what’s going on with USPS. I don’t have control over what’s going on, but I do have control over how I vote. If I vote by mail, I’ll give my ballot plenty of time to arrive to where it’s going, and if I’m voting in person, I’ll take all the necessary health precautions to make sure I’m being safe.” Nick Sayegh, marketing/finance freshman, will be voting for the first time in the upcoming presidential election. Sayegh said he is excited to make his voice heard. “The thing I’m looking forward to is actually representing my views on a national
scale,” Sayegh said. “No matter how small the election is, voting is a right.” Sayegh said students should make sure they are well researched in order to make an educated vote. “Be sure to be politically aware and educated on what you’re voting for. Make sure to differentiate your views from your parents’ views and your friends’ views,” he said. “You should be educated independently and not voting blindly.” Nelson said students need to treat every election with significance. “The most important thing is to realize that the elections that feel like they’re small sometimes make the biggest difference. I know everyone is excited to vote in the presidential election, but our congressional elections are arguably more important. The most important thing you can do for the election on Nov. 3 is to have a plan,” Nelson said. Current students, faculty and alumni interested in volunteering should contact @ocuvotes on Instagram. To read more about the changes to the USPS and their possible effects, see page 6.
Greek Life organizations see changes in recruitment numbers Josh Eliot ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Greek Life had more rushes this year than expected. Levi Harrel, dean of students, said nearly 120 students joined Greek Life this year. “We had 107 women accept bids on bid day, and we had 11 men accept bids on bid day,” Harrel said. Formal recruitment was Aug. 12-14, and bid day was Aug. 15. Harrel said the Panhellenic community gave out more bids this year as opposed to previous years. “More people were invited to be part of the community than they did last year, so we increased numbers in our Panhellenic community this year,” he said. Harrel said this was not the same for the Interfraternity Council. “In our IFC community, we actually decreased the number of bids,” Harrel said. Grant Wilson, acting junior and Interfraternity Council president, said he believes COVID-19 played a role in the lack of new IFC members. September 2, 2020
It might look a little bit different because of the coronavirus this year. It’s going to be harder to meet people, but it will still happen. Grant Wilson president Interfraternity Council
“Not many people are interested in joining a Greek organization in the middle of a pandemic,” Wilson said. Maya Momon, dance management senior and Alpha Phi president, said the National Panhellenic Conference changed their rules this year to allow Panhellenic students to reach out to potential new members over the summer. “For the first time, the rules got changed on a national level, and so we decided to take it and run with it,” Momon said. Momon said the previous NPC rules did not allow any sorority members to reach out to potential new members to avoid creating bias toward certain chapters. Harrel said the recruitment of new members is usually handled by recruit-
ment guides. “In years past, that has been solely the responsibility of our rho gammas, which are a small, select group of students who encourage potential new members to register,” Harrel said. Delaney Horton, theatre and performance freshman, said she was reached out to by Greek Life organizations over the summer. “Alpha Chi Omega and Gamma Phi Beta both reached out to me and asked if I was interested and told me all about them and what they stand for and stuff like that, and that was definitely a deciding factor in whether I wanted to do recruitment or not,” Horton said. Momon said she believes these new rules contributed to the successful turnout of new members.
“This time it was like a no-fear recruitment. If you didn’t want to do it anymore, no one would know. It was such a private and intimate thing,” Momon said. Gretchen Bush, music education freshman, said despite being on zoom, the sororities made formal recruitment fun. “All the sororities did such an excellent job of keeping everything upbeat and positive,” Bush said. Samuel Harris, finance and marketing freshman, said he also enjoyed the process of formal recruitment. “It was like a calm wildfire of emotions,” Harris said. Harrel said bid day events were allowed to be held in-person if campus safety guidelines were followed. “All of our IFC fraternities and Panhellenic sororities had some component of their bid day activities in-person, though many of them also had a virtual option for their new members to participate in,” Harrel said. Bush said Alpha Phi’s bid day theme was Party Like It’s Your Bid-Day. “We went to the park, and we ate cupcakes and pizza and just got to know each other,”
Bush said. “We rented out one of those inflatable wrecking ball machines. It’s like a big ball that knocks people over,” Momon said. Wilson said Lambda Chi Alpha also had their bid day in person. “ We were under the 50-person limit, and that’s a privilege we got that some of the women on campus wouldn’t necessarily get because there’s so many people in their organization,” Wilson said. Wilson also said the new rules resulted in a smaller bid day than usual, as alumni were not allowed to be present. Harris said the fraternities and sororities are going to continue following CDC guidelines for the rest of the year. “There’s a lot of rumors going around that some of the frats and some of the sororities are enhancing the global pandemic,” Harris said. Harris said he believes these rumors are misrepresentations of the Greek Life on campus. “We want to be model citizens, inside and out,”
Harris said. Wilson also said the Greek organizations will be enforcing CDC guidelines and won’t be having parties. “Having big parties during COVID is irresponsible and ridiculous,” Wilson said. Wilson said the fraternities are going to continue giving out snap bids this year, which will allow new people to accept bids throughout the rest of the semester. “It might look a little bit different because of the coronavirus this year. It’s going to be harder to meet people, but it will still happen,” Wilson said. Momon said, due to COVID-19, the Greek organizations are trying to prepare for all potential scenarios that could happen the rest of the school year. “Everything we have has like three plans,” Momon said. “If Lord reign down and everything opens up, we have a regular plan, if we have to keep it at 50 people, we have that one, and God forbid we have to go remote, that has a plan as well.”
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news
Take to the streets A group of bikers and protesters prepare to march down 23rd Street from the Tower Theatre to the Capitol Building. A motorcade and group of bikers accompanied protesters on foot to maintain a position in street in the midst of evening traffic. The protesters walked on Aug. 28 to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, at which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke. Protesters met in the parking lot outside the Tower Theatre to listen to speakers before continuing down the street.
Josh Eliot
Student Publications
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USPS changes may affect student absentee ballots Francesca Iacovacci
NEWS EDITOR
Changes to USPS policies for its workers have the potential to slow down the mail delivery process. The new head of the USPS, Louis DeJoy, made operational changes on July 10 to cut costs, which could result in slowing down mail delivery. According to a USPS document published in the Washington Post, employees were ordered to leave behind mail at distribution centers if it would delay letter carriers from their routes, whereas postal workers are traditionally trained to make multiple trips to not leave any letters behind. Emily Bradley, university mail center manager, said she hasn’t noticed an obvious delay. “I would say the only way would be a potential day or two delay in some mail and possibly packages, but I really haven’t noticed much of a delay,” Bradley said. “It’s hard to know; we get the letters in, but we don’t know if it’s taken longer to get here than it would have before the changes” Though she hasn’t noticed it, Bradley said she has heard of changes to USPS operations, including regulations about employees working overtime. “The only thing I’ve heard is the discussion of the fact that a lot of overtime is not allowed,” she said. “They still allow certain overtime; it just has to be pre-approved. It used to be a lot more prevalent. There are certain carriers that the way their routes are designed, it takes them into overtime every day to complete their route the way it’s supposed to be done. So, if they’re not allowed overtime, there could be certain things that wait until the next day to go out.” These changes have been made leading up to the 2020 presidential election on Nov. 3, where more people are expected to vote by mail due to COVID-19. Bradley said despite the expected increase of election mail, she thinks USPS is capable of delivering the ballots efficiently. “When you think about how much they handle for Christmas cards and Mother’s Day and all of that, they will be able to handle an influx of election mail,” she said. “I would just say if you are planning on voting by mail in ballot or absentee ballot, don’t wait until the last minute just in case there are any delays. I have people come in like, ‘yeah, it has to be in Nebraska by tomorrow.’ Well, you’re going to have to pay a lot extra to get it to Nebraska by tomorrow. So, plan ahead and don’t wait until the last minute to get it done, to request a mail-in or absentee ballot.” Viviana Goodwin, music junior, said she didn’t receive her absentee ballot to vote in her local election in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Before I came back to school, I finished registering for my absentee ballot,” Goodwin said. “I sent it in about a month ago, so I could be all set for when I get to school. My dad was constantly texting me asking if I’ve gotten it yet and I hadn’t. I had also lost my debit card, and my dad had to send me a new
I was hoping and praying it would come, and after this weekend we realized it‘s not coming. Viviana Goodwin
music junior
one. He sent it through FedEx, and I got it in like two days. It’s been four weeks now, and I haven’t gotten my ballot, but I got my debit card that quickly. I was hoping and praying it would come, and after this weekend we realized it’s not coming. It still hasn’t gotten here, and today is election day.” Goodwin said she thinks the changes at USPS might have affected the delivery of her ballot. “We checked the application was approved like six different times and made sure that my OCU address was on it so it would for sure get sent to me. It worked my freshman year. I think the slowdown affected it. That’s what we chalked it up to,” she said. Goodwin said voting in this election was particularly special for her family because her father, Jerry Goodwin, is on the ballot. “He is running for Tulsa City Council District One,” Goodwin said. “He ran my freshman year and didn’t win, and now he’s running again. We’re very, very hopeful, very prayerful. I wasn’t able to vote for him, but it’ll be okay because if it’s supposed to happen, it will happen, but I would say it does kind of suck.” Goodwin said she’s concerned about receiving her absentee ballot for the presidential election. “That’s what I’m scared about now. If I couldn’t get an absentee ballot for a city council election, then what’s it going to be like then? My dad and I are thinking maybe I should go back home to vote for the presidential election, so we don’t have to worry about it,” she said. Goodwin also said it’s important mail is delivered on time. “If you’re ordering medication or, like me, have to get a new debit card in the mail, you don’t want to wait weeks for it,” she said. “Also, for voting, it’s super important it’s on time. Voting is a fundamental right, and everyone should have the option and the ability to.” Bradley said 14 days before the election date is a safe bet to send absentee ballots. “Generally, that’s a good time frame to make sure it gets where it needs to go and gets processed in time,” she said. Bradley also said the time it takes for mail to be delivered varies on the destination but usually doesn’t exceed a week. “It’s going to vary the farther away you get from Oklahoma. I’d say, on the outset, on the edges of the coast you’re looking at like 4-6 days. I don’t send things that far with the
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end knowledge of how long it took to get there, but that’s my guess. In Oklahoma or the local area, it’s probably just a day or two,” she said. Kelsey Bray, acting senior, said she’s registered to vote in California and plans to send her absentee ballot by mail. “For California voting, the biggest thing I’m worried about is receiving my ballot in time to send it back from Oklahoma. That’s really my only worry, and that’s what I worry about each election because I usually do mail-in voting,” she said. “This year, I’m definitely going to mail it in as soon as possible, because obviously there is a national slowdown with everything right now. When I get it, I’m going to be mailing it in immediately.” Bray also said she has been provided with a tracking number and update texts to track her ballot. “I got an email from the state a week or two ago, and they’re providing a service where you can track your ballot. I confirmed I’m a registered voter, and they asked if I wanted to change anything and sign up for this tracking thing, and I was like, ‘absolutely,’ because then I can ensure it’s getting somewhere. I always feel weird sending in my ballot like, ‘I hope you get there.’ I’m definitely going to send it in earlier, track it and make sure it gets there,” she said. Derek Bryant, biochemistry junior, also said he’s voting by mail to send his absentee ballot to Kansas. “I have not been paying attention to the news that well, but I know that there’s potential for mail-in ballots to be really delayed,” he said. “I’m not concerned about safety at all. I am a little concerned my ballot won’t get here. I’m a little luckier than some students because I only live two hours from home. If I absolutely have to, I can drive home to vote if I never got my ballot, but honestly, Kansas is good about getting stuff out really early. And I’m sure as long as it’s postmarked by the election date, they’ll accept it.” Bryant said he plans to send his ballot quickly. “I think my plan is just to fill it out as soon as I get it just in case there are any delays and in case there are any random executive orders from Trump that we don’t expect, that if we are going to be dealing with a mail delay, at least I’m trying to preemptively do my part to get it back on time,” Bryant said. Bradley said she has worked at the mail center for eight and a half years, and has seen the number of students voting by mail increase over that time. “It’s really increased in the last couple of years,” she said. “I think students are definitely putting more of an effort into voting from here than I noticed in the first few years I was doing this. It’s good, I see all of the voter registration cards going in ,and we get a ton of absentee ballots that get mailed here for students, and then they turn around and send them right back in.”
Nursing school partners with online university Luke Barrett
MANAGING EDITOR
The Kramer School of Nursing recently began a program partnership with Mid-America Christian University. The program will allow students at Mid-America Christian University to complete degree requirements for the first two years of the nursing program at Kramer, preparing them for application and admission into Kramer as junior nursing students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. David Rose, assistant vice president of enrollment at MACU, said officials, including the presidents of both institutions, have been working on the plans for the partnership for the last five months. OCU President Martha Burger and MACU President John Fozard have signed the agreement, which is now active. “Quite honestly, it came out of student interest and student demand. There are students with the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the College of Adult and September 2, 2020
Graduate studies who reach out and express interest in attending Mid-America Christian University, are interested in making a profession in healthcare, and Mid-America has not offered a nursing program,” Rose said. “So, instead of looking at trying to develop a new nursing program when there are already quality BSN programs in the Oklahoma City area, specifically Oklahoma City University, it seems a far better use of serving a student that we would work collaboratively with another institution to help them achieve that desire of working in healthcare, and more specifically, becoming a licensed, registered nurse.” Rose said the program was fast-tracked over the summer due to the collaborative efforts of the schools. He said the nursing profession is in high-demand, especially due to the requirements of treating cases of COVID19, so the program will help create more well-qualified nurses by funneling qualified students into the Kramer program and letting them obtain a BSN and proper licensure.
These students are usually apparently very focused and very good students, and so we’re looking forward to bringing them on in. Lois Salmeron
dean Kramer School of Nursing
Lois Salmeron, dean of the Kramer School of Nursing, said officials from Kramer provided their course requirements to faculty at MACU, who are now using that information to put interested MACU students into relevant classes. “They just have to make sure that their science courses and our science courses are equal,” Salmeron said. “We think this to be a wonderful pipeline for us. Because, these students are usually apparently very focused and very good students, and so we’re looking forward to bringing them on in.” Salmeron said no students from MACU are currently enrolled in the Kramer BSN program, but students can enroll in fall, spring or summer semesters in order
to work toward their degree. Four semesters of nursing experience are required. Some decisions are still being set, Rose said, in order to make the transition process as smooth as possible for students in the program. Blake Bulger, nursing junior at OCU, said he saw the partnership announced on OCU Instagram and Facebook pages. He said the new program may help nursing students save money. “I think it really will be beneficial. I know that it’ll probably increase our enrollment in terms of nursing. I think it will allow more people access to nursing education and things like that,” he said. “If you can’t afford OCU for four years, you can only afford it for two years, that’s definitely a
much cheaper option, is to go to Mid-America Christian and do your pre-reqs there and then transfer in with the intention of going into this nursing program.” The Mid-America Christian University website states a traditional undergraduate semester cost at MACU is $8,784. Undergraduate tuition at OCU per semester is $14,074. Rose said the new program would be efficient for students pursuing a nursing degree. “When a student transfers from one university to another, it’s not unusual that they would end up losing some credit because it doesn’t fit into the new major as cleanly as they had hoped,” Rose said. “But in this transfer pathway that was jointly developed between MACU and OCU, it really ensures that the student takes advantage and does not lose any credit in transfer because the pathway has been clearly articulated, and they’ll be able to smoothly move into the BSN program without being put on a waitlist, without the loss of credit, without any loss of time in the
pursuit of their BSN as they move through this pathway. So, it’s a very efficient model for the student and is very economical in its design.” Students transferring into the Kramer School of Nursing will be required to meet all admission requirements, but the program will allow those requirements to be met before applying, Rose said. Deadlines to apply for spring semester courses will be in November, so the amount of potential transfers from MACU is not currently known, due to the program’s recent origins and the specific course requirements of the program. “MACU is very excited to be working with OCU in this manner and thinks that it serves the students at both of our institutions very well, and so the students will be coming out of this program very uniquely academically prepared,” Rose said.
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