Thursday, September 15th – Fall Festival

• Arts Festival Grounds – 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday, September 18th – Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff

• Fiestas Patrias OKC – Arts Festival Grounds – 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Community Stage – inside VPAC – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Student Government Curated Stage
  • AEH Plaza – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Ceremony of “El Grito” led by Ambassador Carlos Ignacio Giralt and Crowning of Miss Fiestas Patrias
  • Main Stage – 7 p.m.

Monday, September 19th – Student Focus

• Student Monday Mixer – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Time Capsule – 12:30 p.m.
• Student Mural – Throughout event
• 1972 Movie Screening: The Getaway – 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 20th – 1972sday

• ’72 Day – Dress like it’s ‘72
• 1972 Music in common areas
• Cake and Refreshments – General Dining – 12 p.m.
• 1972 Film Fest Continues – VPAC
  • Jeremiah Johnson – 6:30 p.m.
  • TV Shows on CCTV – all week
  • Popcorn and refreshments – all screening

Wednesday, September 21st – Film Festival Finale

• Convocation – 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.- Dining area
• Faculty Reception – 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – VPAC atrium
• Staff Reception – 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. – VPAC atrium
• 1972 Movie Screening – The Godfather 6:30 p.m.
• Introduction from Gray Frederickson

Thursday, September 22nd – Performing Arts Series 25th Anniversary Kickoff

• Welcome to the 2022-2023 Performing Arts Series
• An Evening with Jose Feliciano (Cultural Affairs)
  • VPAC Theater – 7:30 p.m.

Friday, September 23rd – Gamers Day

• The Music of Final Fantasy – VPAC Theater – 8 p.m.
• Retro Arcade

Saturday, September 24th – On One Accord/Arts Festival Homage

• On One Accord – Arts Festival Grounds
  12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.   Lunch
  12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.   Welcome and Occasion
  12:40 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.    Song – “Together We Stand”
  12:45 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.    Greetings from President Jones
  12:55 p.m. –  1:05 p.m.     Student Talent–War Mothershed
  1:05 p.m. –  4:00 p.m.     Let the games begin!
                                             Spades     Dominoes     Pickleball
                                             5 0n 5 Soccer     5 on 5 Football
                                             8 on 8 Tug of War     3 on 3 Basketball
  4:00 p.m.  – 4:10 p.m.    Student Talent – Bouncy Boiz
  4:10 p.m.  – 4:45 p.m.    Dinner/ Student Talent – Chris Hardwick
  4:45 p.m.  – 5:00 p.m.    Presentation of Trophies
  5:00 p.m.  – 7:00 p.m.    Concerts(Real de Alamo/Fresh Rain)
  7:00 p.m.  – 7:05 p.m.    Final Words
• OKC Philharmonic –  Arts Festival Grounds – 8:30 p.m.
• Fireworks – Duck Pond – 9:45 p.m.

Sunday, September 25th – Founder’s Day (New Tradition)

• Founder’s Day Celebration
  • VPAC Theater – 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• The South OKC Chamber
• 50th Anniversary Documentary
• 72’ Founding Faculty
• Class of 74’
• Founders Panel
• Current and Past Regents
• Past Presidents

• Founder’s Day Reception
  • VPAC Atrium – 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Weeklong Activities

• OCCC Timeline Installation
• Story Corp (OCCC TV)
• Open Houses

The post OCCC 50th Anniversary List of Activities first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post OCCC 50th Anniversary List of Activities appeared first on Pioneer News.

Waking up to a quiet, calm cool air. Orion hangs in the low east, his sentry duty all but done for the night. Though his broken heart goes know where, he will fade with coming light for the new sky and new day. Soon, warm colored oranges will leak on their own accord from the lighting east.  As Apollo’s steeds begin the lighted ascent, so too do rise households, streets, and highways.

Then, we are off to races. Some the rat race, some the race to help others, some, wishing there were no races at all.  My busy highway days were eased many years ago with a simple thought and not so simple change in habit: from car to city bus. I now Embark to work, a happier, more enlightened sojourner.  

I am one of those fortunate persons who has easy access to Embark and can get from home to OCCC with public transport-with a little help from my trusty steed-my bicycle. Working on 15 years as a bus rider, I figure I have hundreds in extra car expense savings, I exert my consciousness about climate destruction, and I leave the driving to them, the wonderful bus drivers of Embark. If I average all the extra reading time I get riding, I estimate reading at least an extra 100 books in my life. All in the early morning commute. Sunlight all around. And no bus ticket particularly needed for living your own intelligent life.

Some years ago, I saw a wonderful New Zealand film, Whale Rider. About a young Maori girl coming of age and coming of wisdom to lead her tribe someday.  Yes, she does ride a whale, so in relation to her wisdom found as whale rider, I will be bus rider.  With wisdom to impart.

1. Patience is a virtue (and the next bus will come). Without lots of inner work, I will find myself impatient at almost every turn in life.  Not a great look for a lover of Zen. But, indeed, I have deepened my trust that waiting for a bus, on time or late, is a time I control by my choice of thoughts or actions. Sure, I can be frustrated or mad or mumble under my breath if the bus is late. Does it bring the bus earlier? Does it sanction the reasons why a bus may be a bit late?  Change the reality of the situation? No, no, and no. So, the sunlight comes and pushes out the shadow. All I need to do is be patient and use my mind or my time constructively or just enjoy the down time for myself. Wisdom at the bus stop. Who would of thought?
   
   Ride the whale. Give your judgmental mind a rest. Just breathe, take in the things around you, and be grateful for whatever that is. To the meme of this column, there is always a light behind any shadow. Most of the shadow is mind-produced. Whatever seems wrong at the time will have a few, positive generalized characteristics: one, it will pass.  Two, solutions can almost always be found, though effective solutions may call for patience itself. E.g., going to school is a long process, a waiting for a degree or certificate to bring in more light to your life. You are at the bus stop, you are at OCCC. The bus will come. The end purpose will come. The light of your education will always be with you, even in the doing and the waiting. You only need to wait with patience and a reflective mind and heart.
   
2. Reliability is a virtue (timetables have their place).  Our OKC city transit was founded in 1966. One of the first things our college did at its founding in 1972 was arrange a bus route for the college. This is amazing and WOW! if you think about the daily routes, running without break except for a few holidays a year, bus route after bus route after bus route, day after day after day, for some 56 years. And I may say, the service only improves. Natural gas buses, wi-fi service, the coolest streetcars in the country, new visions for better express service so that more people may ride with convenience. Not missing a beat for 56 years to serve especially the most-needy of our city with the absolutely essential need of transit. And no fanfare and even little community or political appreciation.
   
   How can we bring that virtue into our own lives for serving better our unique essential needs?  Your own answer to that of course, but some generalities. Realize that the basics in life can be covered with organization and maintenance and commitment. How OCCC has kept its student-centered quality education for 50 years. How a college graduate finds himself or herself walking across a graduation stage. How an educator remains intellectually active and curious. How the needs in life that get no spotlights are met with life-growth and success.
   
3. Knowing the Other (rub elbows with those different than you). So, it is 6:15 am, bus 12 is on route to OCC, a cold, dreary February morn. The bus stops and a young woman in a Burger King uniform enters carrying an infant and with 2 toddlers in tow. I can only guess she is getting her children to family or daycare before her shift begins. I am totally awed and inspired!  6:15 am again, and I am having a conversation with a recently released DOJ inmate, riding to his job in the Stockyards. Any veering from his appointed routine, and back to incarceration he goes.  I have a new-found empathy!  8:30 am on a pleasant spring day, conversing with a childcare worker, listening to a strong, courageous soul overcoming abuse and poverty. I am overwhelmed in compassion for the human spirit! Watching the ticks and speech barriers of someone struggling with addiction. I am witness to t struggle! Getting to know insecure students as they begin their learning journey at OCCC, riding the bus. I am in community!
   
   Contrary to being in my 2-ton car, air-conditioned/ heated seats (I do love heated seats!), cruising, listening to KUCO classical music. Nice. Except.  Dangers of driving, carbon production, and separated from the relationship of others-unless maybe through road rage or hand/finger gestures. Shadow. No wonder selling our car-driven way of American life takes so much expensive advertising.  I get not to think much in my car. The bus is a completely different experience. There, thinking (about others) is a rich life experience.

Not all of us have the convenience of public transport, but we can all reach out more to those of social or political differences. We can read writers of different perspectives and experiences. We can ask to sit down at a coffee shop table with someone different looking. We can live in an attitude of being curious and caring for all the others that make-up so much of an enriched life.

Sometimes, a simple, particular change in habit or routine changes everything. Riding the bus has been that for me. Let riding the bus-or riding a whale- be a metaphor to serve you in your own transit from where you are to where you are going. A meaningful relationship to nature, to the other, to your self-integrity, to your education and social contribution. Travel well on life’s streets and highways because they really are your KNOW THYSELF map.

Professor Stephen Pete Buttigieg Morrow.

The post Riding The Bus To OCCC first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post Riding The Bus To OCCC appeared first on Pioneer News.

It is a new year at OCCC and a new lineup of shows for the school year. Some of these shows have been in the works for a while now. These shows include some well-known artists like Jose Feliciano, Kyiv City Ballet, Million Dollar Quartet and Step Afrika to name a few.

The first show of the year will be Jose Feliciano, famous for his performance of Feliz Navidad. He will perform at OCCC for the Hispanic History Month. OCCC prides itself on having a diverse culture and proper representation. Shows such as this give people a look at Hispanic culture. It also gives Hispanic artists the chance to perform and showcase their own culture. This show will be on 9/22/22 at 7:30pm at VPAC.

The second show of the season will be the Kyiv City Ballet. Another show that gives a spotlight to the international community. At this point we are all aware of what has been happening in Ukraine. Sadly, the Kyiv City Ballet have not been able to return home and have been on the road performing since the start of the war. This will be their first tour of the United States. It will also be their only stop in the State of Oklahoma. The US tour will include several performances by Ukrainian choreographers. One of them is Thoughts which is a contemporary ballet and was choreographed by Vladyslav Dobshynskyi. There is also going to be a performance of Tribute to Peace. Which is a neo-classical performance choreographed by KCB’s artistic director, Ivan Kozlov.

OCCC will also have Step Afrika! perform for Black History month. Step Afrika! mixes a whole array of traditional African dances and art forms to create a genuine African experience Step Afrika! is the first professional company to be built around Stepping (Stepping is a percussive, highly-energetic art form first developed through the song and dance rituals performed by African-American fraternities and sororities.). They have toured in 60 different countries and ranks as one of the top ten African American dance companies in the United States.

On March 23rd, 2023 will be the Jazz performance called Song We Love. This show will give the international community a break and give people a chance to experience American born music. It will feature four decades of popular jazz songs. The group performing these songs is made up of well-known jazz artists from New York. There will also be three guest vocalists, and this will all be directed by Riley Mulherkar. Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland are some of the jazz singers whose music will be performed.

Watching a good show is always fun but there is a technical side to a performance. Lemuel Bardeguez the Director of Arts at OCCC is excited for the coming season. He said, “It is a really exciting time, we are celebrating 25 years for the Performing Arts series.” He also said,” We are really excited about celebrating the 25th anniversary because we have a lot of big names lined up.”

John Farrell is the Stage Manager at OCCC and had plenty to say about what it takes to produce a season’s worth of shows at OCCC. “ It can begin as much as two years in advance of the event to determine if a production will be included in one of our Performance Arts Seasons. It generally starts for the stage section, when I am given a performance rider and asked to develop an estimate of what our backstage cost will be in presenting this event. A rider details what is required of the presenter and venue to pull off their production. Cost can include catering, labor, rentals (lighting, audio, or effects), and everything else from balloons to dry ice.”

The post OCCC’s Visual And Performing Arts Center 2022/23 Season first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post OCCC’s Visual And Performing Arts Center 2022/23 Season appeared first on Pioneer News.

The Art Department at OCCC has been providing an artistic outlet for anyone that may be interested. This new school year has provided another opportunity for students to progress their knowledge in the arts with what is provided. Whether your interest is in painting, mosaics, performing or an event. At the very start of the year the Art Department has some ideas they are working with.

Students can benefit from the new pracademic professors (a pracademic advisor is someone who is both an academic and a practitioner in their respective field). One of the courses is Mosaics which has not been offered since 2017. There is also Digital Media Design in which a callout for a professor has been made. So maybe soon that course may also come back. Journalism and Broadcasting has also received a new professor. Williams, E  will be in charge of this class.

Due to the recent pandemic some classes were unable to continue or made into an online course. Now that the pandemic has let up the campus is much more open. Some of the classes such as the Mosaics class may return. Returning to in-class courses and bringing more life back to campus is a goal the department hopes to accomplish. Jeremy Fineman the Director of the Arts at OCCC has some ideas about the new season. “We are trying to offer as many different options and manners in which we teach. Whether it be online, hybrid, or on-campus. That’s what we are really concentrating on. And getting students back on campus.” Bringing some life back to campus is a big goal for the new school year but there will still be online and hybrid courses for anyone that may be interested in those. There are classes that students can participate in person such as Painting, Graphic Design, and Photography. Some underappreciated classes that students can take in person are Art Therapy, Art Criticism, Curatorship and Printmaking.

There is also a more modern aspect to art that should not be overlooked. That is how technology has become integrated into art. OCCC’s website says, “Emerging areas like computer technologies are changing the contemporary visual arts and design process. With these changes in mind, Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual Arts Program has integrated computing into its curriculum to better educate and prepare artists and designers to meet the future challenges and demands of both the art and design professions.”

There is also the Visual Performing Arts Theater that students may take part in if they want to. If there are any students that are interested in the technical side of a theater production.

Students have the option to be able to work at Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC) while going to school. Students will be able to make some money while learning about a profession they may want to make a career out of. Working at a school can also give the connections and experiences necessary for any career to take off. John Farrell the Stage Manager at OCCC’s VPAC would like students to know about these opportunities he says, “We have employed students through the student labor program, to assist in providing basic theatrical labor needs. A couple of students were eventually hired as part time employees. As a student laborer they were able to learn enough about our operations to work as stagehands on a professional level. A few times we used international students to act as translators for international touring productions.”

The post New Year For The Arts At OCCC first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post New Year For The Arts At OCCC appeared first on Pioneer News.

As of July 19th of this year, in Oklahoma City, Oklama presents The Big Steppers Tour has officially commenced. 

Kendrick Lamar steps into the Paycom Center with fellow pgLang artists and show openers Tanna Leone and Baby Keem to make their debut, here in OKC, traveling to 41 different cities across the U.S. 

Crazy thing is, this is Kendrick’s first tour in 5 years. And with there being relations between Oklahoma’s name and KDot’s alias, Oklama, the symbolism grows from the term ‘Okla’ meaning ‘people’ in the Choctaw language. Whatever the case may be, Kendrick and his team truly put on one hell of a show. 

Before the doors opened at 6:40, the venue was packed on all sides of the building, waiting out in 115℉ weather. Everyone and their mom were there, some getting there as early as 3:30. Luckily, most kept water on them and the security guards passed some out as well. Then as soon as those doors opened, the people rushed through getting all their tickets scanned.

The merch table consisted of different items, from t-shirts, long sleeves and hoodies, to socks and posters, even dad hats and tote bags. That was the first place most of the people stormed to. Early birds get the worm and save a trip. 

Fellow OCCC students Ian Torres and April Valdez attended the show. While Torres bounced between the 100s and 300s seating, Valdez had gotten front row seats and actually “touched the barricade”. For someone who truly loves Kendrick, she saw this as “a surreal experience” being able to be right next to Kendrick. 

But as everyone was  getting ready, grabbing snacks and getting their seats arranged, the show began. 

The first opener, Tanna Leone comes through and fills the room with energy. He performs a few of his hits from his album Sleepy Soldier. Songs like ‘Lucky’, ‘Fatal Attraction’, and ‘Here We Go Again’ had the crowd jumping. He got the audience engaged with his vibes and set the tone for what the night was going to be like. As a fresh artist, and as pumped up as everyone got, his music has offered many song suggestions. 

Next up, Baby Keem takes the stage as trademark USA  marks his introduction. Immediately, everyone was in tune. The crowds were moshing, the people were rapping along, the hype was real. As his set goes on, he performs many songs from his discography, such as ‘MOSHPIT’, ‘range brothers’, ‘vent’, ‘ORANGE SODA’, and ‘lost souls’, just to name a few. In songs like ‘HONEST’ and ‘16’, he truly interacted with the audience, from waving hands to the melodies to holding flashlights in the air. The crowd showed love to Keem before he exited. This performance is worth remembering, and this got everyone pumped up, ready for what Mr. Morale had to bring to the table. 

Valdez has been familiar with both of the openers, but it wasn’t until tonight that it got her to download some jams from Tanna Leone. 

“I really enjoyed his set and his music. And it inspired me to start listening to more of his music…I love Baby Keem…And once he came out and even performed some songs from the Kanye West album Donda,…it was just wonderful. I love Baby Keem.” she expresses. 

Torres thought Tanna Leone “was great”, enjoying the energy he radiated through the crowd. 

“So the first opener, I think he was great. He had a lot of energy. But you could definitely tell he was probably a little nervous for his first performance…And then Baby Keem,…I didn’t know he was Kendrick’s cousin. He’s a natural performer as well. He just gave his 100, opening night in Oklahoma City. Both of them killed it.” he states. 

The openers truly got the adrenaline running through the fans and families. As Kendrick’s set was in preparation, there was this voice that spoke throughout the show serving as the guide for the performance. At first, she was letting everyone know “Mr. Morale” wanted everyone to turn off the “flash on the cellphone lights”. 

KDot’s set begins with harmonies featured on his album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, in the song ‘United In Grief’. This is before 11 dancers make their way on stage and move in unison to the song’s string instrumental. The curtain behind them rises, and the dancers exit. Then, as the song continues, the stage is lit up and Kendrick can be seen playing the piano with a puppet look-a-like sitting on top. The crowd is already in tune with him. 

He’s seen wearing a black suit with a sparkly glove, similar to Michael Jackson’s mojo. As he makes his way down the runway, holding his puppet, he takes on the mic, and the beat drops. He goes in rapping hard and the puppet can be seen rapping along with him. As heard through the audiences, everyone was ready to live this moment. 

Throughout the performance, it was set up like a story and had theatrical elements that kept all eyes on KDot. He takes on the stage solo when he performs ‘N95’, ‘ELEMENT’, ‘Worldwide Steppers’, and ‘Rich Spirit’ before he welcomes the dancers back to perform the world-renowned song, ‘HUMBLE.’

During his ‘’N95 and ‘Rich Spirit’ performance, he uses strobing lights along with explosions from the stage to add different effects to his presence. And in ‘ELEMENT’ and ‘Worldwide Steppers’, he uses these curtains to project different images holding symbolism behind the verses he delivers. And for sure one highlight in this moment was when he performed ‘Backseat Freestyle’. Literally everyone in the venue knew the lyrics word for word.  

After ‘HUMBLE.’, he returns to the stage sitting in a chair, opening up to the audience in the song ‘Father Time’. Next up, he brings the energy back playing ‘m.A.A.d city’. He continues on, performing more hits like ‘Purple Hearts’, ‘Alright’, ‘B***h Don’t Kill My Vibe’. He and a few dancers show off more choreography in ‘Die Hard’ before the show transitions into an artistic intermission with the dancers displaying shadows through the curtains. 

When the curtain rises again, the beat drops and transitions into ‘DNA,”Money Trees,’ and ‘LOVE.’ Kendrick then walks to the end of the stage and is inside this box of quarantine. During the show, he puts on an act and gets a COVID test. This is before he brings out Baby Keem to present ‘family ties’. As the energy continues to travel through the room, Kendrick stays in the box through the songs ‘Mirror’ and ‘LOYALTY.’

He then performs ‘Auntie Diaries’ and uses this moment to give a speech to the crowd. He sympathizes with the feelings people may undergo and lets the people know everyone has a place here in this world. Both Torres and Valdez consider this a highlight of their nights’. 

“I think the highlight of my night was when Kendrick was on the platform when he was speaking to the crowd…he said some powerful words about how everybody’s evolving…I think what he meant by evolving is like changing. And I think it’s something that I resonated with because we always change, we always evolve as a person. He was very right about saying, ‘I’m not the same person that I was five minutes ago’. And, it’s true…he was so real with everybody in the crowd, and it’s something that we, as a whole, we shared.” Torres expresses. 

This moment felt personal to everyone in the room. 

“His speech that he gave near the end of the show was really inspiring. He’s always been like a super inspiring artist and I’ve always loved his storytelling, but it seems like he just always knows just what to say in the perfect moment.” Valdez states. 

As he finishes the song, the box lifts and Kendrick is back to breathing the same air as everyone in the room. 

Entering the final stretch, the crowd gets to jumping while the dancers do their thing to ‘Silent Hill’. He progresses into another sentimental moment when KDot plays the piano and performs ‘Crown’. When ‘Mr. Morale’ cues on, the dancers return to the stage along with Tanna Leone who features on the song. Next, he performs ‘Count Me Out’, where on the curtains, shows Kendrick with arrows in his back, representing how he feels like a target. Kendrick then concludes his night with the song ‘Savior’, preaching the final message to consider one’s own beliefs. The curtains fall and Kendrick waves goodbye after putting on an amazing show. 

Torres felt as if the show “was like a story”. Along with the execution of this performance, he thought “Kendrick was spectacular” and considers it “one of the best performances” he’s seen. 

Valdez enjoyed the show as well. She compares the tour’s performance to a performance “at the Grammys”. 

She states, “…just like the dancers, the lighting, the visuals, you know, everything was perfect. Although there were some technical issues during ‘family ties’, it’s still such a wonderful experience. And I think that was probably like my favorite part of the show…they performed it right near where I was standing. They had these little skits…I just love those little like interludes, because a lot of the stuff that she was saying was very deep, just resonating with what I needed to hear at the moment. But to see Kendrick put so much thought and effort into his performances, and just like even the tiniest details, really showcases who he is as a person. And as an artist.” 

It’s not often that big artists like KDot make a trip to OKC, even then it’s rare that people debut here. And the fact that the people got all that in one night, it’s like a once in a lifetime opportunity in a way. Overall, this show was a masterpiece of its own world. With each of the acts putting their everything into these performances, it made for a great night for the people to cherish. 

As the audience was engaged throughout most of the show, it made the entire venue sound like a choir group, the way the lyrics flowed through everyone’s souls. The way Kendrick used the stage as his domain, the choreography involved and the lighting effects added more emotion into each of the songs and truly enticed the people to move with the rhythm. While present, it felt like Kendrick held a moment with each and every person in that room. 

With how close Valdez got to the stage, she swears KDot made eye contact with her and her friend. This makes another highlight for her night. 

“Me and my friend, and I didn’t even know if he made eye contact with us. But whenever he looked in our section, interacting with our section, that was probably the highlight of my night…it felt like he was looking into my soul. And like, as soon as he turned his back to us, I started squealing to my friend.” Valdez said. 

Out of all the songs that were heard that night, Valdez enjoyed Baby Keem’s ‘16’, as well as Kendrick’s ‘Money Trees’, ‘Rich Spirit’, ‘Die Hard’, and ‘Crown’. 

For Torres, he enjoyed more of the songs from the album DAMN., like ‘DNA.’ and ‘HUMBLE.’. 

In the end, this show was absolutely amazing. That post-concert depression began hitting people as soon as they left. And it was totally worth waiting out in the 115℉ weather. Hopefully sometime in the future, he and his team can come back. As the tour continues, let’s hope he, Tanna Leone, and Baby Keem have safe travels on the road. 

The post The Big Steppers Tour 2022: Recap first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post The Big Steppers Tour 2022: Recap appeared first on Pioneer News.

Oklahoma! sang, “We know we belong to the land,” but the land has not been too grand.

It doesn’t seem like Oklahoma is doing fine, as the government’s alternative plans have some citizens confused on what force is influencing it. With the state consistently representing itself as a Republican state since 1968, along with today’s governor Kevin Stitt implementing poorly planned laws, it has struck the minds of audiences who oppose his ideas. Thanks to Oklahoma’s “most pro-life governor,” Oklahoma is considered a pro-life state, as stated by Governor Stitt. And it’s not even just health care that is the issue. The education system is questionable, poverty and gun violence are terrible, society is just in a jumble.

Not all opinions go the same way. Stitt believes that a good portion of what he’s doing benefits everyone, while in reality, not everyone is satisfied. Take it from OCCC student, Ises Mathews who does not agree with the government’s motives.

“I wish he could actually look into different things and not just BS and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to do this and do that’ and not do it.” she expresses.

Even this Anonymous Male does not like him, especially after Stitt’s negative publicity.

“I don’t like him man…overall, like, the things that I can actually see that he’s done on the news and stuff. It’s kind of ridiculous,” he states.

Along with that, OCCC student Jasmin Chess believes that “Kevin Stitt has failed us as people in multiple ways”, referencing our education system, abortions, and the Julius Jones case.

She states, “starting with our education system, especially marginalized communities see the worst, I feel like with the underfunding and things like that…And then also, abortion. I feel like that was a decision that’s not in the care of everyone…that decision was not made for the betterment of like women or anything, I feel like it was a decision made for him to feel more powerful…feel like he has more control over women…And also, with the Julius Jones case, I feel like that just showed how little care and how easy it is for people to discard of black lives.”

This shows not everyone is fond of Stitt’s decisions. But what has Stitt done for the state of Oklahoma? Other than signing “every pro-life bill that comes across his desk”, including banning abortions, he’s made changes to the education system by limiting what can be taught in schools, and worked to increase infrastructures as well as job growth. All in hopes to make Oklahoma a Top Ten State.

When it comes to schools, Stitt is all about it. According to the 2021 Annual Accomplishment Report, he’s worked to keep the buildings open for the student along with supporting teachers and keeping track of the funds. He’s even put $3.2 billion into funding education. Although, after the passing of HB 1775, it leaves history at stake.

HB 1775 refers to the ban of teaching critical race theory in schools. It basically eliminates the prejudice of what one race or gender has done to one another throughout history. Truly, this censors history and disguises terror with mildness. It’s altering the story.

Chess believes that the funding could be handled much better, and along with that, she thinks there should be better training in terms of inclusion.

“The education system should be better funded. Not only that, but also, I feel like as far as curriculum and things go, we could do a lot of things that could make our education system more inclusive. To people of different cultures and different backgrounds. Especially like with the passing of HB 1775, which kind of takes away from that. Making school like a more inclusive place, especially as far as like, diversity training and things like that go, I feel like there’s a lot of areas we can grow in.”

In a similar perspective, Anonymous believes that the system is not on point.

He expresses, “I feel like it’s probably not adequate. I remember, a couple of years ago looking it up, and I think our public schools are rated really low. Almost like 50th out of all the states. Really low in terms of public education.”

Stated on World Population Review, Oklahoma is ranked 43rd out of 50 in best education for 2022.
To sum things up, as said by Mathews, for Oklahoma’s education, “It could be better.”

When it comes to healthcare this state crumbles and with Roe V. Wade being overturned, it has caused a complete abortion ban with no consideration to women’s health. Although he has aided with COVID-19 relief, he is still missing areas of opportunities for those that need benefits.

Mathews has been through a struggle with Medicare, where her funds could not cover the full bill.
She states, “I had troubles with Medicare because I went to the ER a couple times, and I had to pay out of pocket because it did not cover all of it…So I think Medicare and also the other health care coverage that covers different people can be better.”

For Chess, she thinks healthcare is “okay”. But in terms of abortion, it should be a “healthcare right everyone should have.”

She expresses, “…especially in marginalized communities, and like women of color and stuff like that. But I feel like health care overall for Oklahoma, I feel like it’s pretty okay. But whenever we’re talking abortion rights, I feel like that is a healthcare necessity that we’re taking away from people who are really going to need it.”

In another perspective, Anonymous sees health care more as a tough balance in terms of the support being provided.

“I think overall, it’s still partly accessible. Whenever people can’t get a job or something like that, it’s a little bit more difficult for them. Or if they earn a little bit too much, they’re not able to get free health care. And then they have to pay premiums and stuff on top of that. So, I would say overall, it is a pretty hard issue to balance out. It’s going to take a very long time to really solve it.” Anonymous explains.
According to the Healthcare Rankings from US News, Oklahoma comes in at the 48th spot. Healthcare can be seen in a gray area, but it truly depends on the situation. It could be better.

Even though these two subjects are impactful to the state’s function, there are still other matters that are not addressed as often as they should be.

For instance, Anonymous sees climate change as a big deal, especially with the extreme heat this summer.

“There’s not a lot of focus on that in the political sphere. They will talk about it, but it’s not very emphasized…in terms of burning fossil fuels, people are not really paying attention to it,” he expresses.
Another one, quoted by Mathews is human trafficking. She sees it “go over a lot of people’s heads” as this is a nationwide problem. Reports from World Population Review show that Oklahoma suffers from 2.72 traffics for every 100,000 people. It’s better than Nevada with 7.5, but there should not be any cases to start with.

In all honesty, Oklahoma is O.K., but it still needs improvement. Certain parts of living are adaptable, but the little satisfaction does not benefit those who are on the other side.

Stitt came in as the governor in hopes to make Oklahoma a Top Ten state, but the sources and citizens disagree with his claim. Matter of fact, it seems Oklahoma is recognized in the bottom ten more often than not.

For Anonymous, he is “pretty dissatisfied with Oklahoma’s government”. Between abortion rights, the overwhelming amount of red influence the state carries along with the traditions it remains, he believes “we can’t really fight it if you’re on the other side, per se.”

Mathews believes the system is corrupt. She’s witnessed the system take more control over society, and believes most of their actions are unnecessary.

She expresses, “Oklahoma can be better, especially with the new outright of abortions, you can’t have an abortion no more now…they’re having an opinion on same sex marriages, and now they’re trying to incorporate birth control and all this other stuff. Why come in and change something when it was already set in stone? It’s making this a whole disastrous thing.”

In a similar perspective, Chess does not agree with the ideals the government influences, and presumes the lack of inclusion and the government’s closed mindedness.

“We’re obviously like a red state, which I don’t really agree with a lot of Republican ideals…But I feel like we should have people that represent more diverse perspectives and outlooks. Oklahoma’s government is very uniform. We’re very conservative, not open minded…they can grow in ways that are going to help more communities, outside of what’s been normalized…Oklahoma’s government really only works in the favor of white males…There’s a lot of things our government can do to make Oklahoma more inclusive and more open minded,” she states.

Out of the three interviewees, none of them believe Oklahoma is a worthy Top Ten State, and it’s understandable why.

For those who are unaware, Stitt’s term ends January 9, 2023. There’s a chance someone can replace him in office, as well as redirecting Oklahoma’s path. Such as Democrat Joy Hofmeister who is running against him.

But before elections get started, Stitt still has months left in the capitol. It’s unknown what his plans are before this time, but he could use some considerations.

First off, Mathews thinks he should do more research on his lawmaking as well as investing more into being a man of his word.

Since it feels like “we’re going backwards,” Chess believes he should not take any more action in office.
Even though Anonymous is aware “he’s stuck in his ways,” he wishes for more attention on schools and the economic system.

It’s hard to have an opinion at times, but people learn to recognize when enough is enough. Business is one thing, but the health and quality of humanity is another. The future politicians need to keep personal values out of the office. Then hopefully, Oklahoma can rise to the Top Ten.

The post What’s Up With the Government? first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post What’s Up With the Government? appeared first on Pioneer News.

Ever been to Harry’s House? This is an auditory experience.
After almost three years since Fine Line, former One Direction member Harry Styles has released his third solo studio album, Harry’s House. This all comes after he released the single, As It Was.

This album has 13 songs with a run time of 42 minutes. This project has a love-filled nostalgic vibe to it. Listening to the album start to finish, it sounds like a soundtrack to an Indie film. It is so pretty apparent that Harry had a lot of inspiration for this album. As Harry makes his comeback since the awakening of COVID, the energy from the studio sessions is radiated through these recordings.

As he and his band rock out, they’ve produced songs full of liveliness, such as Music For a Sushi Restaurant, Late Night Talking, and As It Was.

Sushi is the intro track to the album. He’s referencing having a conversation with a love interest, talking about how he loves her and he cares enough about her to be considerate of her feelings. This song could be for a sushi restaurant or even just for her. As an introduction, these songs are meant to set the tone for the rest of the album. This song truly defines what is expected.

In a similar fashion, Late Night Talking continues Harry’s plea of wanting to make sure his boo thing is satisfied.
The track As It Was references how the world has shifted after they’ve taken the next step. The chorus states, “In this world, it’s just us; You know it’s not the same as it was”. This being the fourth track, this was released two months prior to Harry’s House.

The songs Satellite, Daylight, Grapejuice, and Cinema release a calm and cheerful type of vibe. Like a chill summer day with a glass of white wine.

Daylight expounds more onto him going above and beyond for the one he loves. The song is fresh and fluorescent, and the drums in the instrumental really stand out on this one.

One thing is for sure on this album, the chemistry between the melodies and the instruments is astounding.

Although there are some nice fast-paced songs, this album also features some beautiful ballads like Matilda, Little Freak, and Love of My Life.

Little Freak talks about a moment he shared with someone referred to as Jezebel. Harry is interested in the girl as a person while Jezebel just wanted sex. He sings, “I was thinkin’ about who you are; Your delicate point of view.”

Matilda sounds more sentimental as he sings in the perspective of having a conversation. According to an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Harry’s inspiration for the song was based on him getting to know someone. He states, “they revealed some stuff to me that was very much like, ‘Oh, that’s not normal, like I think you should maybe get some help or something.’” He wanted to ensure that they knew he was listening even though he could not truly understand where she was coming from.

Listening to this album, there are many samples that give off an 80s pop sound. Most of these songs could be influenced by artists such as A-ha, Elton John, Paul McCartney, even Barry Manilow.

Overall, this album was a crisp listening experience. Harry wanted his fans to feel what he feels and to truly understand where his mind goes when he’s in his artistic motive. Although, there were a few songs that appeared somewhat stale and played more like fillers that doesn’t change how fluid the album is or how intimate the moments are.

After calculating the ratings, this album gets an 8/10 for its beautiful melodies and touching lyrics. This album truly defines the star power of Harry Styles. Totally worth listening to.

Top 3 Vibes: Satellite, Late Night Talking, Daylight

Top 3 Ballads: Little Freak, Matilda, Love of My Life

Mid 3: Boyfriends, Daydreaming, Cinema

Khi’s Top Picks: Late Night Talking, Love of My Life, As It Was

Music For a Sushi Restaurant – 8.5/10
Late Night Talking – 9/10
Grape Juice – 7.8/10
As It Was 8/10
Daylight – 7.7/10
Little Freak – 8.8/10
Matilda – 8.5/10
Cinema – 7.5/10
Daydreaming – 7/10
Keep Driving – 8/10
Satellite – 8.2/10
Boyfriends – 7/10
Love of My Life – 8.2/10

The post Harry’s House: Review first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post Harry’s House: Review appeared first on Pioneer News.

The pandemic happened just before spring break. Students that were coming to the school for classes found themselves having to finish the rest of the semester online.
This was a difficult transition for some students because they went from being in a classroom with other students and a professor to online in such a short amount of time. Students went from being face-to-face with their instructors communicating through e-mail with their professors when they needed help.
Students no longer had the option of walking into the math lab and writing center to get the extra help they needed. Students had to make appointments online and had to see a tutor and meet with them on Zoom.
Some students had a difficult time passing their classes because of this transition. Luckily, OCCC had their student’s backs by forgiving students for their poor performance and not letting the bad grade go on their record.
Most of our lecture-based courses will be moved to an online format, most courses will automatically become online classes. Some labs will be online, but others will be on campus.
Programs will off hybrid classes with a mix of in-person activities for hands-on work and online for portions of the class materials. Your professor will contact you with specific information about your course.
After a very long and difficult few years of remote learning, teaching, and working we are ready to back together. OCCC has offered online learning opportunities for years and will continue to offer them on or offline.
Some students need that face-to-face connection because that’s how they learn the best. Students will have the opportunity to request in-person classes are stay online.
Dr. David Zeoli, a mass communication professor at Oklahoma Community College and second year working at the college was asked if he likes teaching in person more he said, “You know it depends on the subject. I think some subjects lend themselves maybe equally to online and others perhaps would be better in person. I also try to be as flexible as I can to develop my classes both ways whenever I can.”
When asked what he thinks about the campus being empty during the pandemic, to being full he said, “Well, you know, it’s fantastic I think I told somebody the other day, I never thought I would be so happy to have to search for parking spots. It was pretty lonely out here during the pandemic.”
Tanya Nelson is the supervisor at the Oklahoma Community College writing center she has been working since the pandemic, when asked how she feels about seeing students again she said,
“Oh, I am extremely excited it has actually been inspiring to be able to connect with students again. I hear them walking down the halls and laughing talking about classes it also encourages me to want to be here as well.”

The post OCCC Once Again Populated Post-Pandemic first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post OCCC Once Again Populated Post-Pandemic appeared first on Pioneer News.

(I need: therefore, I read…continue). This is a second part to a reflection on the significance that reading holds in our lives. As a young boy who absolutely loved Roman history, it is kinda fun having Latin words and Roman numerals for a title. Kinda.  I have since grown in “reading” experience, and I do not carry the same happy enthusiasm for Roman history.  Still love their Stoics, but the history itself was one of empire building, militia campaign, and oppression and cruelty to the outsider. That is a hefty price to pay for their more benign contributions in art and architecture.

My life-long reading has deepened my sensitivity to the suffering brought to others through power, no matter how well-packaged and appealing that power may appear.  Reading, as a way to understand better one’s own and the lives of others, ought to call all of us to a bit more thoughtfulness and to a bit more ethical wherewithal.  I will return to this wherewithal shortly.

Reading is a wide and deep word for me. Not just the text we read, or the phone texts we read, but reading as a skill to observe, synthesize, and relate meaningfully to the experiences and ideas that make up our lives. We read almost everything, from cereal boxes to a stormy sky above to the nighttime worry of a difficult incident of the day. When we read, we have taken it the important facts, feelings, and highlights of the day. Any and every day. A life-literacy as opposed to reading literacy per se.

Certainly, we are at College, so please read for your classes!  Yea OCCC! Those of us not students know that homework never ends, and we know the more we read, the more we are prepared for whatever. Reading for classes or for the job is time consuming for sure. Already our days are too short with life demands. Meals, transportation, social media, jobs, unexpected problems, relationship maintenance, needed rest, living up to expectations!  You know: life.

And then we ask you to study! But if reading is as I say it is, the intelligent, ethical relationship to life, then all the above, including study, are “texts” for reading: to sort out life and make it both practical and joyful.  A greater calling than studying. A calling to know thyself. If we “read” to know life in all its manifests differences, then reading brings us to who we are and how we can better.  Reading is not an assignment after all. Reading is how we best navigate life. We read well when we listen well, pay attention well to beauty and wisdom, and use our human reflection to live with authentic meaning. We read well when we feel the suffering of others.

Thus, back to the wherewithal of a thoughtful and ethical life as the skill of reading itself.  First, a word on reading and friendship, the friends who come to our life because we read books. I have mentioned a few of my own in previous columns, like Herman Hesse, Dr. King, Anne Lamott, and Howard Zinn. Besides getting to rub elbows with cultural icons, I get to hear from other thoughtful humans who are sincere, wise, and even vulnerable. Gives me something to live up to.

I have made two new reading friends. Both show me that reading brings insight and empathy. George Yancy is a black philosopher who is teaching me the differences between a white life and a black life.  As a white male embedded in a white social milieu (like a fish not knowing the water it swims in), this will be a long lesson for me. But it will be a thankful lesson. Reading George Yancy allows me the benefit and honor of knowing another human being’s insight and experiences. I love his book title that I am now reading, Across Black Spaces. He is helping me, “in love”, transverse a space I have not inhabited in its racial harms. Racial harms that come out of the very white water I swim in. I am changed because I have a new sensitivity, and therefore new awareness of my own ignorance, my absence of insight and empathy. Reading George Yancy is growing me into a better person.  Reading is as reading does.

And a love of another sort, new words. George Yancy has taught me a word central for any of us to become better persons: “parrhesia”. How have I never known this word? So many of my friends whose books I read are paragons of the word: speaking candidly, with truth and courage, a boldness of free speech. Take that America. Our very heart and soul of who we are. More like who we could be if we were to better listen -to read- our writers of parrhesia.  Yancy himself speaks from this spirit, even with the backlash of violent threats and bigoted insult in his life as a professional philosopher. Thank you for your friendship and courage, George Clancy.

One more new-made friend to share. (P.S. Reading books is a great source for NEW in one’s life!) She is Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, an historian. An Indigenous People’s History of the United States.(And yea Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States! Funny how reading books even brings one into a larger, loving, world family). Listening to Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s indigenous voice, different from my white, non-indigenous voice, I learn how obfuscated my understanding and empathy for Native American experience has been. Wow! I learn this and other things because she is willing to speak up and to share life-changing lessons through her work and care for her readers.  Parrhesia.  She is a Socratic friend. She shows me that I think I know when I do not. An example: she has taught me that America was not a wilderness when the pilgrims arrived (as we are taught in books.) Rather, it was a vibrant, interconnected world of commerce, husbandry, governance, and culture. It just was not a place where an idea like manifest destiny seemed sane.  Thank you, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, for your courage to teach truth and for caring that others grow into better human beings.

Reading. To know the shadow of obfuscated truth and to know the sunlight of freedom from the chains of bigotry and ignorance. Finding such sunlight can only happen when we “read” life for self-growth and developing empathy. So many differences to journey across! But such crossings are joyful as we reach out of our own darkness into the light of a caring life with others. Happy life-reading, friends.

Professor George Yancy Morrow

Go Humanities!     

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The post Opus Est Ergo Lego II appeared first on Pioneer News.

Opus est ergo lego. I read: therefore, I read. I know. Trying to be too clever, and it does not have that oomph of Descartes, cogito ergo sum. But man, was Descartes a reader (and philosopher, mathematician, soldier, globe trotter, you name it). But I’m going to stick to it-opus est ergo lego-I need: therefore, I read.  A mantra for our OCCC community this fall semester.

I love seeing commercials for local summer reading programs. In OKC, the commercials are for both children and teenagers. Reading is FUNdamental! Read for a summer cool! The need to read! Reading Rainbow! If only we could all know that rich connection to life through reading, and if we could all have the social privilege of growing up in homes with books and reading time. Alas, not the case. Ben Franklin knew democracy needed a reading leg up (lego, hee-hee) as the bringer of public libraries. Descartes knew this to as the thinker for his modern age and a civilized need to move beyond authorities such as the Church. Think of the rather large banned book list-the Index Librorum Prohibitorium-of the church as more thinkers were publishing new ideas. Big new ideas like heliocentric and new laws of motion and ideas of planets. Thinkers of the new world you and I inhabit. Hobbes, Spinoza, Pascal, Milton, Locke, Defoe. And in some circles even today, caution is exercised when it comes to publishing ideas. Think of the state textbook committees who watch over the ideas of evolution or in the news today, the unreasoned fear over “critical race theory”. Those in need of a certain political power often attack ideas and books. I propose one point of argument for more reading in our world as, “Hey, it’s a radical thing to do!”

It may not surprise you that I am married to a librarian. She has a deep spirit for wanting all the students of her school to discover the life-changing joy of reading. Alas, she battles every day for that hope of all discovering the joy of reading. She talks sometimes of the students who come to the library during lunch for some refuge. Refuge from a too noisy lunchroom, bullying, hearing foul language, crowded space. Refuge for quiet time, getting lost in a good book for a few minutes, feeling safe, meeting other kindred, quiet souls. These students help me to think that our society is sometimes divided out like this:  readers and not readers, those needing reflective down time and those needing constant stimulation.  The reading I refer to here is the reading of print-children’s books, young adult literature, self-help books, essays, poetry, histories, textbooks, etc. That writing which inspires, brings us to unseen beauty, tells a story of truth, celebrates the awe of language, teaches life skills. I ask, who wants to live without any of that! These things have so much to do with the sorting our of sunlight and shadow in one’s life. 

Not all meaningful societies have been literate societies, and I must say, being a literate society does not necessarily mean being a good society, but our fore[fathers] had great hope that our American society would be a literate society, a good citizen would be a literate citizen. If you want some inspiration for this notion, put the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. on your bucket list. The best of our music, film, and literature are kept there just for us to access and enjoy. But hey, any public library will do. Amazing stacks of books, connections to community activities, film and music all for free. One of our national heritages and legacies. Yet, too, the reading of books is not the only heritage to our America. Native American oral culture, African American oral culture, and Hispanic oral culture carry just as much law, progress, and understanding as our libraries.

Which brings me to my main point. Reading is a human skill that has marked us across the millennium. In Native American understanding, one metaphor for education is hunting. That the hunter learns to READ the animal signs, READ the weather, READ the terrain, READ the economy of enough, and READ the spiritual text of respect for life and gratitude for gifts of nourishment and materials. The African American Spirituals that hold the chronicles of slavery and suffering and also hold the powerful spirit of survival and hope and change. The multi-generational stories passed down as hope and wisdom for better times. When we practice a skill, sing from our hearts, or listen to our family stories, we are READING. A need to read! Opus est ergo lego.

We read signs, we read faces, we read other people’s feelings (and usually rather poorly), we read “the writing on the wall”. We read the back of cereal boxes (a favorite of my childhood pastime!). We read commercials. We read people (again perhaps not too well). The point: we are readers by nature and need. As a reader, then, it is but a small step into the more apt reading for school and pleasure. Somewhere in the last decades we may have unintentionally smothered the joy of that reading in our educational fervor. Maybe I can’t fix that, but I do want to ask you to rethink where you are in your reading life.

Where are you in your reading life? Do you do the work needed in a formal education, and just as importantly, do you allow time for the sheer joy that a good book in your hands brings? The question itself brings me to your greatest need as a reader. Reading yourself! It is going to be both your most important reading in life and your best writing in life, all at once. You are a text that others read, whether you wish that or not!  It is where we are in human evolution, and I dare say, it is where we always have been as humans in a social context. If you are fortunate enough as a student to take our Critical Thinking class as a 3 hour humanities course, the final lesson is about branding yourself as a your own person of value, hope, and worth. If not a student, then your professional responsibilities and hope for advancement have you doing branding yourself, too.

READ THYSELF. What are your dreams? Values? Voice? Talents/skills? Situations? Nature of your relationships? The redraft of your self-narrative/essay? Your book is a tome my friend. Your book is also the holder of essential knowledge for you as journey and sing and love your way through life. And there is a trick hear. To read/know yourself better and get the most out of your book, it so helps to elicit help from those who have spoken or written or creatively expressed their own journeys. That could take you to a concert, a college classroom, a book club, a good film, a quiet sit with yourself or a friend. Maybe even a library! If the OCCC library, you will be welcome and well-cared for. I love our librarians. They are there for you the student and you the staff and you the reader who reads for joy. Turn a page soon, especially your page!

Professor Charles Dickens Morrow

Go Humanities and libraries!

The post I Need: Therefore, I Read first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post I Need: Therefore, I Read appeared first on Pioneer News.

Space is the final frontier for human exploration. Many people have been saying this for a few decades now. Some people like astronomer Galileo Galie said it hundreds of years ago. Humans from all over the world have been itching to learn about the cosmos. The James Webb Telescope is NASA’s most recent attempt to make sense of the cosmos. Thanks to its modern tech and the hard work done by NASA we will be able to see space in a way we have never been able to before. 

Understanding the importance of James Webb you will need to think of all the tools used in the past. There are much older people such as Copernicus and Galileo. You can even look back at our grandparents old understanding of space. It was on January 31st, 1958, when NASA launched Explorer 1, that was the first successful satellite launch in NASA’s history. Now with JWST we are able to see things Galielo and our grandparents could only dream of. 

It is also important to understand where we are as a species on space exploration. There is still so much we don’t know about space. It was only a few decades ago satellites like Explorer and Voyager were launched. The information we have received from these missions has been crucial in understanding where we live. Even with those pivotal missions there is still much we do not know. In an interview with ABC Bill Nye said, “Both my grandparents were born in the nineteenth century. When they were born no one knew that there was relativity, let alone what they could do with it. So, the discoveries that are going to be made in the coming decades with JWST may lead to an understanding of dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and the evolution of stars. Which may lead to things we cannot imagine right now.” There is little we currently know about things like dark matter, dark energy and black holes. But thanks to JWST we just might be able to make more sense of it all. The coming decades will be some of the most exciting times for space travel in human history.

It is easy to get caught up in the unknowns of space. There is much that is left to the imagination due to the lack of information of its size and complexity. With that being said, we do have a good understanding relative to what people in the past knew. JWST is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment our ancestors could only dream of. There are four instruments aboard the telescope:  near-infrared camera, near-infrared spectrograph, mid-infrared instrument and a fine guidance sensor/near infrared imager and slitless spectrograph. 

Near and mid infrared is a part of the color spectrum that we cannot see. Near is on the part of the spectrum that is close to what we can see and Mid is completely removed from visible light. A telescope such as Hubble was only looking at visible light. Hubble is only able to see roughly one billion years after the Big Bang. JWST is using infrared and will be able to see approximately one-hundred million years after the Big Bang. The reason for that is because of how the light is stretched by the expansion of the universe as it travels. Light begins to redshift as it is stretched out. So the farthest galaxies and star systems are going to be redshifted to the light being stretched over such a large distance.  Being able to see such distant objects is like looking into the past. OCCC professor Tad Thurston said, ”these telescopes are in a real sense a time machine. James Webb will be able to see all the way back to before the first stars.” Being able to see so far into the past is an exciting moment for humanity.

The post How The James Webb Telescope Will Perceive The Next Frontier first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post How The James Webb Telescope Will Perceive The Next Frontier appeared first on Pioneer News.

Let’s be real. We’re all getting old. Let’s reminisce on good times. 

Nostalgia is a crazy thing. There can be a TV show that takes people back to their childhood. But the funny part is, it’s not always just a show. Any of the five senses can activate it. Even throughout time, nostalgia can vary through different generations. 

Let’s take it back to 1964, when the AEH Division Assistant Rochelle Mosby was born. Although nostalgia has been recognized through various decades, her feelings are normally triggered by music. 

“The music will trigger something that’s like, a memory…for me, if it’s a particular song, it will trigger nostalgia for me. It’s not always seeing something.” Mosby explains. 

As the years go by, moving into 1995, OCCC student and student worker DeAvian Wright has arrived. To this day, he feels nostalgia while he watches his son grow up. 

“Whenever my son does something new. It always takes me back to the first time he was doing it.” Wright states.

Five years later, 2000 babies and OCCC members Brindisi Milton and Emily Wheatley were born. Funny thing, they both recently encountered nostalgic shocks through a mysterious scent. 

“I smelled something that brought back a memory of something from back in high school of a food that my friend and I kind of created out of a bunch of different snacks from the dollar store…I just was on random walk. But it made me go to the grocery store, buy all the ingredients and put together this little concoction.” Milton expresses.

Different smells could take anyone back to the past. For Milton, it was high school, but for Wheatley, it was elementary. 

“I had a nostalgic smell the other day, this past weekend actually. That took me back to my aunt’s house. She used to live in California. And we moved from there a while ago. And it was like a key memory…it took me back to when I was little, running through her house when I was six.” Wheatley reminisces. 

When it comes to nostalgia, memories can go as deep as the first day someone gains consciousness. In some cases, some memories can stick out more than others. 

“Oh, I can just picture it all…one of my purest memories that I’ve got is running around on that playground with my little stuffed bear.” Wheatley states.

She continues, “Way back, I was probably around four and I was at this daycare called Tutor Time. And we go outside for recess and stuff. And I had this stuffed bear. And it was at the end of the year where they have like those little parties and stuff like a summer go away thing. And we were doing lunches outside and we could bring like a stuffed animal and like bring it with us. And I remember that whole playground and like the little bear and lunch and all that. It’s really crazy when I look at pictures from my school.” 

According to Milton, her purest memory goes back to her 10th birthday. 

“I remember it, detail for detail…I invited all my family and several friends from school. And we were all squished in my teeny tiny backyard…it was my first pinata and we all took turns hitting the pinata…no one was able to break it. So then the parents had to come in and destroy the pinata.” Milton states.

Speaking of kids, the birth of one can leave an everlasting imprint on the mind. With that special date appearing, both Mosby and Wright consider the birth of their kids their purest memory. 

Food can bring on flashbacks, whether it’s snacks or a specific meal. For instance, Mosby has fond memories of hot dogs, more so because she doesn’t like them. 

“Every time I see there’s a hot dog…I just remember when I was, maybe six. My grandfather used to have wiener roasts. And he would dig a little pit in the yard. And you get a wire hanger and everybody would stick their hot dog over the fire to get it a little charred. I never liked hot dogs…But we were having a fourth of July celebration. And they had made hotdogs for all the kids…And I hated hot dogs. One of my aunts made me take it. And I took it and I threw it in the street. One of my cousin’s ran over it with a bicycle and kind of slipped and then it was just a whole big thing. But whenever I see it, I keep going back to when I was six. And I first had that hot dog, trying to figure out how to get rid of the hot dogs without telling people I hate hot dogs.” Mosby explains.

Similarly, Wheatley doesn’t like coffee, but the smell gives her a memory of living in California. 

Growing up with a “sweet tooth,” Wright’s nostalgic food is candy. 

“It just makes me want more candy,” he states. 

A throwback for Milton is her spaghetti nights with her family. She describes them as “a big deal in our house.” 

Before Netflix and other streaming apps became famous, VHS tapes, DVDs, and cable were the original ways of binging shows. There are many ways shows that can bring back memories. Such as theme songs or even certain scenes. 

“I used to just watch cable…I used to watch a show called Word Girl, and Cyberchase…Oh my gosh, The Replacements…Bear in the Big Blue House, that was a big one. I used to have like a big stuffed animal of the main character and then all the little ones about little main characters when I was young.” Wheatley states. 

When it comes to Mosby, her nostalgia stems from movies like Jackie Brown, The Color Purple, and The Godfather. Between family ties and personal enjoyment, these films take her back. 

Growing up without cable, Milton enjoyed watching different “Christian channel shows.” Her nostalgic show is St. Bears Doll’s Hospital. 

“There’s a lot of old shows that when you when you see it yourself like Oh, I remember that” Milton states. 

Perfectly stated. It’s as if old shows trigger those younger days of watching TV. 

Speaking of which, a show that takes Wright back is Avatar, The Last Airbender. He’d be given flashbacks when he had his “Fruity Pebbles and action figures” while watching. 

If it’s not a scene, it could be a tune. Music has the ability to bring back throwback memories. Such as Mosby’s love for Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak, as Silk Sonic, creates a groovy throwback type of sound.  

“Right now I’m in love with Silk Sonic, because their music gives kind of that 70s feel. And then I started to think of all the songs from the 70s that I love. But I have playlists from Yeah, from 2022 all the way back to the 1960s.” Mosby expresses. 

Church songs like ‘Never Be Defeated’ bring flashbacks to Wright.

“Anytime I listen to gospel music, because I was raised in church and stuff like that, it always takes me back to flashbacks. And when I was just dislocated running around in the church, and they were singing those songs.” he states.

When it comes to Wheatley, her nostalgic tunes surface from artists like Tori Kelly and Kidz Bop. In a similar fashion, Milton feels nostalgic when she hears various 2000s music.

“Her early songs are take me back to when I had like her CD on my little CD player with my little headphones. And I took them everywhere.” Wheatley reminisces.

Music can bring back those random childhood memories, whether around the house or on an iPod. Good times.

So what exactly is nostalgia? There isn’t a straight answer. It all varies with different memories. 

Mosby believes nostalgia is “a nice feeling when there’s a glimpse of the past, or something that brings a nice memory from the past. Something that you kind of reminisce about.” 

To Wright, it’s more like “any event that takes place” and “gives me a flashback on something” that provides a good feeling. 

From another perspective, Milton sees nostalgia as “something that brings back a memory of something in the past.”

“Whether that be a happy feeling, a sad feeling, a smell, something you see. Something that brings somebody some sort of memory of the past.”

Wheatley sees these ‘somethings’ could be “an object or a show or anything like that.” They serve the purpose of “bringing back memories” from youth. 

In reality, there isn’t too much of a straight answer, but it always resorts to the past being remembered. Whether cherished or neglected, nostalgia always finds its way to live in the minds of society. It’s all about perspective.

The post We’re Getting Old: Let’s Reminisce first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post We’re Getting Old: Let’s Reminisce appeared first on Pioneer News.

Kelly Bonner and her daughter, Mallory Farrell, were making their blood donations at the OCCC Blood Drive event on August 23, 2022.

The post OCCC Blood Drive Fall 2022 first appeared on Pioneer News.

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After 50 years of being open, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) still continues to provide opportunities for the community and creates a people-friendly environment. 

With September being around the corner, the campus has developed their plans to give back to the students and the community. September 12, 2022 through September 16, 2022, the school will be running the annual We Can! Campaign. Members of the Foundation of OCCC, Juo Ting L. Jennings and Evelyn Schaefer, have contributed towards continuing this “employee-giving” tradition. 

What is this “We Can! Campaign”?

“We Can! Campaign is an employee-giving campaign for faculty and staff of the college. Gives them the opportunity to make a donation to the Foundation to support programs and scholarships,” Schaefer explains. 

According to Jennings, “at the beginning, they were actually trying to raise the resources for the food pantry. And they were asking everybody to give canned food. So, they called it We Can…the campaign was very successful. So, we just used that name, and now, it is still We Can! Campus Employee Giving Campaign.”

This campaign’s origin roots back in 2007. And now, the funds contribute to many programs around OCCC. Such as various scholarships, the Food Pantry, the Clothes Closet, and more. 

That’s pretty cool, but how does it work? 

Schaefer states, “We do it in conjunction with faculty and staff and the college…we roll out a week of activities to let employees know what they could do…this is our opportunity to educate employees about that, and about what their options are. You may have a passion for giving to a particular scholarship. And somebody else may have a passion for the food pantry or the clothes closet. And so, the donor gets to designate where their funds are going.

During this time, employees on campus can donate as much money as they please toward any program at the school. The campaign is a non-profit event that goes through the school, giving back to the community in forms of helping the student body. 

“We have ad campaigns going on around campus, so everybody is aware that it’s going on. People can either fill out a paper form with their name and address and say I want to give this dollar amount to this cause. Or they could go online…we have a form online that employees could go to. And at that time, they pledge. So, we do this in September. If you pledge funds through payroll deduction, then you could say next year in 2023, I’m going to give $5 a paycheck. And that’s your pledge…we work with HR, and payroll processing. And $5 comes out of every paycheck and goes to the cause they have chosen. So, you could, in a way, enroll by filling out a pledge form. Or you could choose to give a one-time gift…you could say, I’m going to write this check or give you my credit card, or here’s cash for this, and then those funds also go to whatever you designate,” Schaefer expresses. 

What are the plans for this campaign? 

Since it’s the 50th anniversary, the Foundation decided to switch things up this year. This campaign is normally in November, but this September is going to be more of an extravaganza, so the campaign will get five dedicated days of celebration. 

“So far, we are going to have two snow-cone events…the campaign is going to be September 12th to 16th, the whole week. But our first snow cone event is going to be on July 7th. And then the second one is going to be in early August. The snow cone event is kind of like a kickoff to let people know that ‘Hey, We Can! Campaign is coming back.’ And remind people it’s time to review your pledge or to upgrade your gift…So it’s a whole week. So, every single day, we would have some activities for people to participate.” Jennings states. 

As plans continue to get drafted, the campus wants to go all out for this We Can! Campaign. 

How can employee chip in on this cause? 

Whether it’s a one-time payment or a payroll deduction, faculty and staff could always donate to any programs they desire.

“So they can support this campaign in many ways. We will have trendsetters, from the staff and faculty side. And their job is to help us to promote the event and encourage people to give. The main way they’re going to support us is definitely you know, by making a gift…it can be $5 a month, it can be $10 a month, and it’s just based on your ability. But every dollar that people gave us directly goes to our scholarships or programs. They can decide which program or scholarship they want to give… And the Family Foundation just manages those funds, and gives it out to the school,” explains Jennings. 

Schaefer continues, “we make it pretty simple so that when people sign up, all it takes is their contact information, how much they want to give and what program they want to give it to. And that’s when we do the rest. We’ve worked very closely with payroll to make sure that that the amount that they’ve designated comes out, it comes out at the right time, and then it goes to the right fund.”

There are many ways to support We Can! but the most impactful support comes from the funds. Whether it’s little or a lot, it all adds up and can make many great fortunes. 

The week-long events for WeCan! Campaign supports a nonprofit movement to benefit the education and lifestyles of the OCCC student body. 

Faculty and Staff should be receiving emails and messages about the upcoming events for this campaign. Be on the lookout for the free snow cones. Coming July 2022. 

The post It’s Back: We Can! Campaign first appeared on Pioneer News.

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So how does one follow upon the Pioneer issue of war and war in Ukraine? A war that is relentless against Ukrainians as we speak.  My default when faced with overwhelming odds in life’s manifestations is to reground in those life places of the doable. The doable I turn to with us is also an exciting new word for me. Allyship! I hope it can be a do-word and a doable for many of us at OCCC.

Allyship, from a 2018 Forbes magazine article, is “is any person [who] that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole.” Nice! Culture, inclusion, intentional, positive, conscious, benefit, people as a whole. Yes. Those things.  Sunlight galore. That is what I call a good definition, and what I call a word that we can share as the OCCC community of persons.  Persons who can work against wars, little and big, and persons who can work for each other and for our community wholeness.

Let’s together make allyship a doable for OCCC. My doable of just last week was to attend a staff/faculty training on allyship for faculty/staff. Organized and presented by two of our most wonderful professors, Thomas Horne and LeErin Probasco, the training brought me into a community on campus I am so happy to join. There also was our Director of Diversity, Fatemeh Radmard, OCCC Counselor Kelsey Oliver, and old friends Mary Turner and Valerie Havrilla. I mention them all because they are terrific OCCC people who you can reach out to for any reason, and perhaps now reach out for allyship.

I realize that the essential meaning of the word is applied to institutions as outreach and safe zones for LGBTQIA+ members. Yes, please, and thank you. But this word is too great for us not to take use it for all OCCC relationships. I really love this word in the context of how we behave toward all – human, non-human, and anything in between. It resonates deeper in the heart than the word tolerance and is less pushy than the word compassion. How should I act toward strangers? Allyship. Towards colleagues? Allyship. Towards my students? Allyship. My difficult work relations? Allyship. My ecosystem and biodome? Allyship.

As an essence of supporting and keeping safe our LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters and non-binaries, I needed some thoughtful discussion to help me be centered better for this important work. Professor Thomas Horne was there for me. He sorted out why the use of pronounced pronouns matter. They are a sign and signal of our sensitivity and understanding of alternative ways of being in a society. An outreach that how I am is as important as you are and how you are is as important as I am. The sensitivity needed to build the most positive relationships to those who feel as outsiders, and let’s be honest with some very current state bills being signed, made outsiders by our Oklahoma legislative body.  Being mis-gendered by others involves hurtful naming and dead naming, stepping on human rights, and misunderstanding the make-up of intimacy and sexuality as a human essence for all of us.  That gender is a spectrum which includes intimacy, attraction, sexuality, and expression of identity.  These things are for all us to navigate in each of our lives, so what else is there in understanding this and in supporting others on different but the same, journeys but allyship? The same is always more than the different in being human. Why I will always argue that sunlight always has a larger profundity in life than shadow. Allyship-being more sunlight than shadow for self and others.  Thank you, Professor Horne, for your sunlight.

Doing allyship (again from Forbes Magazine) is:

• a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people.
• not self-defined—work and efforts must be recognized by those you are seeking to ally with.
• an opportunity to grow and learn about ourselves, whilst building confidence in others.

Trust is the key here for me. That we each find our self-integrity in that hard work of know thyself. That we each then bring that integrity forward in daily interactions and relationship building. That it is a community-building transaction, no transformation. That unkind, unreflective, and poorly thought-out judgements are replaced by curiosity, an embrace of our social nature and needs, and just the fun of being with others who are working for a common good. For OCCC, that is empowering our students while doing the same for ourselves through learning and growing into our best humanness. Oh, yea, allyship. 

The dark is so dark right now with the war in Ukraine (and never forgetting those other places where governments bring suffering).  And the sunlight is here around us, too. In us more precisely, but then around us as each of us brings that light out to bear upon the people around us as we interact in an OCCC community of allyship.

Cheers to my allies, all!

The post A New Favorite Word-Allyship! first appeared on Pioneer News.

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Lake Thunderbird State Park, affectionately known as “Dirty Bird” to the locals because of the murky lake water, is located just outside of Norman, Oklahoma, off Highway 9 East. Lake Thunderbird is a man-made reservoir that was built between 1962 and 1965 for the purpose of providing municipal (drinking) water to the communities of Del City, Midwest City and Norman. It was named for the Native American legend of the Thunderbird, a supernatural bird of great strength and power. According to okfrontline.com, “the bird was thought to have carried water in its wings, which sounded like thunder when flapped, and lightning bolts would shoot from its eyes.”

Just a few miles east of Norman and only a half hour’s drive from Oklahoma City, Thunderbird State Park is a favorite for the whole family. Swim at one of the many beaches or take a boat out onto the lake.

Offering nearly 86 miles of shoreline, Lake Thunderbird State Park hosts more than a million visitors each year. The park has more than 200 RV sites to hook up to for those who like their creature comforts, and 100 designated tent sites. For those of you wanting to get back to nature, there are 447 primitive campsites to choose from. 

The 6,000-acre lake is stocked with crappy, large-mouth bass, sunfish, catfish, white bass and saugeye, so be sure to bring your fishing gear.  

Lake sports are only a part of the attractions at Lake Thunderbird. The park also offers horse rentals and horse boarding, as well as equestrian trails, mountain biking, hiking, nature trails and an archery range. 

You’ll want to be sure to check out the Nature Center at the park, or bring your binoculars to observe the bald eagles, who make their home at the lake between December and January each year. 

Hunting enthusiasts can also hunt white-tailed deer during the state-designated bow season at Thunderbird Lake.   

Lake Thunderbird plays host to several events throughout the year, beginning with the statewide “First day Hike”, which encourages everybody to get out there and get active the first day of every year. 

In September, the state park hosts Catch a Special Thrill (CAST) for Kids, so kids with disabilities can come out and catch some fish, and they hold an annual Fall Festival for trick-or-treaters where costumed vendors hand out candy. 

Calypso Cove Marina rents boats and boat slips, where visitors can dock their boats or rent a boat for a day of fun on the water. The marina has a store that sells gas, cold drinks, and other amenities one might need for an outing at the lake.

Seriah Canton was having some fun in the sun with her three little ones, complete with life jackets and a cooler filled with iced drinks. “I grew up around Lake Thunderbird and still like bringing the kids out here, even though I live forty-five miles away from it now,” said Seriah. “I really like the quiet, it’s peaceful here.” 

Belinda Kinsey was enjoying the lake with her daughter Nicole and her granddaughter Riley. “We live close by the lake, and we have been coming out here most of our lives,” Belinda said. 

Brett drives out to the lake from Yukon to ride his Sea-doo. “I love to come out here on Fridays when there’s nobody here and ride my stand-up. The water is calm and smooth, there’s not a lot of crazy people here, and it’s just nice and pretty,” he said.  

Lake Thunderbird State Park has a little something for everyone to enjoy year-round, and it is so close to Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) that you have no excuse not to get out and enjoy some much-needed vacation time with your family and friends. 

The post Lake Thunderbird State Park first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post Lake Thunderbird State Park appeared first on Pioneer News.

Truly, I was going to write on a more cheery and uplifting idea like climate destruction and human greed, but the events in Texas will not let go. One more action of gun violence in America.  Especially dramatic and gruesome, but just on more of a long list. More and more, we are a nation of pain and divisiveness, of overwhelming tragedies and extreme reactions.  All the while as we are mere mortals trying our best to care for family and build careers. I will not add political fuel here or remonstrate for moral high ground. I only begin with two questions asked in all humility: How do we carry the sadness for others more immediately affected? What are the interconnections between gun violence and us?

Carrying sadness for others revolves around the nexus of each person’s capacity for empathy. Like most human experiences and capacities, we find our own ability to be empathetic along a sliding scale. More empathy within tribe, less usually outside a given tribe. The children, teachers, and families of Uvalde? We each feel that interconnection based on our unique experience, understanding, and culture. And we know those only to the extent that we know ourselves. Even here in tragedy, or especially here in tragedy, I call on all of us to the moral responsibility of Know Thyself.  

I have two particular connections to Ulvade.  First, I was a fourth grade teacher for several years in my happy teaching life. Forth graders are a particularly bright moment in our humanity. Just a few seconds with a picture of one of the Uvalde victims and you will know what I mean. Forth graders are this beautiful focus of young minds growing in capability and curiosity. Are beautiful moments of unconditional love and the most natural outflow of care for others. Are beautiful moments of hope for a world that can become better. I owe my fourth-grade students a life-long debt for being welcomed into this world of human hope, potential, and love.

Second, I am a victim of school gun violence. A decade before Columbine and here in Oklahoma City. I stood beside a seventh grader trying to protect him as another seventh grader fired five bullets into his body. The young man survived after a long recovery. The shooter was a young man drawing blood for gang membership.  The three of us are tied inextricably for life. This connection for me to Ulvade is a connection of self-reflection. I am filled with gratitude for my time as a fourth grade teacher, and I perhaps better understand my own calling in being a voice for nonviolence. One, sunlight from sunlight and the other, sunlight from shadow.

Research bears out the root of my school violence experience as gang related has morphed over decades to a root of young person’s experience of bullied or bullying, compounded with the young person’s complex experience of social media as affect and influence.  I understand mental illness is part of the national conversation, but I remind us that a mentally ill person is 8-10 times more likely to be the victim of a violent attack.  As a witness, I am responsible to follow and reflect upon all the threads laid bare in the Uvalde tragedy, and that takes me to understanding our society’s support or lack of support for our young people. My man, Jiddhu Krishnamurti, always grounds me in the one question for all of us: “Do we truly love our children?” Not sure about you, but I am very challenged and very unhappy as to the answer.

There are always three players in violence: victim, perpetrator, and witness. We are the latter. Victims are those maimed and killed and those family members and loved ones close to the harmed. Victimhood ripples out in concentric circles while sounding deep into the depths of human, individual suffering. The human courage called upon for survivors of violence is almost beyond comprehension. But it is their calling to do with as they can.

The perpetrator does not come out of some social vacuum. He or she is us in many ways.  Yes, we do not step into the breach of consciousness that allows for a monstrous act, but we are close enough to understand if we look. Certainly, the relationship and responsibilities we lay down as our empathy and our citizenship ripples out to the greater society.  It is good that we hold in our hearts other victims right now: Columbine, Parkland, FL, Sandy Hook.  And as witnesses, let’s not stop there. Hold in our hearts the daily victims by gun violence as not mass shooting but just everyday death and tragedy at the hands of gun violence. Hold in our hearts the society that creates the violence our towns and cities know on a daily basis. 

There will be a sunshine to come from Ulvade. If we pay attention, we will see an Hispanic culture teach us strength and healing and love and moving forward. If we watch and witness. In 2006, a little talked about school shooting occurred in an Amish town in Pennsylvania, five children killed, five injured. Unless we have read “Amish Grace”, we have little connection to that tragedy and the possibility of forgiveness and compassion as a different social reaction. I only remind us of this because transformation for the better can come from surprising places!

As the OCCC community, I know that we send our heartfelt condolences to the Uvalde community. I particularly want to remember the teachers and the blessings they were as Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia. May the spirit of those fourth graders hang in the air of our experience being teachers themselves of hope, love, and possibility. We cannot move forward for self and others without the knowledge that from shadow can be sunlight. The victims are deeply burdened with finding light in their own forward journeys. We, the witnesses, however, have enough distance and enough empathy to do the other hard work of moving a society forward for the love of our children.

The post We Are Witness first appeared on Pioneer News.

The post We Are Witness appeared first on Pioneer News.

Just the very thought of summer school used to turn students’ blood to ice and strike fear into the hearts of high school students. No vacation, no camping at the lake, forget lounging around, soaking up the sun poolside. You are in trouble because your grades are not up to par, and this is the price you must pay for goofing off all semester long. Summer school. 

Now that you are in college, summer school is no longer a punishment, rather, it is a good way to get ahead and to get the most out of your college years.  

Technologies and methodologies are constantly changing and evolving, and some people’s jobs require them to learn new skills that are job-related, others take summer school classes to sharpen or hone skills they already have. 

Rochell Mosby, the Division Assistant of Arts, English and Humanities Division at OCCC said that she loves summer school. Mosby has been working summers for nearly twenty-five years at OCCC. She said she has seen summer schools from 1997 to 2022 and confessed that she likes to see the students. 

“If you have the time to dedicate to the course, by all means, take a summer course,” Mosby said. “I would suggest that a student take a look at their workload and decide what courses you have the time to take. If you have some courses that you are taking to learn a trade, taking classes in the summer Is a good way to do that. Summer school is a great way to get credits quickly and it gets you through the courses faster. You can also save a little money taking courses in the summertime.” 

Anthony Guillen, a Visual Arts major at OCCC, is attending summer school classes this year and he said, “It was just a way for me to get ahead, build my credits faster. I felt that having a few quick courses in the summer would help me to jump start the college grants.”

Laura Ratley is also foregoing her vacation this year and seeking higher learning. “I’m going to be doing the SLPA Program (Speech, Language, Pathology Assistant) and I need to get my credits up, so I’m attending summer school because I want to get my GPA up and apply for the SLPA Program,” she said.  

OCCCs fast-paced 8-week summer courses cost less money to attend than fall or spring classes do, and you can get through them quicker. Sounds like a no-brainer. Less time and money to take more classes. If you want to get ahead, and get there quickly, enrolling in summer school can be a great way to kickstart your college education. 

The post Summer School Blues first appeared on Pioneer News.

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I love the turnings of seasons with the solstices and equinoxes. Each one gives us a kind of do-over for the deeper effects of being human: hopeful in spring, abundance in summer, an ease in fall, and deep reflection in winter. This turning from hope to abundance is the summer solstice. Long days of light, short nights of dark, and sunshine of tans and air-conditioning. Take a deep breath for yourself and welcome this summer into your life. 

I had a special summer trip many solstices ago to Concord, MA and Walden Pond. Clicked off a bucket list item seeing Henry David Thoreau’s grave site. I have carried Henry David Thoreau on my hero list most of my reading life. That is not to say he has the most inviting writing style or follows our Composition professors’ call to write clearly and simply. But a hero of spirit who looked his American social milieu in the eye and said, I’ll take Walden Pond and the woods, thank you very much!

I ask you to consider the values of the woods compared to the values of our social milieu in this read. Both, of course, hold sunlight and shadow. Time in the woods and time with nature is full of benefit for us, and probably the busier life that you have, the more nature time you need for health and ease. The Japanese and Finland peoples have a whole system of “forest bathing” packed full of research about the health and mental benefits for us if we can find some time with trees.  Sights and sounds and smells given to us from the earth, at no cost and no demands on us.  Sparkling light thorough leaves of dark green. Bird songs that delight the ear and feed the heart. Freshness of green and grass and whispering air. Do you know that the science of selling cars and trucks on TV take advantage of our need and connection to the woods. Notice all the greenery and open vistas in your next car/truck commercial.  Car commercial-our social milieu. A walk in the woods-your real health.  How easily we are distracted from the real.

Thoreau’s experiment at Walden Pond was very much about societal norms distracting us from the truer, healthier sense of a life we can live. Martin Heidegger, the influential 20th century German philosopher talks about how something like the vital experience of nature can be co-opted from us through something like a tourist industry. Even my forest-bathing friends in Japan and Finland might have some hidden commercial interests on getting us back to nature. Our basic needs in life are so meshed with social and corporate interests.  If Thoreau thought he had problems separating the two in 19^th century America, what he could only think given a day in 2022! But like any good thinker of the past, he left us some clues to help us make our own way in our time.

Here is one that gets straight to it from his “Economy” chapter in Walden: “To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but to so love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust.” I love this because it reminds us that we are philosophers; we all are called to live wisely.  On an editorial note, as a white middle class American male, Thoreau overshoots on the emphasis on independence, but the rest carries a lot to help us in the 21^st century. It is a list of virtues, but as with any important list, can certainly use of set of instructions.

Looking for a simplicity in our 21^st century lives is like looking for Waldo in a “Where’s Waldo puzzle. It is there but hidden in a huge collection of other stuff. And aren’t we the consumer society of stuff? Thoreau’s own list may not exactly be ours (“a knife, an axe, a spade a wheelbarrow, etc.”) but his second “studious” list involves only “lamplight, stationery, and access to a few books”. Heck, we have those all in our phones now. Just to be clear-Thoreau’s call to a simple life calls to be studious (oh, students!). Hold firm in the learning of life, but also question the material part of your life: what are those things (and always the essentials of safety and human comfort) that are needed for the wise life of inner richness?

Magnanimity works well in the 21^st century. We have so many ways to support others through online applications, community volunteer structures, and urban access. As Thoreau knew but lacked the evidence as we do today, helping others along with gratitude is a sure way of improving one’s happiness level. Of course, magnanimity carries more than just helping or supporting others. It is a default attitude to our fellow human beings.  One that does not carry social judgement about rank or income or education level or skin color or heritage. Thoreau himself felt the sting of social judgement, and he was a fairly well-off white guy! And if you think social status is a deal here in Oklahoma, just visit new England a couple of times! Having magnanimity hearkens back to having simplicity. If we know life’s richness dwells within rather than with outer riches and fashions, our social milieu has less influence on who we are. But that second part as seeing everyone as worthy of your respect and listening to them as appreciation and curiosity is as a profound problem for us as it was for the poet of Walden Pond.  

We are still living with a country of institutional racism, one with an unlevel playing field of economic access, and one that tilts more to a lived inequality. Thoreau’s known stand as an abolitionist and his essay, “Civil Disobedience”-I say a must read for any educated person-gives us a snapshot of simplicity and studiousness coming together in a wisely lived life.  We each deserve enough in material, in spiritual resonance, and in justice. The first part is our self-questioning of need, the latter our self-awareness and dedication to a just society.

Only through a wiser perception of society’s distractions, biases, and consumptive motivations along with a default to our lived sense of fairness, equality, and justice for all do we arrive at Thoreau’s final item on the list, trust. My friend, Parker Palmer, has dedicated his life to ways of building trust in institutions of education, among educators, and to a trust that makes for a vital, vibrant classroom.  At the heart of his work is very much Thoreau’s magnanimity: to see each other as fellow humans and to listen to each other without judgement or applied social status.  Simply to listen, care, and share curiosity.  I wish I knew why that is so difficult and so seemingly unrealistic for so many.  With no answer, I can at least point us in the direction of self-reflection and humility in the face of a complex, global life experience.  And at least some of that inner work done at your own Walden Pond. Nature, some studiousness, not feeling superior-not so unrealistic for the wise life we can all live on behalf of each other and on behalf of the earth that is home for us all.

The sunlight and clear air of a mid-summer field. The shadow of anxiety and pain that we bring to each other as a society. We live with both. We can take-on the experience of both: one as beauty and one as a responsibility to do better. Isn’t doing better the American dream?  I defer to my reading hero here as a wisdom to collect into your own life:

“But alert and healthy natures remember that the sun rose clear. It is never too late to give up our prejudices. Now way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof” (Walden, Or Life in the Woods).

And the proof? Ah. To think upon that in self-reflection will be one more richness to add to your summer abundance as you take an evening walk amongst the trees.

Go Humanities!

The post Thoreau, Trust, And Thinking It Through first appeared on Pioneer News.

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