The Cameron University Collegian: October 17, 2011

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Volume 86 Issue 6

Monday, October 17, 2011

CU hosts Disability Awareness Day Amber Lindsay Staff Writer

Cameron University students, faculty and staff had the chance to learn about various disabilities and enjoy a free lunch on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the 4th annual Disability Awareness Event. According to Director of Student Development Dr. Jennifer Pruchnicki, the event focused on informing people about the different resources provided by Cameron and the Lawton and Fort Sill communities for those with disabilities. Dr. Pruchnicki noted that she is part of the Oklahoma Association on Higher Education and Disabilities, and that one of the institutions held a similar event on their campus. The event was so successful that they decided to try it at Cameron. “I am part of a state organization called OK-AHEAD. During one of the conferences, the institution where the conference was hosted held a similar event on their campus, and we all had a chance to participate in the activities,” she said. “It was such a successful event, so I researched ways we could incorporate it on our campus.” Dr. Pruchnicki said they invited different agencies, such as the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, to the event to share what they could about their services to those with disabilities. She said they also invited the various departments on campus to set up a booth and offer what they could. Dr. Pruchnicki said that the Student Wellness Center offered free depression and anxiety screenings, and the Library set up a display of different books about disabilities. Academic Counselor and Mentor Coordinator for Student Support Services Kay Love, who is visually impaired, said that she got involved by having a booth representing the Leader Dog School for the Blind, which focused on educating people about leader dogs and the visually impaired. Accompanied by her leader dog, Lightening, Love handed out brochures that taught people how they should approach a working dog. Dr. Pruchnicki said that Nick Jungheim, who is deaf, and his wife Lisa Jungheim, who is an interpreter, represented the American Sign Language table, which received a lot of positive feedback. She said that they helped one man better understand what his daughter, a toddler recently diagnosed with a hearing disability, was going through by providing more information about the disability and resources available to them. According to Dr. Pruchnicki, the Disability Awareness Event also offered interactive tables that allowed people to get an idea of what those with disabilities went through on a daily basis. Dr. Pruchnicki said that the interactive tables were a great way to teach people about various disabilities and why CU and other institutions offer accommodations for them. “We also had interactive stations where participants could learn

Informing Cameron Since 1926 Aggie News Hillbilly Handfishin’

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Aggie A&E Rolling with the Aggies

Courtesy CU Public Affairs Office

Informing the public: Junior Amber Lindsay learns about the services offered to persons with disabilities on campus. The awareness event is held once every year.

more about different disabilities and why students may receive accommodations in the learning environment,” she said. “I think people are often hesitant to try them out, but we got really positive feedback about how these have helped increase their understanding of what a student with a disability could encounter in class.”

See AWARENESS Page 2

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Aggie Sports Women’s Volleyball

Graduate Studies Preview Night

Cameron helps senior students prepare for academic future Elijah Morlett

Assistant Managing Editor On Oct. 6, Cameron University’s Admissions Office hosted a Graduate Studies Preview Night, an event highlighting various details about the university’s postbaccalaureate programs including degree plans, enrollment and financial aid. Associate Director of Enrollment Management Frank Myers said that the event was one of several used to spread information about graduate school at Cameron. “We try to reach out to people with bachelor’s degrees,” Myers said. “We host a few events on campus with the graduate preview night being one of those. It is our way to reach out into the community as well as to our current students.” Along with on-campus events, Myers said that recruitment efforts go to businesses and career fairs. Graduate preview nights normally open with a large session and end with attendees going into a breakout session of their choice. Each breakout room covers a different degree plan offered at Cameron. The university offers master’s degrees in Business Administration, Education, Education in Reading, Educational Leadership, Behavioral Sciences and Organizational Leadership. The graduate program has grown in recent years. According to Myers, the enrollment of students in graduate school went up 41% since 2008. “This year we have 537 students enrolled in graduate

Photo by Elijah Morlett

Academic advice: Senior Elementary Education major Sarah Walker talks with an adviser about post-graduate educational programs. Cameron offers Master’s degrees in six various areas of study.

Photo by Elijah Morlett

General meeting: Attendees are welcomed by Associate VP of Enrollment Management Jamie Glover. Preview Night began with a large session where the future graduates were greeted together before branching off into specialized smaller groups.

school,” Myers said. “In three years we have gone up by 158 people.” Cameron has continued to expand the graduate program.

The Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program just began this semester. Myers said that the need of

the community addressed the university’s view that the MSOL program would be the next program to be added. “With the military population, MSOL became a good program choice,” Myers said. “Because the program exists in the undergraduate side, it makes for an easier transition to the graduate side.” Myers added that MSOL is a well-rounded program that is general enough to apply to both private and public businesses. “It is a program that is applicable to an economy that is struggling and where it is harder to get a job and keep a job,” Myers said. Myers said that the MBA program has been a popular option for students. Students can earn an MBA by taking a class in person or completely online. “We want to make education as viable, easily accessible and as convenient as possible,” Myers said. “We will never do this at the expense of the quality of the program. We will not water down a program for convenience.” According to Myers, no other programs would be added in the near future because the university just added the MSOL program. “Since we just added the degree, we have a certain period of time to get a program up and running,” Myers said. “We want to make sure MSOL meets all of the Board of Regent’s requirements before another program is added.”

See PREVIEW Page 2

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