Friday, September 9, 2022
Surprised by Stonecloud A review of Stillwater’s new brewery drinking establishment is in town, bringing a whole new vibe to Stillwater. I’m not sure what my expectations were when arriving at Stonecloud, but they were certainly Claire Hosterman blown out of the water. Lifestyle Editor With an outdoor patio at the entrance, Stonecloud I was shocked to opens up into an airy find out something as cool space that is great for as Stonecloud opened socializing. The walls are in Stillwater. Stillwater painted white with vibrant is home to many clasart hanging from them, sic, dive-bar drinking thrifted board games establishments, bringing stacked on a column of the “Cowboy” aesthetic hanging shelves. full-force. Now, a new See Stonecloud on 4A
‘I was there:’
Graphic by Rebekah Cleary
OSU professor shares 9/11 experience Courtesy of College of Education and Human Science OSU is taking new steps to destigmatize post-secondary education for special needs students.
Expanding the Cowboy family Rebekah Cleary Staff Reporter
students. In the interview process, program coordinator Emily Tucker said This year, Oklathe question is simple. homa State took a major “Do you want your step toward destigmalife to look different than tizing post-secondary it does right now?” she education for students said. with intellectual disabiliThe program’s ties. Opportunity Orange purpose is to meet the Scholars (OOS), which support needs of the indibegan in August, offers vidual student. OOS hires students a two to four three types of partners to year learning program make sure students’ supthat results in an academ- port needs are being met ic certificate. in every aspect of campus The program life. Residential partners was established to give live on the same resistudents the experience dence hall floor as stuand practice necessary to dents and participate in compete in the workforce living-learning programs and live an interdepenwith students, functioning dent life. This year, five as additional community students were welcomed mentors or resident asto the Cowboy family, sistants. and each fall, another Academic partners cohort will be enrolled. support students in formOOS students pay coming a consistent schedule, parable tuition as all offer homework assisundergraduate students, tance, and modify assignwith opportunities for ments to meet individual internships and employsupport needs. ment aligning with other See Expanding on 5A
building enjoying her morning coffee and reading. Instead of relaxing in the morning sun, Coonce, an OSU graduate and now a professor in the Spears School of Business, headed for a meeting in New Ben Hutchens Jersey. On the road, she asked the Assistant Sports driver of the car service to turn Editor up the volume of 1010 WINS, the news radio station they had on in Jennifer Coonce knows the background. where she should have been when She heard something about the first plane slammed into the a plane crash. World Trade Center. “I’m like, ‘Wait a second, Two blocks away sitting on can you turn that up? Because I the rooftop patio of her apartment live right by there,’” Coonce said. Coonce, working for KPMG at the time, was in Short Hills, New Jersey, chasing her first prominent lead in weeks. She said from her own wraparound 24th floor terrace she regularly saw people flying small planes and helicopters near the World Trade Center because at the time the airspace wasn’t regulated. So she thought this was an accident. Then the second plane hit. “We both are like oh, this is really horrible,” Coonce said. Soon she arrived for her meeting, tipped her driver $20 and he called her a good American for over-tipping. It’s funny, the details that stick with her. “I got out in the parking lot,” Coonce said. “I didn’t want to go in the building because I was freaked out. I didn’t know what to do.” She couldn’t call her husband, Mike, because the cell towers supporting the area were overwhelmed. She knew he was working in Midtown, three miles Mackenzie Janish away from the World Trade CenEvery year, Jennifer Coonce remembers the ter. “It was obviously extremely events of 9/11 and how it has impacted her stressful, but I knew he was allife since.
ways on time everywhere he went and so I wasn’t worried about him,” Coonce said. Since she had a Dallas area code, Coonce could field calls not using towers in the immediate vicinity. She dialed her parents in Texas and updated them on her situation. “And all I could get out to say was like, ‘I am so upset,’” Coonce said. With no other place to go, Coonce walked into the building where she was supposed to do business. Everybody was frantic and communicating with friends and loved ones through instant messages. Ultimately, a hotel was set up for Coonce and her co-worker on the trip, and they headed there. “You only had the clothes you had on and you were dressed in like business casual, and your work bag,” Coonce said. “That’s what you got.” At the hotel, she joined a crowd of people stuck there because the airport ceased operations. A room opened up and, finally, she got a call through to her husband. “There wasn’t really anything to say, you know?” Coonce said. “He’s my best friend, but none of us knew what was happening or what we were even going to do the next day so we all just sat around watching the TV and, let’s be honest, drinking.” Bath robes became pajamas the night of Sept. 11, 2001, as Coonce laid to rest one of the most horrific days in modern American history.
See I was there on 4A