June 21-27, 2017

J U N E 2 1 - 2 7, 2 0 17 | O N C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M

1

OUDAILY

For 100 years, the student voice of the University of Oklahoma

A 98572879 H

1

N 38928084 H

1

1

A NOTHER TUITION INCR EASE

STRETCHING THE DOLLAR

Students not surprised by another tuition increase K ATRINA CRUMBACHER • @K ATCRUMBACHER

O

U President David B o r e n ’s r e c o m mended 5 percent tuition increase for resident undergraduate and graduate students was approved at the Board of Regents Meeting Tuesday afternoon.

They also proposed a

VOL. 102, NO. 65 © 2017 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25¢

6.5 percent and 4.3 percent tuition increase for nonresident undergraduate and graduate students, respectively.

“I am distressed that the university is once again put in the position of having to adjust tuition,” Boren said in

SPORTS

LINCOLN RILEY BALANCES FOOTBALL, FAMILY

a statement. “The university has tried to take every action possible to avoid tuition increases. Unfortunately, as the state shoulders less of the burden of paying for higher education, the costs are passed on to students and their families.”

4-5

Not only will tuition see raises, so will the cost of living. Boren recommended a 3 percent rate increase in fiscal year 2018 for standard residence halls, apartm e nt s a n d m ea l p la n s. see TUITION page 2

NEWS

OU TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ADVISERS

7

2

NEWS

• June 21-27, 2017

TUITION: Continued from Page One

Students living in Headington Hall should expect to pay 4 percent more for housing and 3 percent for meal plans. All increases were approved by the board.

“We continue to cut costs and do everything possible to maintain excellence for our students while keeping open the doors of opportunity,” Boren said. “In the long run, the state is endangering its future by refusing to invest more in

the education of the next generation.”

The increases are due to the Oklahoma state budget crisis. At the end of the 2017 Oklahoma Legislative Session, $773 million was appropriated for higher education, approximately $34 million less than FY2017.

OU — Norman, Tulsa and the Health Sciences Center — lost $11.8 million, nearly a third of the overall deficit.

“The university has been put in a tough spot with the state budget cuts, so it’s necessary,” SGA President J.D. Baker said. “And I believe if we want to continue the quality of our education that we have here at

the university, really as students, it’s necessary.”

While the increases aren’t appreciated by students, they’re not unexpected anymore.

“I feel like they always increase it every year, so I think it’s something you should know is going to happen,” Shefali Pandare, industrial engineering major, said. “The first year they increased tuition, I was really surprised; now it seems like a norm. It’s probably just going to happen, even if they don’t tell you.”

T h e i n c re a s e, i f o f f i c i a l l y a p p rov e d by t h e State Regents for Higher

Education next week, will likely force many students and their families to look for other payment alternatives.

“I would have to take out more loans, or try to apply for more scholarships,” Ravo n Map p, Sp a n i s h major, said. “Every year they say the price won’t change, but then we get an email saying that the tuition will go up.”

Katrina Crumbacher

katrinacrumbacher@gmail. com

HISTORY OF OU TUITION INCREASES (UNDERGRADUATE AMOUNTS) RESIDENT % INCREASE

FISCAL YEAR

NON-RESIDENT % INCREASE

RESIDENT COST NONRESIDENT COST PER CREDIT HOUR PER CREDIT HOUR

2018

5

6.5

$159.60

$512.70

2017

7

7

$153.22

$477.43

2016

4.8

4.8

$143.20

$446.20

2015

4.8

4.8

$137.60

$425.80

2014

0

2.9

$131.90

$406.30

2013

3

5

$131.90

$387.90

2012

5

5

$128.30

$365.10

2011

4.5

4.5

$122.60

$347.70

2010

0

0

$117.90

$332.70

2009

9.92

9.67

$117.90

$332.70

2008

8.5

9.95

$108.70

$303.80 Source: OU Board of Regents meeting minutes

STUDENT REACTIONS TO THE TUITION INCREASE After finding out about the tuition and room and board increases, The Daily went out and got the reactions of students.

Here’s what they had to say.

FELICIA HART, HISTORY MAJOR “I am a returning student, so I am a transfer student from Houston, but I also have a daughter that’s in college, so I’m having to help her out with her rent and stuff.

The increase would be a drawback for me because higher rates means higher for me to pay with along with whatever I have to take care of her. We all have to go to school, and we all have to be here, so I think we

just have to take (the increase) and swallow it, and do what we have to do to make up for it.”

KYLE SMITH, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING MAJOR “I’m about to graduate, and I’m curious how it will affect graduate programs because that means less funding for graduate programs, which means less money for research, and lots of different things depending on how different professors’ grants are. Lucrative programs are even

OUDaily.com

more likely to be hurt from it.”

For more information and related content about the tuition increase, visit oudaily.com/news

SPORTS

June 21-27, 2017 •

3

OU coaches, staff receive raises Compensation, contract extensions negotiated for FY18 JADYN WATSON-FISHER @jwatsonfisher

Contracts and compensation negotiations for two dozen athletics coaches were approved by the OU Board of Regents Tuesday afternoon.

The football team received the largest number of raises and contract extensions.

Head coach Lincoln Riley received a 5-year contract worth $3.1 million per season.

Assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach Ruffin McNeil, assistant was approved for a two-year contract worth $560,000 a season.

Assistant offensive coordinator and offensive line coach

Bill Bedenbaugh received a $110,000 raise, bringing him to $535,000 per season through 2019.

Jay Boulware, special teams coordinator and running backs coach, received a $45,000 raise to put him at $400,000 a season through May 2018.

Mike Stoops, associate head coach and defensive coordinator, will earn $920,000 a season and his contract was extended through 2019.

Other assistant coaches Kerry Cooks, Cale Gundy, Tim Kish, Calvin Thibodeaux and Dennis Simmons received pay raises and contract extensions.

Former head football coach Bob Stoops will be the special assistant to the vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics. His contract, worth $325,000, is good through July 2018 and may be

extended.

Coming off national championship runs, women’s gym head coach KJ Kindler received a raise of $20,000 and men’s gym head coach Mark Williams’ salary will be an additional $65,000. Both received 6-year extensions.

With a 2017 doubles national title, men’s tennis head coach Nick Crowell’s contract was extended three years and is worth $153,600 per year. Women’s tennis head coach Audra Cohen received an extension through 2021 worth $115,000 a year.

Adding to OU’s championship collection this year, men’s golf coach Ryan Hybl’s updated 5-year contract is worth $220,000 per year. Women’s golf coach Veronique DrouinLuttrell’s contract was extended through 2021.

Head women’s soccer coach

Matt Potter received a contract extension through December 2019 worth $194,400 per year.

Head wrestling coach Lewis Rosselli received a $45,000 raise and 5-year extension.

Men’s and women’s track and field head coach James VanHootegem’s contract was extended three years.

Baseball’s new head coach Skip Johnson received a 5-year contract worth $375,000 per season.

Women’s rowing head coach Leeanne Crain received a $5,000 salary increase and contract extension through 2021.

Despite winning a second consecutive Women’s College World Series title and being on the agenda for contract and compensation adjustments, the softball coaching staff was not included on the list of information given at the meeting. Head

coach Patty Gasso’s contract, which was extended in 2016, is good until 2021.

Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione received a 5-year contract extension. Starting in 2020, he will received an additional $225,000 benefit if he remains employed by the university.

Approximately 25 other athletics managerial personnel and assistant coaches received salary increases.

While the funding for academics has gone down for the university, athletics funding has gone up, an issue some are concerned with.

“In order to maintain our championship quality we have to be able to keep pace with the competition, so it has to be run like a separate business,”

President David Boren said.

“We are one in less than 10 universities in the country where the athletics department also subsidizes the academic budget, subsidizes the library, subsidizes a lot of other things.

Ultimately, even the faculty salaries (are subsidized) indirectly because we charge the athletics department with a tax each year.

“But then within itself, it does have to distribute its own revenues and increases to assistant coaches each year. This annually happens, and people think we are spending tuition money, spending state appropriated money, but no state appropriated money, no tuition and fees is going into it.”

Jadyn Watson-Fisher jwatsonfisher@ou.edu

Former OU pitching coach takes the reins Resignation leads to new head baseball coach for Sooners KELLI STACY @AstacyKelli

Former OU pitching coach Skip Johnson was introduced as the new head coach at a press conference Tuesday morning.

Johnson was the Sooners’ pitching coach last season, and is taking over after former coach Pete Hughes’ resignation.

The Denton, Texas, native was introduced by OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione, who said he had multiple candidates for the job, but felt Johnson was the best fit.

“We wanted someone who had been part of winning championship — who had been to Omaha — and we found that in (Skip) Johnson,” Castiglione said. “His passion, his plan, continually impressed us.”

Castiglione added that though Johnson might be humble, he’s still a competitor at heart, which is part of why he earned the position.

“Don’t let his down-toearth demeanor trick you into thinking he isn’t a competitor. He might try to trick you into thinking that, but he is a fierce competitor,” Castiglione said. “You’re not going to outhunt him. You’re not going to out-fish him. And believe me, don’t try to go bowling with him. Whether it’s rolling

strikes or throwing strikes, Skip is a fierce competitor and he conveys that to all those around him.”

Johnson said that while he is a competitor and wants to win championships, his main focus is on the relationships he builds with players and coaches.

“You can go win national championships, but it’s the relationships that matter to me,” Johnson said. “It’s getting the phone call at 2 o’clock in the morning, or the guy struggling in professional baseball where he comes in your office and talks to you, that’s what matters. We can win championships — there’s no doubt I want to win championships as badly as anybody — but the relationships mean

everything to me. Always have and always will. That’s the reason I’m here.”

Johnson already has a close relationship with the team, according to sophomore pitcher Ryan Madden. Madden said that the team is comfortable going to Johnson with any problems they have, so they were excited to hear he would be the new head coach.

“I’m definitely really excited, and I think I speak for everyone on the team,” Madden said.

Johnson had a conference call with the team yesterday to notify them of his hiring.

He said he could hear everyone yelling, which made him happy that the team was as excited as he was.

Madden said that Johnson

ZHENG QU/THE DAILY

New head baseball coach Skip Johnson speaks at his introductory press conference Tuesday morning.

told the team, “Guys it’s me. and is in the process of hiring We’re not going to change. a pitching coach.

You know what I’m about and what we’re going to be about.”

Despite being named head Kelli Stacy kelliastacy@ou.edu coach, Johnson said he will still work with the pitchers

4

SPORTS

• June 21-27, 2017

June 21-27, 2017 •

5

LINCOLN RILEY BALANCES COACHING, FAMILY TIME Head football coach is youngest in FBS

L

STORIES BY KELLI STACY • @ASTACYKELLI

incoln Riley is known across the country as the youngest head coach in the FBS. In O k l a h o ma, h e’s k n ow n as the S ooners’ new est head coach. But to his two d a u g h t e r s, S l o a n e a n d Stella, he’s simply “Daddy.”

While the nation sees Riley as an offensive mastermind, Sloane and Stella see him as the man they have tea parties with — the man who reads Sloane princess stories before bed.

After Bob Stoops — the winningest coach in Oklahoma history — announced his retirement, Riley was named the Sooners’ 22nd head coach.

The 33-year-old is following in legendary footsteps, but that might not be his biggest challenge. Riley is at a point in life where he has a young family, even younger than Stoops when he arrived in Norman. With nearly 100 football players looking to him for guidance, a coaching staff looking to him for direction and a wife and two daughters, the young coach is becoming a pro at balancing acts.

SHANE BYLER/THE DAILY

From left to right: Sloane, Lincoln, Stella and Caitlin Riley after Lincoln’s introductory press conference as head coach June 7.

“

“I think you’ve just got to keep your priorities and that’s one thing that was fun to watch Coach Stoops over the last two years,” Riley said. “He was a guy that was ver y set in his priorities and always had time for his family. He was able to find that great balance of being successful at work and doing the things there that he needed to get done, but also still being a great family man. That’s all I’m going to do. I’m going to coach during the day and I’m going to get home when I can and see those girls and see my wife and that’s all I want to do.”

...

During the season, Riley is up and out of the house by 6:15 a.m., Riley’s wife, Caitlin, said. The two ca m e u p w i t h a syste m that allows Riley to balance coaching and parenting. Caitlin and the girls eat lunch with him on Mondays — his longest days at the office — and try to make two practices a week. While the days at

practice are fun, the special days are Thursdays when Riley gets home early.

“He’s wonderful,” Caitlin said. “Quantity is not always ideal. He’d love to be at home and spend more time, but when he is he tries his best to put down his phone for a little bit and make sure the time he has is quality.”

With an intense schedule, making sure that he has time with his wife and kids is imperative for Riley. It gives him a chance to take a break and have a moment of normalc y, Caitlin said. Now that he’s stepping into a bigger role, R i l e y re a l i ze s t hat h e’s going to have to try even harder to find balance in his life.

“You’ve got to recharge your own batteries, and me being there as a dad is just so important. It’s one of the things going into this job that I know we’re going to have to figure out a little bit on the way,” Riley said.

“But there’s nothing that’s g o i n g t o k e e p m e f ro m making time for my wife and my family. This job is

incredibly important to emphasized the imporme, but it doesn’t compare tance of families in welc o m i ng s p e e c h e s. Th i s to those three in my life.” family environment is exactly what brought Riley to OU. “The families involved When Riley accepted the offensive coordinator po- in our culture and helping sition at Oklahoma, he had create that Sooner magic his family in mind. He had (are) s o impor tant and been at two family-friendly they are a big part of what programs in East Carolina we do,” Castiglione said at and Texas Tech, and want- a press conference.

Now at the helm of the ed nothing less at OU, Riley program, it’s Riley’s job to said. “ Thes e are years and continue creating the famtimes that you never get ily atmosphere that attractback with your kids,” Riley ed him to OU. “I knew what I was getsaid. “Life is too short to be in a job or a place where ting into here with Bob and you maybe liked the job or how good he was with all parts of the job, but if the of our families and I hope family can’t be part of it it’s I can do just as good a job just not worth it. I would as he did with the families never have gone to a pro- of our current staff,” Riley gram where I knew that said. “I’ve had great people in my life that helped would be a question.”

Riley had faith in the shape me, and if I wouldn’t family-friendly program h av e h a d t h e m t h e r e ’s Stoops and OU Athletic no telling where I would Director Joe Castiglione be, so I hope that I can do built over the past 18 years. the same for every player Stoops and Castiglione that walks through here.” emphasized the importance of families in press conferences the same way Kelli Stacy kelliastacy@ou.edu OU President David Boren

...

BUT THERE’S NOTHING THAT’S GOING TO KEEP ME FROM MAKING TIME FOR MY WIFE AND MY FAMILY. THIS JOB IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO ME, BUT IT DOESN’T COMPARE TO THOSE THREE IN MY LIFE. -LINCOLN RILEY, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

SHANE BYLER/THE DAILY

Lincoln Riley’s wife, Caitlin, holds their daughter, Stella, at the press conference where Riley was introduced as OU’s new head football coach.

BOARD OF REGENTS OKS RILEY’S CONTRACT Salary tied for FBS’s 33rd highest

On Tuesday, the O k l a h o m a St a t e B o a rd of Regents approved Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley’s 5-year contract, worth $3.1 million per season. Based on last years’ salaries, Riley ties for the 33rd highest-paid coach in the FBS. Riley’s $3.1 million ties Kansas State’s Bill Snyder and Arizona State’s Todd Graham’s salaries from the 2016 season.

In addition to the $3.1 million he’ll be making, Riley will earn a bonus of $425,000 if he wins a national championship. His salary will also increase by $200,000 each year.

Riley is cur rently the youngest head coach in the

FBS at 33 years old. For comparison, five other coaches aged 35 to 37 years old all made less last season than Riley will be making this season. Their salaries ranged from $660,000 to $2 million.

At Riley’s introductory press conference, he said he was honored to be OU’s head coach at such a young age.

“What a day. What a day as a young coach,” Lincoln said. “When you decide you want to do this these are the things that you dream about, and I feel like I’m honestly living a dream right now — just an incredible feeling.

The two words that come to mind right now are honored and humbled. That’s my biggest emotion that I feel right

now. To get a chance to be a part of this program two years ago was almost mind blowing. It was something that was so, so special to me — and two years later, too — and it’s in large part due to a lot of people that helped shape me, guide me, support me, and for them I’m truly thankful.”

In May, prior to being named head coach, Riley received a $1.3 million raise and three-year contract extension, including a $100,000 stay bonus. Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was making $5.5 million prior to his retirement.

Kelli Stacy

kelliastacy@ou.edu

6

CLASSIFIEDS

• June 21-27, 2017

OU DAILY

Kelli Stacy

Emily McPherson

Seth Prince

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

Shane Byler

Judy Gibbs Robinson

George Stoia

Abbie Sears

Editor-in-Chief

160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019 phone: 405-325-3666 email: dailynews@ou.edu

News Managing Editor Sports Editor

HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

Copyright 2017, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last Speak from the heart. Your passionate way of presenting your feelings and goals will attract people who believe in you and what you are trying to accomplish.

An unusual partnership will develop with someone who has something special to offer. Romance is highlighted.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Your memory won’t let you down. Draw on your experience to ensure you make wise decisions that are within your means and will not jeopardize what you’ve worked so hard to acquire.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Put greater emphasis on your work, career and ultimate goals. Keeping busy will help you bring about the change you desire and gain the satisfaction and benefits you deserve.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- A partnership will bring out the best in you. Share your ideas, and trust in your ability to create something spectacular. Love and romance are highlighted, along with travel and new beginnings.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Be careful how you move forward when dealing with the unfamiliar.

Don’t take part in something that goes against your beliefs. Listen and learn, but do what’s best for you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- You can make wise investment choices and build your assets quickly. A domestic project or an offering from an unexpected source is apparent. Partnerships look promising and will be prosperous.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Handle emotional situations with caution. Someone will use unethical tactics that can affect your relationship with your peers.

Rely on your experience and solid information to make the right decision.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Put pressure on someone if you want to get your way. Celebrate with a loved one, but don’t overthink matters, overspend or indulge in something that is out of your price range.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- A get-together with friends, relatives or neighbors will broaden your understanding of the trials and tribulations that others face.

Your help and suggestions will be considered and appreciated.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Take charge and don’t be afraid to do things differently. Your imaginative ideas will help you outmaneuver any rivals. Romance and socializing are highlighted.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Avoid conflicts. Work alone to reach your goals. Refuse to let anyone interfere in your plans. Happiness will come from doing what’s right and best for you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Offering your skills to your community or helping others will bring beneficial results. Personal accomplishments will result if you make positive changes to your lifestyle.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You can bring about change, but run your ideas past someone you trust before you jump into action. Your plan may need to be tweaked.

Copy Manager Visual Editor

Faculty Adviser Faculty Adviser

Print Editor

Edited by Timothy Parker June 21, 2017

6/21

J Housing Rentals HOUSES UNFURNISHED

Universal Crossword ACROSS 1 “Cut it out!�

5 Complete duration 9 Plank 14 Domesticated 15 “Merry old� king in a rhyme 16 Passionate feelings 17 Corporate higher-up, briefly 18 Ingredient in many lotions 19 Paints with a bit of splatter 20 Faded transporter of oxygen from the lungs?

23 Leather piercer 24 National symbol 25 Recipe amt.

28 ’80s hairdo 32 Famous Spanish painter 34 Make a mistake 35 It’s meant to be smelly 37 Mountain range between Europe and Asia 38 Faded bruise?

43 Enthusiastic and then some 44 Gun sound 45 Word with “caddy� or “cup�

46 Enliven

CLASSIFIEDS

50 Ones really watching bills?

52 Abbreviated word that abbreviates a list 53 Poet Angelou 55 Split ___ soup 56 Navy’s faded gridiron program?

62 Looks lustfully 64 Not fair 65 Con ___ (with liveliness) 66 One’s money’s worth 67 ___ Major (Great Bear in space) 68 Wine dregs 69 Hole that seems to have no bottom 70 Impolite look 71 It’s free from difficulty DOWN 1 Part of a walk in the park 2 Cab 3 Soothsayer’s sign 4 Eat like a chicken 5 Green onion 6 Sport with horses 7 Socially distant 8 Need for a working turntable 9 One up to no good

10 Type of exam or testimony 11 Water down, e.g.

12 What burglars do 13 AMA members 21 Form of African address 22 Baseball legend Ripken Jr. 26 One giving you a start 27 Some Oktoberfest dances 28 Jamaican music genre 29 Stark or utter 30 Not happily 31 It can take you on a trip 33 Pirate’s stereotypical drink 36 Tidal retreat 39 Sweet tuber

40 Chem class setting 41 Like depression without mania 42 White heron 47 Brings a smile to the face of 48 Hot road stuff 49 Sight to behold 51 Be a casual indulger 54 Prior to, old-style 57 Supreme god of Greek mythology 58 River in Eastern England 59 Common code type 60 Slices of baloney?

61 Misplace 62 Fertility clinic needs 63 Chat a bit

Great prices within 10 min walk to campus!

Small houses, 1-bd apartments!

Smoke-free, no pets, local owners Safe places to live w/application and security deposit (one month rent) Call 405-360-3850

It’s the NUMBER ONE cancer killer.

NO MORE EXCUSES. NO MORE LUNG CANCER.

lungcanceralliance.org

PLACE A PAID AD Phone: 405-325-2521 E-mail: classifieds@ou.edu

Fax: 405-325-7517 Campus Address: COH 149A

DEADLINES Line Ad

..................................................................................

3 days prior

Place line ad by 9:00 a.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

Display Ad ............................................................................3 days prior Classified Display or Classified Card Ad Place your display, classified display or classified card ads by 5:00 p.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

PREVIOUS PUZZLE PREVIOUS PUZZLEANSWER ANSWER

6/20 Š 2017 Andrews McMeel Syndication 6/7 Š 2017 Andrews McMeel Syndication www.upuzzles.com www.upuzzles.com

COLOR FADE By Timothy E. Parker

Previous Solution

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

NEWS

June 21-27, 2017 •

7

Camp Crimson session begins Annual camp for incoming students started this week ROBYN CRAIG @robyncraig21

O U kicke d off its annual Camp Crimson — a three-day camp designed for incoming OU students — today. The first Camp Crimson session, HiRickety, will last until Friday.

Camp Crimson’s number one focus is to help ease the transition from high school to college for incoming freshman attending the university. The camp, however, is also open to incoming transfer students attending OU in the fall.

At the camp, students

will learn beyond the fundamentals of OU and focus on other important aspects of being a student at OU including “academic expectations, the OU campus, OU’s history and traditions, how to get involved and many other things that will help ease their transition to OU,” according to the Camp Crimson website.

In addition, students will also participate in fun activities to help them become comfortable in their new environment. What most students gain from camp are the relationships they created, giving them people to reconnect with in the fall.

This year Camp Crimson will feature a new parent and family orientation during

the Boomer and Sooner sessions, according to the website. The two-day orientation will provide various sessions for both parents and families to attend, while discussing topics such as helping their student succeed academically and financially.

Four other sessions will follow Hi-Rickety: Whoopte-do from June 28-30, Boomer from July 12-14, Sooner from July 19-21 and OKU from July 26-28.

To register for a Camp Crimson session or to find more information about the camp, head to its website at ou.edu/campcrimson.

Robyn Craig

robyn.craig04@gmail.com

NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY

A Camp Crimson sign lights up the stage at one of OU’s Camp Crimson sessions last summer.

This summer’s first session begins today.

MidFirst Bank to sponsor financial program OU MoneyCoach partnership to help incoming freshmen ROBYN CRAIG @robyncraig21

The OU graduation office w ill begin the new MoneyCoach program, a long-term financial assistance program available for all incoming freshman, this fall.

John Hockett, a member of the graduation office and senior MoneyCoach adviser, said via email that the program will be able to help assist all incoming freshman with the financial aspect of their OU journey.

“The goal of the OU MoneyCoach program is to empower students and their families to make solid plans

and decisions based on correct and timely information,” Hockett said via email.

OU freshmen and their families will be paired with a MoneyCoach who will provide one-on-one assistance to help the student navigate through all financial issues, including how to pay for college, budget their money during their time at OU and how to overcome financial obstacles, Hockett said.

“The primary goal is to connect OU students and their families with an OU MoneyCoach, who helps them navigate all things financial involving their OU experience,” he said.

This program is open to all, but is geared to help first-generation college students who might not be familiar with all the options available to them,

according to a press release.

“We are deeply committed to ensuring that a quality college education is accessible to and affordable for all,” said OU President David Boren in the release. “We have kept OU tuition among the very lowest in the Big 12. This important service and educational resource for students and families is yet another way that OU is serving as a model for American higher education.”

The process of receiving a MoneyCoach is fairly easy and begins before a student arrives for their summer enrollment. Each student is asked to complete the new OU Financial Success Plan using an interactive app that will help develop a financial plan skeleton for the student and their family based on the amount of scholarships,

grants and other financial awards the student has or will receive.

On the day of enrollment, students can be paired with a coach that day and begin the process of setting up a financial plan to pay for the first year.

“Students should expect to meet a caring professional who will help them navigate their first year and beyond at OU in terms of cost and available resources,” Hockett said. “ Like all great coaches, each OU MoneyCoach will work alongside students, engaging in strategy sessions to ensure ultimate success.”

F r o m t h a t p o i n t f o rward, the student will have a MoneyCoach available to him or her for the next four years to continue to assist the student until they graduate

from OU, Hockett said.

Although Hockett said the program is not mandatory for all incoming students, he hopes many students will value the program. “(Of ) OU students who indicate they do not plan to return for the next academic year, 32 percent cite financial reasons,” he said. “We believe we will help more students stay at OU, stay continuously enrolled and realize their goal of graduating from OU.” The MoneyCoach program does not only center around the student and their bursar payments, but will also provide additional tools, including debt management, budgeting and establishing credit, Hockett said.

“We want all OU students to leave their Sooner experience financially literate, ready

to be responsible citizens in the global marketplace,” Hockett said.

The MoneyCoach partnership between OU and MidFirst Bank was approved by the OU Board of Regents in May. “MidFirst Bank has a rich tradition of providing financial education and resources to the communities it serves,” Leigh Singleton, MidFirst Bank director of education, said in a press release. “We are excited about the opportunity to work with OU and its MoneyCoach program and look forward to contributing to the positive influence this will have on the lives of OU students.”

Robyn Craig

robyn.craig04@gmail.com

8

ADVERTISEMENT

• June 21 -27, 2017

E Boyd St

W Boyd St

Pag e

sen d Blv

Page St Kuhlman Ct

Okmulgee St

s Cla

Clr

CHICK-FIL-A GIFT CARD

University Pl

Trout Ave

+ A FREE T-SHIRT!

Felgar St

S Jenkins Ave

$10

S Ponca Ave

Asp Ave

TOUR & GET A

CAMPUS CORNER LEASING CENTER

CALLAWAY HOUSE APARTMENTS E Brooks St

E Brooks St

JUST 15 STEPS TO CAMPUS

PRIVATE BEDROOMS & BATHROOMS

3,234 SQ FT, STATE-OF-THE-ART FITNESS CENTER STRENGTH EQUIPMENT, CARDIO MACHINES & FREE WEIGHTS SWIMMING POOL WITH HOT TUB AND SUN DECK

ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTER WITH iMACS & FREE PRINTING

ENTER TO WIN A

MACBOOK PRO Prizes, amenities & utilities included are subject to change. Actual prize may vary. While supplies last. Square footage &/or dimensions are approximations & may vary. See office for details.