IONEERPOklahoma City Community College

• OSU may use law to expand, editorial, p. 2.• Affordable Christmas gift ideas, p. 8.• Olympic hopeful at OKCCC, sports, p. 12.• Children given gift of books, p. 14.

Dec. 12, 2005This Week

Inside

Stress can belessened viaa phone call

Online shoppers, be aware

See “Stress,” page 16See “Online,” page 16

By Richard HallStaff Writer

Online shopping has grown in popularitythe last several years, yet the security

risks online shoppers face are still all too real.Trey Bishop, OKCCC’s UNIX System admin-

istrator, said there are a few things people cando to protect themselves while shopping online.

“Online stores like Amazon and eBay followstrict security measures,” Bishop said. “But it’salways best to create some of your own.”

Bishop said online shopping should only bedone on personal, home computers.

“Never shop online at Internet cafes or onwork computers,” he said.

Bishop said online shoppers also should learnhow to clear the data their computer storeswhen they shop online.

He said, on most computers, this can be doneby opening Internet Options in the web browserand choosing what you wish to delete.

Bishop said people also should shop only atsecure websites and never buy items from anunsecured site.

He said secure websites are indicated by anadded ‘s’ at the end of the http line located in

the address bar of the web browser.“That ‘s’ stands for secure,” he said. “Many

websites normally don’t turn into a secure siteunless the shopper types in sensitive informa-tion or proceeds to checkout,” he said.

Bishop said sticking with online merchantsyou know have a good reputation is a good ideaas well. “It’s always tempting to find the cheaperdeal, but stick with who you know.”

Freshman Alice Pillman said she doesn’t shoponline much but is careful when she does. “Imake sure the store is a good store and won’tsell my information to people,” she said.

Liberal Arts major Richard Dunst said heshops online frequently but sticks to only a fewonline stores. “I only shop Amazon and eBay,”Dunst said. “They’ve never given me a problembefore and they’re safe.”

Amazon Customer Service RepresentativeSandeep Chaurasia said Amazon operates ona secure server.

“Several parts of our website are usable viathe secure server,” Chaurasia said. “[Such as]the order form and ‘Your Account’ sections.”

Chaurasia also said all payments made

Ringing in the money

Photo courtesy of Jon HorinekOKCCC students Stacy Dunn and Vaneza Ceballos ring the bells for the Salvation Army during a

Student Life Service Saturday event Dec. 3. Students volunteered for two-hour shifts. For moreinformation on volunteer opportunities through Student Life, see page 4.

By Matthew Caban and Lizzie ByrdStaff Writers

The forecast for some this holiday seasonis a blizzard of stress with long lines at

the mall, visiting in-laws, and children onschool vacation. Although such a forecast couldcause alarm, experts say some stress shouldbe expected over the holidays.

They also say help is but a phone call awaythrough a nationwide help line that assists citi-zens with information that may relieve stress.The non-emergencyphone service, 211, con-nects people with multi-lingual “service special-ists” who answer ques-tions 24 hours a day,7 days a week.

The 211 operatorsare trained to help call-ers deal with stressfulproblems and questions, and all informationis kept private.

The 211 service also can be used to accessemployment services, home care support foraging parents, finding volunteer opportunities,or to get a list of recreational activities avail-able, along with many other helpful topics.

For those who might prefer to seek helponline, the National Mental Health Associationhas dedicated a portion of its website to tipsand suggestions on how to fight holiday blues.

Sally Edwards, OKCCC Student Support Ser-vice grant director, said people can follow a fewbasic guidelines to help eliminate some holi-day stress.

She recommends keeping gift giving simpleand limiting it to friends and family or thoseclose to you. Keeping expectations low for theseason helps reduce over-scheduling, over-buying, or general over-doing. That can keepstress at bay, Edwards said.

Edwards also suggests making a plan to stickto during the holidays.

‘211’ helpline open 24/7

2 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

Editorial and OpinionEditorial

Vol. 34 No. 16Christiana Kostura.. ..........EditorRichard Hall.............Staff WriterMatthew Caban..........Staff WriterJohn Savage...........Staff WriterLizzie Byrd.............Staff WriterHolly Jones...........PhotographerDusty Choate...........Ad ManagerCaroline Ting.......Lab AssistantMelissa Fuller.....Online EditorRonna Austin.........Lab DirectorSue Hinton.......Faculty Adviser

The PIONEER is a publica-tion of Oklahoma City Com-munity College through theDivision of Arts and Humani-ties. It is published weeklyduring the fall and spring se-mesters and the eight-weeksummer session.

All opinions expressed arethose of the author and do notnecessarily represent those ofthe publisher.

The PIONEER welcomes let-ters to the editor and encour-ages the use of this publica-tion as a community forum.All letters must include theauthor’s name, address,phone number and signature.However, the PIONEER willwithhold the name if the re-quest is made in writing. ThePIONEER has the right to editall letters and submissions forlength, libel and obscenity.

Letters to the editor can bedelivered to the PIONEER of-fice, mailed to: Pioneer Editor,7777 S. May, Oklahoma City,Oklahoma 73159 or faxed to(405) 682-7818.

Letters may also be e-mailedto editor@okccc.edu. A phonenumber for verification mustbe included.

The PIONEER can be ac-cessed on the Internet at:www.okccc.edu/pioneer.

throughout the world. Ourobjective is to help othersgain a deeper understand-ing of of our faith.

We teach about the Pro-phet Joseph Smith, aprophet whom God himselfcalled to re-establish hischurch in 1830.

As missionaries for TheChurch of Jesus Christ ofLatter-Saints, we are verygrateful for the opportunityto be here on your campus.

We will have a booth setup in the College Union onWednesdays from noon to2 p.m. You can get free in-formation that will help youbetter understand thechurch. Please stop us ifyou have any questions youwould like answered. Afterall, that’s why we are here.

—Elder Temple andElder McGirr

Eminent domainlaw for the good

To the editor:As members of The

Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-Day Saints, or Mor-mons, we are always askedquestions about what webelieve, and why.

Our church has grownrapidly since its beginningson April 6, 1830, to encom-pass nearly 13 millionmembers all over the world,yet many people still do notknow or understand whatwe believe.

As missionaries, wespend two years of our livesvolunteering to help othersunderstand more aboutwhat we believe. You haveundoubtedly seen us oncampus, in our suits andties, standing near a tablefull of Books of Mormon.

There are nearly 52,000missionaries like us

To the editor:English teachers are

some of the worst nitpick-ers in the world. We’re justwired that way.

Likewise, however, we areknown to get goose bumpswhen we read a piece ofexcellent writing.

Imagine my delight, then,when I read “Follow Cluesto New Class” in last week’s

Pioneer.From the title through the

content, Ms. Byram didsuch an excellent job withthe story of my new class. Ijust wanted to say howmuch I appreciate the cov-erage of the Detective Fic-tion course and what agood article I thought itwas.

And last, I thought the

accompanying art was trulyunique and eye-catching.Someone worked hard onthat. As the article aptlyportrays, I am excited toteach this new course, andI am very grateful for yourfine piece about it. Thanksso much!

—Mary PunchesEnglish and Humanities

Professor

Professor praises Pioneer

Missionaries explained

Oklahoma State University is seeking the pos-sible use of eminent domain in order to expand themain campus by adding additional academic andathletic facilities.

The area in question is north of McElroy Road toEskridge Avenue, and between Duck Street andWashington Street. The additional area in ques-tion is south of McElroy Road, and between Wash-ington Street and Monroe Street.

More than 80 percent of the property in the pro-posed area is rental, and OSU sees no difficulty inacquiring the land needed for its master plan. OSUhas reported more than 100 voluntary signaturesfor housing appraisal.

However, many residents disagree with OSU’sview. They are outraged and fighting the proposal.

The area near OSU has in excess of 400 homesand businesses. If owners do not agree to sell, OSUcould seek the route of eminent domain to com-plete their plan.

“Eminent domain is the right of a government totake private property for public use by virtue of thesuperior dominion of the sovereign powers over alllands within its jurisdiction,” according to theMerriam-Webster dictionary.

OSU President David Schmidly has met with resi-dents of Stillwater and explained that the projectwill occur in two phases so as to “soften the blow.”

OSU also has given the citizens meetings. infor-mation, and fair warning. OSU did not surpriseStillwater residents with the proposal, tons ofpreparation and consideration have been done andit all included the citizens.

The first portion of the plan is set to occur over athree- to five-year period. The second portion cur-rently has no time limit but is expected to beginshortly after the first phase.

Having an updated athletic facility will ensurebetter sports programs for the university, and do-nations and enrollment into its programs will im-prove. Same would go for the academic addition.That is what college is for, believe it or not.

OSU has taken every possible route to cooperatewith the citizens of Stillwater, but the outcome couldhold a huge backlash from the community, andcause negative publicity for the university.

The legality of eminent domain includes just com-pensation, so the residents who are being displacedare set to receive funding to take care of their relo-cation.

OSU officials have discussed possible avenuesfor their expansion plan and have decided that whilevoluntary participation would be easiest, if needed,eminent domain would be used, and that is theschool’s right.

If eminent domain is used, OSU could have a pub-lic relations nightmare.

—Lizzie ByrdStaff Writer

Dec. 12, 2005 • PIONEER • 3

Comments and Reviews

‘PGR 3’ for Xbox 360 drives into stores for Christmas

Narnia film brings book to life

This Christmas will haveyou seeing green lights,tight turns and some sweetrides.

Bizarre Creations andMicrosoft Game Studioshave upgraded and retooledone of the best racinggames ever to hit the gam-ing industry.

This third installment ofthe series gives gamers asmall combination of simu-lation mixed with arcaderacing.

This time, there will be no

Whether it was requiredreading or you chose to readit for your own pleasure,“The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, the Witch and theWardrobe” was sure toplant a smile on your mug.

Now, the beloved chil-dren’s classic from authorC.S. Lewis has come to thebig screen with an evenmore exciting entouragethan the “Harry Potter”films and, dare I say, evena couple of the “Lord of theRing” installments.

What starts off during anage of turmoil ends in asymphony of peace as thefour Pevensie siblings em-bark on a journey acrossthe world of Narnia.

Their goal: to stop theWhite Witch from claimingNarnia as her own with thehelp of the King of Narnia,the Great Lion Aslan.

Composed of a good bal-ance of action, suspenseand seamless accuracy tothe novel, “The Chroniclesof Narnia: The Lion, theWitch and the Wardrobe” isa distinguished film.

Aimed toward family au-diences, the film dedicatesitself to its acting, keen spe-cial effects and message.

Georgie Henley, whoplays the young Lucy Pe-vensie, is the gem of the pic-ture.

She’s adorable and actsthe part well, and is easilythe most believable of the

four children.Other notable acting jobs

come from James McAvoyas Mr. Tumnus, T ildaSwinton as the White Witchand Liam Neeson as thevoice of Aslan.

As for the special effects,they’re grandiose, but notin a disgusting way.

It will be easy to comparethe film’s visual appeal toany of the “Lord of theRing” films, but that’s notnecessarily a bad thing.

The same special effectscompany, Weta Workshop,did both.

With “The Chronicles ofNarnia: The Lion, the Witchand the Wardrobe,” every-thing looks more crisp andgreater attention is paid tominute details, such asrustling feathers on a bird’swing and the damagecaused to patches of grass

during the last battle.The most charming as-

pect of “The Chronicles ofNarnia: The Lion, the Witchand the Wardrobe” is theanimatronics and cos-tumes used in place of anover abundance of com-puter-generated charac-ters.

Those qualities areboasted throughout thefilm, and it’s almost re-freshing to see the specialeffects gurus go back totheir roots to add a senseof antiquity and authentic-ity to the film.

What also amazes is theuse of music. The horns,strings and drums don’tmiss a beat.

As music should, it lendsheavily to the mood the filmpromises, and executes, insetting.

And what a mood the film

I am humbled and honored by the trust and con-fidence of the College’s Board of Regents when theyappointed me as the next president of OklahomaCity Community College. This is truly a great insti-tution with a remarkable history and a promisingfuture.

It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Bob Toddover the past 10 years. He is one of the finest, mostdedicated presidents in the history of Oklahomahigher education. Dr. Todd led the institution tobecome one of the premier community colleges inthe nation.

During my time at OCCC, I have met thousandsof students from all across the state, the nation,and the world. I celebrate␣ and commend them forthe dedication and work required to achieve suc-cess. And, I am inspired by our students who havechosen to make a difference through the power ofeducation.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with a dynamicBoard, talented faculty, and superb staff, I am con-fident that we will build on this distinguished legacyto strengthen and deepen the impact of OklahomaCity Community College on the lives of studentsand on the community.␣ I look forward to buildingon the work that began over 33 years ago whenOCCC was founded.

—Paul SechristActing President

Mini Coopers or HondaCivics. This year, “ProjectGotham Racing 3” has highperformance vehicles thatare not typically found in aparking garage. More than80 authentically-modeledand licensed super cars arein this year’s “PGR 3.”

Drivers can place them-selves in Ferrari, MercedesBenz, Jaguar, and Lambor-ghini cars, all decked outfrom the interior to the au-thentic engine roars.

Just as in past “PGR”

games, Kudos challengeswill be used to calculate thedrivers’ racing skills andaward drivers points formaking killer turns, 360degree spins, drafting andpowersliding maneuvers.

The solo career in “PGR3” is average at best andwill have players perform-ing several races in suchplaces as New York, Tokyoand Las Vegas.

The solo career guides theplayer through several dif-ferent races including one-

on-ones and cone chal-lenges.

“PGR 3” has received aface-lift on the presentationof the Xbox Live! features.Gotham TV players cannow watch other playersrace, and the new “PGR 3”ticker gives constant up-to-the-minute stats and worldrankings. Racers can raceeach other online for worldrankings or just host agame with friends for brag-ging rights.

Graphics are much im-

proved from the last “PGR”title, and showcase crystalclear colors on the cars andthe cities when racing.

One small complaint isthe cars bounce off eachother like bumper cars andleave the drivers with a badtaste in their mouths. Ifracing is your forte, thengrab the wheel and checkthe mirrors because “PGR3” is here.Rating: 4.75 out of 5.

—John SavageStaff Writer

sets.It represents storytelling

at its finest and sendsstrong, positive messagesto children and adults.

The film also flows great— it never feels rushed nordoes it move too slow.

“The Chronicles of Nar-nia: The Lion, the Witch

and the Wardrobe” wouldhave put a smile onLewis’s face, just as hisnovels continue to do tothose who read them.

Live the best adventureoffered so far this year.Rating: A+

—Richard HallStaff Writer

4 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

Nance named business vice president

Photo by Holly Jones

By Matthew CabanStaff Writer

Donna Nance was re-cently named the new vicepresident of Business andFinance, succeeding herlongtime mentor Art Bode.

Nance is currently thecollege’s Finance director.

She has been at the col-lege for 10 years, includingfive years as the Financeassistant director.

Nance said she has bigshoes to fill after learningmuch from Bode, who be-came the Business and Fi-nance vice president in2000.

“I have been his shadowfor the last couple ofweeks,” she said. “He hasbeen an absolutely wonder-ful mentor.

“I appreciate his help withthe transition.”

In her new role as Busi-ness and Finance vicepresident, Nance will over-see the college’s businessand financial affairs as wellas maintain other duties.

“My job deals with theoversight and leadership ofvarious projects behind thescenes,” she said.

One plan Nance is work-ing on is an Emergency Re-sponse Plan.

“Currently, we do nothave a comprehensive planfor dealing with emergen-cies,” Nance said.

Additionally, Nance willoversee the completion ofthree major constructionprojects.

Groundwork has alreadybegun on the first project,the Science, Engineeringand Math Center which will

be completed in 2007.Nance said the other two

projects she will oversee arethe construction of theHealth Professions buildingand the Arts EducationCenter, which are still inthe planning stages.

“One of the goals of theVision of the Future is toincrease the college’s physi-cal capacity,” she said. “The

goal is to offer more classesand the first step is havingthe space to do so.”

Nance said she enjoysspending her time with herfamily and being involved ather church, Trinity of theNazarene.

“I go camping a lot withmy husband and my twoboys,” she said. “They area handful.”

Nance will move from heroffice in the John MasseyCenter to the Main Build-ing when she begins hernew job Jan. 10.

“The people who work [atthe John Massey Center]are great and have the stu-dents’ interests at heart,”she said.

“While you get a goodparking space here, you feelcut off from what is goingon.”

Nance’s secretary, Shar-

en Hall, said she will missher boss, but knows Nancehas a lot to offer the college.

“She is a great boss andeasy to work for,” Hall said.

Hall said Nance provedher worth when the Fi-nance office was setting upthe college’s Datatel systemin 2001.

“Datatel is tough to useuntil you get used to it,” shesaid. “It was so trying thatit made you act funny.

“But Donna made iteasier to deal with.”

Nance has a bachelor’sdegree from Hope College inHolland, Mich. and a ma-ster’s in business adminis-tration from Oklahoma CityUniversity.

She also is a certifiedpublic accountant.

Staff Writer MatthewCaban can be reached atStaffWriter2@okccc.edu.

By Christiana KosturaEditor

Campus clocks havecaused people to go cuckoofor years.

Now, thanks to a newGlobal Positioning Systemcontrolled clock network,everyone on OKCCC’s cam-pus will soon be able toagree on what time it reallyis.

Primex Wireless is thecompany OKCCC has de-cided to purchase the sys-tem from, said J.B. Messer,OKCCC Physical Plant di-rector.

The company providesschools, universities,health facilities and otherswith synchronized clocksystems.

The system will be placedon campus at an unknowndate, said Chris Snow,Physical Plant assistant di-rector, but it will be pur-chased by June 30.

Not all campus clocks willbe replaced at once, how-ever. It will be a gradualchange.

“The new clocks will be

Clocks finally to be in sync with one anotherphased in,” Messer said.“First, we’re working on get-ting the transmitter.”

The system receives asatellite signal and thentransmits the signal to allthe Primex clocks on cam-pus, he said.

Students, faculty andstaff say they are excitedabout the new system.

“I think it [will] be great,”said Mark Carver, adjuncthistory professor. “It [will]help students get to classon time.”

Carver said at the begin-ning of the semester, hewould take roll when classstarted, but would inevita-bly count some studentsabsent because they werefollowing a different clock.

Cultural Programs andCommunity DevelopmentAssistant Scott T igertagrees with Carver.

“I think it’s a very goodthing,” he said. “The wishesof the people are being an-swered.”

Tigert said it would benice to have events begin-ning and ending at the cor-rect times.

Paul Sechrist, OKCCCacting president, said com-

plaints have been heard foryears about the currentclock system.

Sechrist said when hearrived at the college 10years ago, the topic of syn-chronizing clocks wasbrought up at the firstmeeting he attended.

“I’m very excited [aboutthe new clock system],” hesaid. “It’s a solution to achallenge we’ve had formany years.”

Snow agreed. He said af-ter much research, collegeofficials believe they havefound the company thatwill work the best forOKCCC’s needs.

Messer said the new clocksystem also will help savethe college money.

He said the new clocks donot require the amount ofmaintenance the currentclocks do.

Currently, the Physical

Plant has to change batter-ies, make minor time ad-justments throughout theyear and change all clocksfor daylight-saving time,Messer said.

“The new clocks adjustautomatically,” he said.

The new clocks also havefive-year batteries, accord-ing to the Primex website.

The clocks being orderedare accurate to the second,Messer said.

“They gave us a demo,” hesaid.

Primex Wireless providedthe Physical Plant with ap-proximately 12 democlocks, which were dis-bursed throughout cam-

pus.Messer put the receiver in

his office on a table andchecked all the clocksthroughout the week. Theyall stayed on time, he said.

Large-volume customerareas, corridors and largeoffices will have the clocksfirst, Messer said. Then,more internal areas, likeclassrooms, will receive theclocks.

Nursing student SarahGardner said she can’twait.

“It will be more conve-nient,” she said.

Gardner said she is look-ing forward to arriving to allher classes at the righttime.

“I’m tired of rushing toclass only to be 10 minutesearly, or not hurrying andbeing five minutes late,”she said.

Editor Christiana Kosturacan be reached at editor@okccc.edu.

Donna Nance

“I’m tired of rushing to class only to be 10minutes early, or not hurrying and being five

minutes late.”—Sarah GardnerNursing Student

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Want to place an ad in the Pioneer?e-mail the ad manager at

ADMAN@okccc.edufor sizes and rates.

Dec. 12, 2005 • PIONEER • 5

By Caroline TingContributing Writer

Sell your books and get a free backpack.The OKCCC bookstore will buy back textbooks from

students Dec. 12 through 17, between the college unionand the main building.

The hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 8:30 a.m.to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The free backpacks will be limited to one per student,said Bookstore Director Brenda Reinke. Students musthave some type of identification to show they’re currentlyenrolled at the college, she said.

“An (OKCCC) student ID would be great,” Reinke said,“but if you don’t, a driver’s license or something.”

Students can get up to 50 percent back on their text-books, Reinke said. She said a few textbooks havechanged editions, and those won’t be purchased.

“This semester we’re expecting a really big buy,” shesaid.

Also, Reinke said, how much money students receiveon their books depends heavily on the condition of thebooks.

“We won’t buy back any books that are water dam-aged,” she said, “or if they look like the bindings are com-ing apart and the pages are loose.”

Workbooks, lab manuals and study guides also willnot be bought back if they have tear-out pages that canbe filled out, she said.

One question Reinke said she hears from students ev-ery semester is, Why can’t you put out a list of all thetextbooks you’re buying back?

“We’re buying back certain books for the store,” shesaid. “If we’re not buying them back for the store, a lot ofthe wholesale companies buy them back for their com-panies. They have over 600,000 titles that they can pos-sibly buy back.”

Reinke encouraged students to bring their textbooksto the buy back even if they don’t think the books will beused again next semester.

If students have any books that are of no use to thembut they don’t want to throw away, Reinke has a solu-tion — donate them to the bookstore.

This is the fourth semester the bookstore has been adrop-off location for Books For Africa, she said.

The organization collects, sorts, ships and distributesbooks to children in Africa, according to www.booksforafrica.org.

“[A book] may not have any value to you, but it hasvalue to somebody who would use that book,” Reinkesaid.

Holiday volunteer opportunities

Book BuybackDec. 12 to 17

OKCCC president hospitalized again

By Christiana KosturaEditor

‘Tis the season of giving, and there areplenty of opportunities during the holi-days, said Jon Horinek, OKCCC StudentLife Community Engagement coordinator.

“Students should think about volunteer-ing 365 days a year,” he said.

Volunteering has a lot of benefits, hesaid.

“When you volunteer, you automaticallyfeel good about yourself,” Horinek said.“It’s a self-esteem booster, improving livesof others.”

In addition to the great feeling volunteer-ing gives a person, Horinek said, it alsocan help a person meet new people andexplore new opportunities.

OKCCC provides the STudent Activitiesand Recognition Transcript (START) forstudents who wish to document theirwork.

Horinek said by using START, studentshave a certified document they can attachto résumés, transfer applications andscholarship requests. This can help stu-dents get a leg up on the competition, hesaid.

“There are some studies that say thatstudents in college who volunteer and aremore active in service programs and intheir community and on campus are muchmore likely to succeed,” Horinek said.

One place students can look for volun-teer opportunities is Student Life’s volun-teer opportunity board.

Students can access the board by going

By Christiana KosturaEditor

OKCCC’s president, Dr.Bob Todd, remained hospi-talized Dec. 6, in the latestround of medical proce-dures following his heartsurgery in January.

Todd was in BaptistIntegris Medical Center, inearly December, undergo-ing tests to help determinenew levels for his medica-tions.

“He is resting comfort-ably,” said Paul Sechrist,acting president.

Todd underwent two

heart procedures Jan. 10.Doctors performed a singlearterial bypass and re-placed his mitral valve.

In June, Todd returned tothe hospital to have a pace-maker inserted.

After a stroke in Septem-ber, Todd announced hewould be retiring fromOKCCC effective March 1after 34 years of service.

The stroke temporarilyleft Todd without the abil-ity to speak.

“He’s still going to therapyand his speech continuesto improve,” Sechrist said.

A committee of OKCCCfaculty, staff and studentshas planned a celebrationto honor Todd’s career atthe college.

The ceremony will be heldat 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Na-

tional Cowboy and WesternHeritage Museum.

“[Dr. Todd] appreciateseveryone’s thoughts andprayers,” Sechrist said.

Sechrist was appointed

to be the ninth president ofOKCCC by the Board of Re-gents on Nov. 21.

Editor Christiana Kosturacan be reached at editor@okccc.edu.

to www.okccc.edu, clicking on Student Lifebelow the Departments drop-down menu,then the Service Learning Center link, andfinally, Volunteer Now.

About 25 opportunities are listed rightnow, Horinek said.

The agencies listed include the dates ofservice, name of the agency sponsoring theevent, the title of the opportunity (usuallyincluding a description and requirements)and the contact information needed toparticipate, Horinek said.

Some of the agencies currently listed onthe site are the Arts Council of OklahomaCity, the Metropolitan Library System,OKCCC Recreational and Community Ser-vices and Camp Fire USA’s CampCimarron.

He said the volunteer opportunity boardis unique.

“These agencies are specifically lookingfor OKCCC volunteers,” Horinek said.

Many people feel that they don’t havetime to volunteer, he said, but many timeseven an hour or two will help.

“Even if you don’t have a lot of time tovolunteer, there are a lot of great oppor-tunities where you can even bring yourfamily along.”

Steve Musch, volunteer coordinator forthe Regional Food Bank, agrees withHorinek.

Musch said just about any age and abil-ity can volunteer at the food bank by par-ticipating in a variety of tasks.

“We have had two kindergarten classesvolunteer and we have had volunteers asold as 88.”

Editor Christiana Kostura can be reachedat editor@okccc.edu.

Read the Pioneer online at www.okccc.edu/pioneer

Bob Todd

6 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

Laptop stolen during holiday luncheonBy Richard Hall

Staff Writer

While many members ofOKCCC’s faculty and staffcelebrated at the holidayluncheon Dec. 6, a laptopwas stolen from the CareerTransitions office, locatedon the second floor of themain building.

Career Transitions Direc-

tor Nora Pugh-Seemsterspent her lunch hour at theluncheon and returned tofind her year -old Delllaptop had been stolen.

“Between 12:20 and 1:20p.m. someone broke intomy office and took mylaptop,” Pugh-Seemstersaid.

Career Transitions Assis-tant Nancy Abbas was thefirst to discover someonehad broken into the office.

“I came back from theluncheon and the doorwouldn’t open,” Abbas said.“At first I thought it was abad doorknob because itwouldn’t turn.”

It wasn’t until she real-ized another door also wasjammed that she knewsomething was wrong.

“We had to push thedoors in,” Abbas said.

Abbas said she found oneof her desk drawers openbut nothing missing.

Pugh-Seemster said theoffice has never been bro-ken into and this is the firsttime anything has been sto-len.

Pugh-Seemster said there

wasn’t a lock on the laptopso it was an easy target forthe thief.

“It surprised me that theyonly took the laptop,” Pugh-Seemster said. “My pursewas sitting on my desk theentire time I was out of theoffice.”

Abbas said only someonefamiliar with the officewould have been able topull off the theft.

“The thief had to know wewere all out of the office atthe same time,” Abbas said.“There’s always someonehere except for today.”

Pugh-Seemster agreed.“I always lock my door,”

she said. “The thief had to

“The thief had to know we were all outof the office at the same time.”

—Nancy AbbasCareer Transitions Assistant

Professor tells of lifein mountains of Nepal

By Ashley YaffeNews Writing Student

A farm boy from Nepalhas found his way to teach-ing business and econom-ics at OKCCC.

Professor GyanendraBaral lectured on his life inNepal Nov. 15 during Inter-national Education Week,offering a window on Nepalto students, faculty andstaff.

He said he sometimesmisses herding water buf-falo on his family’s farmand the country’s lushgreen mountains.

A slideshow accompaniedhis lecture with pictures ofNepal.

Baral said farming in thegreen mountains of Nepal

know exactly when I wasgoing to be out of the of-fice.”

This isn’t the first timecomputers and relatedhardware have been stolenfrom campus offices.

During the summer,more than $17,000 worthof computer equipment wasstolen from the computerlab in the library.

Last semester severalEnglish professors’ laptopswent missing from their of-fices in the Arts and Hu-manities building.

Pugh-Seemster said she’sdevastated.

“I had a lot of work stuffon there,” she said. “Therewere passwords, too.

“I’m going to have a lot ofoffice work I have to redonow.”

Staff Writer Richard Hallcan be reached at SeniorWriter@okccc.edu.

Arts building on bidding blockBy John Savage

Staff Writer

An Arts Education Cen-ter is scheduled to be builtbut a completion date hasyet to be set.

The 35,000-square-footArts Education Center willinclude labs for art andmusic majors.

“The building will havestudios and classrooms,”Physical Plant Project Man-ager Eddie Cox said.

A performing arts centerwas originally in the planbut its construction hasbeen delayed until fundingis available, Cox said.

Cox said, once the con-tract documents are ready,the Board of Regents willpublish the bid for 30 days.General contractors thenwill put bid packages to-gether in hopes to acquirethe contract.

Messer said constructionat this magnitude usually

is completed in one and ahalf to two years.

“The Arts Education Cen-ter is still in the preliminarydesigns,” Cox said. “Thearchitectural firm, Triad,will present the plans to theBoard in February.”

The Triad Design Groupis an Oklahoma City-basedarchitecture group that hasa long history of designingbuildings at OKCCC.

Cox said he expects thecontract to start attractingbids sometime in June ofnext year.

When the contractor ischosen, he said, work willbegin. Contractors willstart with installation ofutilities.

After that, laying of thefoundation will begin, Cox

said.The building will be built

on Regents Boulevard nearS.W. 74th Street.

Cox said the constructionof the building will increasethe number of students theschool can hold.

He said it will empty someof the classrooms in theArts and Humanities build-ing to make way for reno-vations there.

“Meetings have been on-going but no floor planshave been made yet,” Coxsaid.

“The overall cost includ-ing the architectural feeswill be approximately $8.5million.”

Staff Writer John Savagecan be reached at StaffWriter1@okccc.edu.

“The overall cost including the architecturalfees will approximately be $8.5 million.”

—Eddie CoxPhysical Plant Project Manager

is a big part of life and thatagriculture is the biggestrural economy.

He said when mostpeople think of Nepal, theyusually picture the Himi-layas, the “white” moun-tains, which include Mt.Everest.

Baral said Mt. Everest islocated in north Nepal,where an ethnic groupcalled the Sherpas live.

He said the Sherpas aremost famous for theirclimbing abilities and oftenserve as guides to thosewho choose to brave Mt.Everest.

Baral said religion also isa large part of people’s livesin Nepal.

He said 80 percent of thepopulation are Hindu, 15percent are Buddhist and5 percent follow otherfaiths.

Another aspect of Nepal-ese life Baral touched onwas the population’s diet.

He said the diet mostlyconsists of rice and wheat,and their source of milkcomes from water buffaloinstead of cows.

Baral said most Nepaleseare not beef eaters.

Nepal, which lies betweenChina and India, is slightlylarger than Arkansas andhas a population of 27 mil-lion.

Read the Pioneer online! Visit www.okccc.edu/pioneerfor online classifieds, newspaper archive and more.

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Place an adin the Pioneer.

Call Dusty at (405)682-1611, ext. 7674.

Business and EconomicsProfessor Gyanendra Barallectures on his life in NepalNov. 15 during InternationalEducation Week.

Photo by Holly Jones

Dec. 12, 2005 • PIONEER • 7

Business major Kim Atterberry reads about sexualhealth during Sexual Health Awareness Week. Atterberryis shown standing in front of the Student Life informa-tional board across from the Communications Lab.

Photo by Holly Jones

By Patricia RobertsNews Writing Student

OKCCC students can earn credits between the fall andspring semesters. Enrollment for intersession classes be-gan in October and will continue until Jan. 3.

Unlike the 8-week and 16-week classes, intersessionclasses run for at least four hours a day for two weeks,said Student Development Counselor Linda Guetterman.

“Students taking intersession classes will have to befocused and motivated to get all the course informationdone in such a short time,” she said.

“Taking intersession classes is a quick way to get gen-eral education courses out of the way.”

The last day to drop and receive a full refund is priorto the third class period, Guetterman said.

Classes run between Thursday, Jan. 3, and Friday,Jan. 13. Some classes run for just one week.

Spring 2006 class schedule books are available in theregistration office located in the main building. Studentscan enroll at the registration office or by visitingwww.okccc.edu/enroll.html.

For more information, contact Admissions and Recordsat (405) 682-7512.

By Matthew CabanStaff Writer

There is now anotherplace for students to go ifthey need help.

In room 1X7 of the MainBuilding, the Student Sup-port Services grant pro-gram, also known as TRIO,provides a place for stu-dents to get the help theyneed to survive college life.

It is designed to help first-generation college studentsand students who need tu-toring or mentoring, saidDirector Sally Edwards.

Edwards was recentlynamed director of the de-partment. Prior to her newposition, she spent the pasteight years as EnrollmentManagement director.

“Students who are eli-gible for the program mustmeet at least one of the re-quirements,” she said.

If students are first-gen-eration college students,meaning neither parent hasa bachelor’s degree, theyare eligible for the program,Edwards said. Studentswho are financially disad-vantaged, according to fed-eral guidelines, also are eli-gible, she said.

Edwards said the pro-gram also offers help to stu-dents with learning dis-abilities and physical dis-abilities.

“Basically, we are lookingfor students who needhelp,” Edwards said.

Student Bethany Lang isone of the students in theprogram.

“Student Support Ser-vices is a great programthat I am glad is available,”Lang said. “I am a first-gen-eration college student andI don’t have much supportand guidance from my fam-ily.”

Edwards said up to 160students will be acceptedinto the program. The grantprogram began Sept. 1.

“Since then, we have re-cruited 67 students from

the student body.”The TRIO program is still

accepting applications frominterested students, Coun-selor Maurisa Mahan said.

“Now is the time to applybecause there are stillabout 100 spaces avail-able,” she said.

“I have noticed many stu-dents who don’t ask forhelp until there is a crisis.”

Mahan has been a li-censed professional coun-selor since 2001.

A waiting list will be com-piled when all 160 spots arefilled, she said.

Students who are inter-ested in the program mustfill out an intake assess-ment while applying, Ma-han said.

“It covers different areasof a student’s life that maybe stressors,” she said. “Ithelps us know where theyare in their college life.”

Edwards said the intakeassessment tells the TRIOstaff what type of help astudent needs.

“Some of them need moretutoring than counselingand some come by twice aweek for counseling,” shesaid.

Student Support Servicesis funded 100 percent froma grant through the U.S.Department of Education,Edwards said.

She said the program isfunded by a five-year grant.The program’s budget eachyear will be $218,000, in-cluding the 2005-2006school year, Edwards said.

Student Support Servicesalso will hire several stu-dent tutors to assist stu-dents in the program,Mahan said.

To be a tutor, studentsmust have experience inthe subjects they help oth-ers with, she said.

In addition to student tu-

College survival mightdepend on new program

Vital Awareness

Winter intersessionoffers another wayto receive credit

“Student Support Services is a greatprogram that I am glad is available.”

—Bethany Lang Student in TRIO grant program

tors, the program will hirea group of student mentors.

“Student mentors wouldserve as guides and help-ers to students in our pro-gram,” Edwards said.

TRIO also will providestudents with opportuni-ties to see the arts andother cultural programs.

“We will be able to takestudents to the theater andother cultural events,” Pro-gram Assistant LinetteMcMurtry said.

McMurtry worked inSouthern Nazarene Uni-versity’s Student SupportServices office for the pastfour years.

She said the TRIO pro-gram is designed with stu-dents in mind.

“We are here to do ourbest to help them succeedin college,” she said.

For more information,contact Student SupportServices at (405) 682-1611,ext. 7620, or e-mailsedwards@okccc.edu.

Staff Writer MatthewCaban can be reached atStaffWriter2@okccc.edu.

8 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

Staff’s top Christmas albums this season

Give the perfect gift this season without going into debtBy Richard Hall

and Dusty ChoateStaff Writers

Some OKCCC inhabit-ants are starving students,more worried about howthey’re going to afford text-books next semester thanwhat to get loved ones forChristmas.

Rest assured — your con-cerns have been taken intoconsideration and the re-sult is the following Christ-mas buying guide for thoseon a humble budget.

Every gift on the follow-ing list is under $50. Sure,that’s half a textbook, butthe folks are worth it, right?

Though the new Xbox360 is out of your range,there are still treasures tobe found for video gameenthusiasts on your list.

Sony, Microsoft andNintendo all offer classicgames for the Playstation 2,Xbox and Gamecube pricedunder $24.99.

Games such as “Halo,”

“Flute. Ian Anderson.Christmas music.Rock on.”

—Ronna AustinLab Director

“It makes melaugh.”

—Holly JonesPhotographer

“It’s full of greatparodies.”

—MatthewCaban

Staff Writer

“I couldn’t findmy Boyz II Men

Christmas album.”—Richard Hall

Staff Writer

“’Christmas Night ofZombies’ is the bestholiday song ever.”

—Lizzie ByrdStaff Writer

“I love jazz but notMartha Stewart.”

—Caroline TingLab Assistant

“Run DMC rocksthe holiday timeson this album.”

—John SavageStaff Writer

“It reminds me ofwatching the moviewhen I was a kid.”—Christiana Kostura

Editor

“Devil May Cry 2” and “Su-per Mario Sunshine” are upfor grabs at many storeswith $15 price tags.

For children, www.amazon.com has the five-book Harry Potter paper-back box set for $28 withfree shipping to anywherein the United States.

With the Hornets tempo-rarily calling OklahomaCity home, basketballmemorabilia sales are up.

Found online at http://store.nba.com are DVDsfeaturing famous NBA starslike Michael Jordan andLarry Bird priced between$12.99 and $19.99.

This season, get dad anew watch from PacificSunwear. Classy and mod-ern watches from brandslike Fossil and Bullhead areas little as $30 and mostdon’t exceed $50.

Moms, for all their hardwork, deserve to be pam-pered. Bath and BodyWorks has the items tomake it happen.

A 6.5 oz. bottle of spear-mint aromatherapy body

lotion goes for $13 and aTrue Blue Spa quiltedtraincase manicure set re-tails for $34.

Now, to spoil yourself.Gas prices are still too

high for some, and com-muting to and from classevery day has put a dent in

your pocket book.Buy a Wal-Mart gift card

for your gas purchases.Every time it’s used at thepump, you save an extrathree cents per gallon.

With this list, everyoneyou know is covered. Justthink of how much money

By John SavageStaff Writer

According to the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Ad-ministration, approxi-mately 300,000 Americansare injured in traffic acci-dents involving alcoholeach year.

This year, the Yellow CabCompany will make it alittle easier to get homesafely after holiday party-ing.

Arrive Alive cards, cardsthat will provide funding forcab rides to those unfit todrive, can be purchasedfrom Yellow Cab for $25.

Be safe, use an Arrive Alive cardClyda Teegerstrom, Yel-

low Cab Company owner,said the company has beenoffering the cards for acouple of years.

Arrive Alive cards are notonly for the holiday season.The cards can be usedthroughout the year,Teegerstrom said.

Passengers of the ArriveAlive cardholder also canuse the credit available onthe Arrive Alive card for aride home.

Teegerstrom said the costof a ride is $2.50 per pas-senger and about $1.80 permile.

As long as the card stillhas punches, it could payfor the extra riders.

In the past it was ru-mored some cab companieswould give free rides onNew Year’s, but this is notthe case, Teegerstrom said.

“I have never heard of thisbeing done in our state,simply because we can’t af-ford to,” Teegerstrom said.

She mentioned there willbe longer-than-normal waittimes for rides on NewYear’s and party-goersshould call in time to givetaxi companies at least anhour head start.

For more information,contact Yellow Cab at (405)329-3333.

Staff Writer John Savagecan be reached at StaffWriter1@okccc.edu.

... And why they picked them“The Jethro Tull

Christmas Album”

“TwistedChristmas”

“A Very SpecialChristmas”

“It’s A Punk RockChristmas”

“Home For theHolidays”

“Grandma GotRun Over ByA Reindeer”

“How the GrinchStole Christmas”

“One Wish:The Holiday Album”

you’ll save and be able toput toward school suppliesnext semester.

Staff Writer Richard Hallcan be reached at SeniorWriter@okccc.edu. StaffWriter Dusty Choate can bereached at ADMAN@okccc.edu.

Dec. 12, 2005 • PIONEER • 9

Holidayfun galore

Timeless editorial still rings true todayVirginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a

skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can bewhich is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s orchildren’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, ascompared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable ofgrasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devo-tion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas!

How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There wouldbe no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except insense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all thechimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would thatprove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are thosethat neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof thatthey are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world whichnot the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest man that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy,poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain, and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real?Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he livesforever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart ofchildhood.

Dear Editor:

I am 8 years old. Some of my

little friends say there is no

Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you

see it in the Sun it’s so.” Please

tell me the truth; is there a

Santa Claus?

—Virginia O’Hanlon

115 West

Ninety-fifth Street

When 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editorof New York’s Sun, the quick response was printed as an

unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veterannewsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become

history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing inpart or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies and

other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

I want a new dog.My other one ran away.”—Hannah Knightingale, 5

A horsey and a littlepuppy dog.

—Serra Stoliby, 4

A microphone.—Jazmyn Winston, 3

Something that’s pretty,a jewelry maker.

—Kylah Nelson, 4

A big screen TV to putin my game room whenI get a house.

—Gabrielle Nguyen, 5

The children at the Child Development Centerand Lab School look forward to Christmas

and the presents they hopeto receive.

All I want for Christmas...

A spiderman scarf—Keylan Ketring, 5

•Bricktown will host several events forthe holidays as part of the fourth annual“Downtown in December.”

Everything from ice-skating and lightdisplays to free Bricktown canal rides andtheatrical productions will ring in the holi-day season in downtown Oklahoma City.Events are scheduled between now andJan. 1, and all are open most days. Grouprates are available by calling (405) 274-1638 or visit www.downtownokc.com.

•A new addition to “Downtown in De-cember” is fake snow for tube sledding.Snow Tubing at the Brick is open noonto 10 p.m. Located at the SBC Bricktown

Ballpark, group rates are available bycalling (405) 218-1000. For more in-formation, visit www.downtownokc.com or call (405) 236-3640.

•OG&E Garden Lights display isheld in the Myriad Botanical Gar-dens and the Crystal Bridge. TheCrystal Bridge display is free andopen on Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m.For more information call (405)

297-3995 or visit www.myriadgardens.com.

10 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

By John SavageStaff Writer

Toys for Tots will receive a bigboost from the OKCCC Environ-mental Club this holiday season.The club filled the bookstore’s Toysfor Tots box with toys for girls andboys from toddler to pre-teen.

“We raised $238 from the bakesale. It’s the highest that any club(bake sale) has raised in one day,”said Club President Jessica Aus-tin.

“We bought 51 toys and tried todivide them evenly. We purchasedboys and girls toys and someyounger toys for the toddlers.”

Neutral toys were purchased aswell, she said.

After the group purchased thetoys, they were placed in the Toysfor Tots box located in the campusbookstore.

“We donated to Toys for Tots be-cause we wanted to do somethingfor children,” Austin said.

“It gives you a good feeling know-ing that a kid will be getting a toyfor Christmas that he might nothave had.”

Other club members are satisfiedthat the club chose a good project.

“It’s a good feeling that our clubcontributed to a child’s Christmasthis year,” said Public RelationsOfficer Holly Jones.

By Karen GonzalezNews Writing Student

Two hundred sixty-threeinternational students from55 different countries areenrolled at OKCCC this se-mester, said Sunny Garner,International Students Ad-missions officer.

Garner said the studentscome from all over theworld: Kenya, 41; SouthKorea, 34; Japan, 32;Nepal, 25; India, 22; Malay-sia, 21; Pakistan, 20; Mo-rocco,15; Taiwan, 14; Co-lombia, 11; Cameroon, 7;Venezuela, 6; Mexico, 5;Vietnam, 4; Ghana, 3, andHong Kong, 3.

Elsa Gonzalez, an inter-

national student fromMexico, said she came tothe United States to study,but she misses her homecountry.

“What I miss the most is,without a doubt, my fam-ily,” Gonzalez said.

“It is very hard to cometo a foreign country with-out knowing the languageto continue your educa-tion.”

Tannaz Tajbakhsh, fromIran, is a business majorand currently is learningabout American culture.

“The American culture isvery different than mine,”Tajbajhsh said.

“It is very hard to adaptto a culture other thanyours, but it makes me feelbetter to know that otherstudents at OKCCC feel thesame way I do.”

Many of these studentscame to Oklahoma becauseeducation is less expensivethan other states.

Guatemalan finance ma-jor Marco Reyes chose tostudy in Oklahoma for thecheaper education.

“I had two choices,” hesaid. “It was either Califor-nia or Oklahoma. Afterlooking at the cost of livingdown there, California wasno longer a choice.”

Plans continue to develop as thegroup prepares to continue to helpthe needy by contributing to theJesus House.

“We are going to have a bake saleto raise money for supplies for theJesus House, and purchase thingslike socks, underwear and otherarticles of clothing,” Austin said.

“We want to go out and purchasethese supplies, and go down anddeliver them.

“We realize that people donatemoney to them but we feel it’s morepersonal if we get the supplies theyneed,” Austin said.

Austin also said in the spring theclub would try to find new ways toraise money and find new activi-ties for the club to do.

For more information, contactClub Secretary Christiana Kosturaat (405) 682-1611, ext. 7409.

Staff Writer John Savage can bereached at StaffWriter1@okccc.edu.

Environmental Club President Jessica Austin holds up a few of the toys thatwere donated to the Toys for Tots program. The toys will go to underprivilegedchildren and teens in the Oklahoma City area. The club also raised $238 in abake sale held on November 7. To learn more about the club, call (405) 682-1611, ext. 7676.

Photo by Holly Jones

Environmental Club gives to the needy“We are going to have a

bake sale to raise moneyfor supplies for the Jesus

House, and purchase thingslike socks, underwear

and other articles ofclothing.”

—Jessica AustinEnvironmental Club

President

Students share life experience in a foreign landOKCCC students have a

club for international stu-dents called the Interna-tional Student Association.

Those interested in learn-ing about the club can e-mail Club Sponsor GemainPichop at gpichop@po.okccc.edu or call (405) 682-7550. People also can e-mail Haifeng Ji, anotherclub sponsor, at hji@okccc.edu or call (405) 682-1611,ext. 7381.

“The American culture is very different thanmine. It is very hard to adapt to a culture

other than yours, but it makes me feel betterto know that other students at OKCCC

feel the same way I do.”—Tannaz Tajbakhsh

Iranian business major

Save time!Fax your ad to the Pioneer at

(405) 682-7843or e-mail ADMAN@okccc.edu

Dec. 12, 2005 • PIONEER • 11

By Grant BerningNews Writing Student

Exams can be the deciding fac-tor to whether a student gets thatcoveted A or dive-bombs to a C.

With finals looming, studentsfind themselves adjusting their al-ready hectic schedules for time tostudy for the tests that often hitthem from all directions.

OKCCC doesn’t employ a finalsweek and doesn’t offer a “deadweek” — seven days of study timebefore final exams. Students tra-ditionally take final exams on thelast day of class.

Justin Ast, physics major, at-tends both the University of Okla-homa and OKCCC. He said hewishes OKCCC had a more tradi-tional finals week.

“I am much more stressed outabout my [OKCCC] physics finaland finding the time to study for itthan I am for my other tests,” Astsaid. “I’m also having trouble mak-ing it to my class at OKCCC due tothe finals schedule at OU.”

By Peter BlackNews Writing Student

Registration for the first sessionof the College for Kids program thisspring semester is Jan. 3 throughthe 26, said Jack Perkins, Commu-nity Education and Health coordi-nator.

Several new classes will be of-fered to students ranging fromword processing for ages 9 to 14,to music classes for ages 9 and up.Plans include providing a begin-ning golf class to kids in the sec-ond spring session.

The program is designed to reachout to children in the community,Perkins said.

“Ryan has helped me throughout the whole semester and he explains theprocedures thoroughly,” said Alicia Williamson, nursing major. Ryan Hays, Sci-ence Lab assistant, helps Williamson identfy different parts of a fetal pig.

By Holly JonesStaff Writer

Ryan Hays often finds himselfsurrounded by curious subjects atwork — the skeleton of a humanbody, students working diligentlyat the human heart in plastic formand others attentively dissecting apig. Traveling from one group ofstudents to another, Hays doesn’thesitate to help the students un-derstand a scientific concept.

Hays has worked in the OKCCCScience Lab since 2001. Of 9,000students currently enrolled in sci-ence classes, more than 2,050 ofthem come in the lab each week tostudy or get more details about labassignments.

Hays is one in a group of assis-tants who help students compre-hend the elements of science.

“Hays is just a big teddy bear,everybody loves him,” said VirginiaHovda, Biology Lab supervisor. “Ihave never seen him lose his pa-tience with any student.”

Science Lab assistant has big plans

It offers a chance for kids, ages3 to 14, to experience educationalopportunities that otherwise wouldbe financially out of reach.

The program also is designed togive children and adolescents apreview of college and provide animage of the campus as a non-threatening environment.

The two sessions each semesterconsist of six-week programs. Ac-tivities cover a full spectrum fromreading and math, to ballet andmartial arts.

For the fall and spring, classesare grouped by age totaling aroundtwenty.

Perkins has been involved withCollege for Kids for two years.

“It takes a lot of planning but it’sreally rewarding,” he said.

A dead week would help studentswith the end of semester tests.

Traditional finals week occurswhen classes are canceled and ablock schedule is implemented.Students then have a prolongedperiod, several times during theweek, to take the final.

Most OKCCC professors havetheir finals on the last day of class,during the normal class time. Thisleaves some students pressed fortime to finish the tests, Ast said.

Travis Small, a former OKCCCstudent currently enrolled at OU,liked the system at OKCCC.

“Since [OKCCC] didn’t have a fi-nals week, my teachers never gaveus a cumulative final,” Small said.“[The test] was always the last fewchapters of the book.

“The only problem [OKCCC’s for-mat] caused was that I wasn’t quitesure how to study for a cumula-tive final at OU.”

Small said he has adjusted to thenew format but wishes he had beenbetter prepared.

OKCCC administrators gave nocomment on the campus policy ondead and finals week.

Finals week delivershigh levels of stress

College for Kids first sessionsign up begins in January

Photo by Holly Jones

Students in the lab are enrolledin a diverse range of courseworkincluding anatomy, zoology andbiology.

He has a bachelor’s degree in bi-ology and chemistry from South-western Oklahoma State Univer-sity.

Hays’s training prepared him towork with general biology but hehad to diversify.

He started by helping studentswith chemistry when the lab wasshort-handed.

Hays’s interest in scientific mat-ters began when he was a boy. Hisuncle was a high school scienceteacher and coroner in a small

town in Colorado.“He would come around Christ-

mas time and tell us stories of hik-ers missing and then how theyfound the bodies. He is the one thatfirst interested me in science,”Hays recalled.

A future goal for Hays is attain-ing his master’s degree in the fieldof science and education to becomea teacher. Right now, Hays is tak-ing advantage of his employmentbenefits, which include a tuitionwaiver. He is enrolled at OKCCCin the Film and Video Productionprogram.

“I have written a few scripts andam planning a short film for pro-duction next semester,” Hays said.“Right now, I am taking one class,and next semester will be takingthe capstone course in that pro-gram.

“The classes allow me to get cre-ative in other ways I never thoughtof. I would like to get a job workingfor a local production company.”

Hays’ passion for science con-nects with his interest in film andvideo production. The scripts hewrites seem to develop around sci-ence.

Next semester, Hays will put to-gether a short film for his capstonecourse. He has had the ideas foryears, but recently learned how toput all the ideas into one story.

Staff Writer Holly Jones can bereached at PioneerPhotog@okccc.edu.

12 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

Sports

UPCOMING OKCCC

INTRAMURALSSCHEDULE

U.S. Junior National Team swimmer Samantha Woodward (left) stands withKerr McGee Swim Club teammates Jordan Hawkins, Katie Whitbeck, ElizabethThompson and Coach John Brown. Woodward and her teammates from theKerr McGee Swim Club will be competing at the Kerr McGee Elite ProAm Dec.15 to 18 in the Aquatic Center. For more information, contact Aquatics andSafety Training Specialist Stephanie Scott at (405) 682-1611, ext. 7662.

Photo courtesy of Victoria Woodward

Young Edmond Olympic hopefulswimming at Kerr McGee Elite meet

By Matthew CabanStaff Writer

Some people say swimmerSamantha Woodward is Edmond’snew wonder kid or Oklahoma’snext Olympian.

This 15-year-old swimmer will bespending her winter break in Aus-tralia after competing in the KerrMcGee Elite Pro-Am from Dec. 15to 18 at the Aquatic Center.

The young swimmer saidOKCCC’s Aquatic Center is one ofher favorite pools.

“It’s a first-class pool and is oneof the best I’ve swam in.

“It ranks up there with the[NCAA] Division I pools.”

Woodward will swim with theU.S. Women’s Junior OlympicTeam against top juniors from Aus-tralia, Canada, Great Britain andNew Zealand at the Victoria StateChampionships from Jan. 3 to 7in Melbourne.

In addition to her place on theJunior National Team, Woodwardalso has become friends with heridol and Olympic medalist DanaVolmer.

Yet none of the hype seems tofaze Samantha Woodward. She willtell you she is just one of the girls.

“I want people to know that evenif I made it to the Olympics, I wouldstill be a normal teenager,” shesaid.

The Edmond Memorial HighSchool student asked for clothesand CDs for her birthday.

She said her favorite band isJimmy Eat World and at practiceshe hangs out with the other girls.

“All of my best friends are swim-mers so we joke around and gos-sip at practice,” Woodward said. “Itwould be a lot harder without myfriends.

“They keep me going.”Victoria Woodward said her

daughter’s favorite part of swim-ming is talking with her friends.

“They talk about normal thingslike boys, music and clothes be-tween their sets,” she said.

“You couldn’t do this by yourselfor without your team.”

Although Woodward loves beingpart of a team, something sets herapart from her teammates.

She is the only Oklahoman onthe U.S. Women’s Junior NationalSwim Team.

Her abilities also have allowedher to qualify to try out for threeevents at the 2008 U.S. OlympicTrials.

She is qualified in the 50-meterfreestyle, the 100-meter butterflyand the 200-meter butterfly.

Woodward admits her goal ofreaching the Olympics is a difficultone to attain.

“It’s pretty hard and takes quitea bit of time to get where I need tobe,” she said.

Woodward said she will need tocut time in each of her events toqualify for the U.S. team.

“I’ll probably have to cut two tothree seconds in the 100-meter

butterfly and one second in the 50-meter freestyle,” she said.

“It may not seem like a lot of time,but both of them are pretty shortevents.

“It is a possibility that I will makeit but I have to work really hard.”

She said she has to swim for atleast two hours each day and liftweights two or three times a week.

This includes working out moreduring the summer months.

“Samantha doesn’t take summervacations because it is on four-yeartraining cycle for the 2008 Olym-pics,” her mother said.

For more information on the KerrMcGee Elite Pro-Am, contactAquatics and Safety Training Spe-cialist Stephanie Scott at (405)682-1611, ext. 7662.

Staff Writer Matthew Caban canbe reached at StaffWriter2@okccc.edu.

•Dec. 15-18: The annual Kerr-McGee Pro-Am Meet returns toOKCCC. This event pits some ofthe top local amateur swimmersagainst former Olympians andother top swimmers. Athletes musthave certain times in their eventsto enter the competition. Amongthe former Olympians are Am-erican swimmers Megan Jendrick,Rachel Komisarz and Jason Le-zak. Jendrick won two gold medalsat the 2000 Summer Olympics inSydney. Komisarz won a gold anda silver medal at the 2004 SummerOlympics in Athens. Lezak won agold and a silver medal in Athens.Swimmers will compete for cashprizes and Speedo merchandise.The event is free and open to thepublic. Finals for different eventswill occur daily. For moreinformation, contact Aquatics andSafety Training Specialist Ste-phanie Scott at (405) 682-1611,ext. 7662.

•Jan. 9: Sign up begins Monday,Jan. 9 for most of the springintramurals. Students with a validID are eligible to sign up for tabletennis, men’s or women’s bas-ketball and the men’s Hot Shotbasketball shooting contest. Formore information, contact Com-munity Health and EducationSpecialist Eric Watson at (405)682-1611, ext. 7786.

•Jan. 30: Registration begins forthe intramural squat contest. Thedeadline to sign up is Friday, Feb.17. The squat contest will be heldon Thursday, Feb. 23. For moreinformation, contact CommunityHealth and Education SpecialistEric Watson at (405) 682-1611,ext. 7786.

Jan. 31: The first captain’s meetingwill be held for intramural men’sbasketball. The captains andleague operators will discuss theteam rosters, league rules andgame rules. Men’s intramuralbasketball will include between sixand eight teams. Students can puttheir own teams together orbecome free agents. Games willstart Feb. 13 and end March 9.

Dec. 12, 2005 • PIONEER • 13

International students vulnerable to identity theftBy Caroline Ting

Contributing Writer

International studentsare the perfect victims forcertain types of crime, saidFBI Special Agent TerryWeber during his speech“Identity and Passport Pro-tection.”

Identity theft is one suchcrime. Since foreign stu-dents don’t have a credit

history in the UnitedStates, Weber said, theirclean credit history makesthem potential targets foridentity thieves.

“Fifty percent of [identitytheft] victims claimed theyknew the identity of theperpetrator,” he said.

The thief may be a rela-tive, neighbor or an ac-quaintance, he said.

Weber said one waythieves make off with aperson’s identity is via the

person’s mailbox. Whenpeople leave bills in themailbox for the mail carrierto pick up, it gives identitythieves a chance to stealdocuments which may con-tain personal information,he said.

The Internet is anotherpotential hazard, he said.

Some things to look outfor include the Spywaretechnology that strikesInternet activities, andfraudulent e-mails from

what may seem like legiti-mate businesses or govern-ment agencies asking forpersonal identifying or ac-count information, he said.

To file a complaint or toget free information on con-sumer issues, log on towww.ftc.gov or call (877)FTC-HELP or (877) 382-4357.

International studentsalso need to guard theirpaperwork closely, he said.

Passports are a crucialpiece of identification whenstudents first enter thecountry, Weber said.

“You should always knowwhere your passport andyour visa are.

“Unfortunately, [as] partof the post-9/11 era we’rein… immigration is reallybecoming much more strictthan it was in the past.

“So, we’d like to keep im-pressing upon foreign stu-dents to keep track [ofthose documents] andmake sure they’re up todate,” he said.

Weber is one of severalspecial agents who travel tocollege campuses in theOklahoma City area repre-senting the Oklahoma FBI

College Outreach Program.The program also edu-

cates foreign studentsabout issues relating to vi-sas and passports as wellas hate crimes, Weber said.

“Hate crimes can rangefrom simple vandalism toassault and battery.

“If you feel like you havebeen a victim of a crime be-cause of your race, your re-ligion, your nationality, it’sa hate crime and it’s a fed-eral offense that’s investi-gated by the FBI.

“We encourage you tocome in and report thesethings to us,” he said.

To report a hate crime,call the Oklahoma City FBIOffice at (405) 290-7770.

“If [the crime] is lifethreatening, call the policeand then we’ll do the follow-up investigation of what’sin regards to the hatecrimes.

“If it’s an emergency, re-gardless of the circum-stances, always (call) 911,”Weber said.

The 15-minute lecturewas one of several eventspresented to celebrate In-ternational EducationWeek 2005.

Protect yourself from fraudBy Caroline Ting

Contributing Writer

FBI Special Agent TerryWeber offered some tips tohelp people protect them-selves from credit andcharge card fraud.

Do:—Sign your card as soon

as it arrives.—Carry your cards sepa-

rately from your wallet, ina zipped compartment, abusiness card holder, oranother small pouch.

—Keep an eye on yourcredit card during thetransaction and get it back

•The cases of identity theft exceed 53 billionannually and are still increasing.

•Yearly, there are about 10 million people in theU.S. who are victims of identity theft regardlessof age, race, religion, social status or citizenship.

•The average victim spends 175 hours attempt-ing to erase the problem or activity from theircredit history. Victims face potential denial ofcredit and loss of employment.

•During 2003, 10 million people in the U.S. werevictims of identity theft: 3.2 million identitythieves opened new accounts using others’ in-formation and 6.6 million identity thieves com-mitted fraud on existing accounts that were ac-tually in the victims’ names.

•50 percent of victims claimed they knew theperpetrator (relative, neighbor or an acquain-tance).

—courtesy FBI Special Agent Terry WeberOklahoma FBI College Outreach Program handout

Did you know?

as quickly as possible.—Void incorrect receipts.—Destroy carbon copies.—Save receipts to com-

pare with billing state-ments.

—Open bills promptlyand reconcile accountsmonthly, just as you wouldyour checking account.

—Report any question-able charges promptly andin writing to the card is-suer.

—Notify card companiesin advance of change in ad-dress.

Don’t:—Lend your card(s) to

anyone.—Leave cards or receipts

lying around.—Sign a blank receipt.

When signing a receipt,draw a line through blankspaces above the total.

—Write your accountnumber on a postcard orthe outside of an envelope.

—Give out your accountnumber over the phoneunless you’re making thecall to a company you knowis reputable.

If you have questionsabout a company check itout with your local con-sumer protection office orBetter Business Bureau.

14 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

HighlightsEnvironmental Club to host bake sale

The Environmental Club will have a bake sale from 9a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday Dec.12, in the Main Building. Allproceeds will go to the Jesus House. For more informa-tion, contact Public Relations Officer Holly Jones at (405)682-1611, ext. 7676.

Social Sciences to raffle off prizesSocial Sciences faculty will hand out free tickets for a

chance to win prizes. The tickets will be given to stu-dents in the faculty’s classes. Students can deposit thetickets in a box in the Social Sciences office. Everyonecan come to the office to pick up a ticket and enter. Thedrawing will be held at 1:30 p.m., Monday Dec. 12. Formore information, contact Acting Dean of Social SciencesCecilia Yoder at (405) 682-1611, ext. 7359.

Child Development Club to host meetingThe Child Development Club will meet at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Dec. 14, in room 1H10. Club members willmake posters to advertise their first “Reading Night” inJanuary. Membership dues are $5 and will be collectedat the meeting. For more information, contact Child De-velopment Professor Cecilia Pittman at (405) 682-1611,ext. 7159, or e-mail cmpittman@okccc.edu.

Reading Club shares passions at meetingThe Reading Club welcomes and encourages students

who share the joy of reading and discussion to join theclub. The next meeting is at noon Monday Dec. 19. bythe stairwell in the Arts and Humanities building. Studentsare welcome to bring a book and share it with the club.For more information, contact Club Member Jenny Bryanat 74jenny@sbcglobal.net.

$1,000 scholarships available to studentsEach year, the Oklahoma Association Of Community

Colleges awards scholarships to students from its mem-ber institutions to continue their education. The Scholar-ship awards students with $1,000 to be used during the2006-2007 academic year. The deadline is Friday Dec.16. Winners will be expected to attend the organization’sannual conference March 2.

Applicant qualifications may be found on the scholar-ship application at www.oaccwebsite.org. For more in-formation about the scholarships, contact past PresidentRick Woodard at (405) 733-7999 and Prospective Stu-dent Services Assistant Linda Sapp at (405) 682-7580or e-mail rwoodard@rose.edu. Students also can checkthe scholarship display in Enrollment Management, lo-cated near the main entrance of the Main Building forapplications.

Spring semester starts Jan. 17The spring semester starts Jan. 17. Intersession be-

gins Jan. 3. For more information about enrollment oradmission to OKCCC, visit www.okccc.edu or call (405)682-7580.

Society of Performing Artists to put on playThe Society of Performing Artists will put on a play with

the Pathways students. The play, The Kings Creampuffswill be presented on Saturday Jan. 21 in the college the-atre. For more information contact Theatre Professor RuthCharnay at (405) 682-1611, ext. 7246.

Give the gift of reading to a child

Phlebotomist Sarah Kendall from Oklahoma Blood Institute cleans OKCCC medicalmajor Kerusa Dunse’s arm to find a healthy vein to draw from. “This is my third time todonate, I enjoy it. It’s a way to give back to the community,” Dunse said.

By John SavageStaff Writer

This Christmas, give thegift that keeps on giving —give a child a book.

The Child DevelopmentClub is promoting readingby having a reading nightonce a month at OKCCC.

“We’re aiming really topromote reading and activi-ties appropriate for smallchildren,” said Child Devel-opment Professor CeciliaPittman.

The Child DevelopmentClub is scheduled to haveits second meeting and cre-ate some excitement for thereading night.

At the Wednesday Dec.14meeting the members willcreate posters and fliers toadvertise the event. Thefirst reading night will be at7 p.m. Wednesday Jan 18,in the college union.

“Hopefully, we will getkids from the communityand kids from our collegethat we can read to,”

Pittman said.The club will have a dif-

ferent theme each month.January is dedicated toWinnie the Pooh. Febru-ary’s theme is Love, and Dr.Seuss will be celebrated inMarch.

Along with the readingnight, the Child Develop-ment Club will offer parentsand students an opportu-nity to order books for chil-dren or siblings.

“We have put ScholasticBooks order forms in a dis-play,” Pittman said.

The order forms are nearthe Wellness Center. So far,more than $300 worth ofbooks have been ordered.

“My idea is to get as manybooks in the hands of chil-dren as possible,” Pittmansaid. “It is one way I canpromote literature.”

Other Child DevelopmentClub members are enthu-siastic about the readingprogram.

“Reading to childrenhelps them with speechand teaches them good cog-nitive skills,” Club Presi-

dent Elaine Cheatham said.The club also will spon-

sor two children from theHispanic Organization toPromote Education thisChristmas.

“We are going to sponsora girl and a boy in the nameof the Child DevelopmentClub,” Pittman said.

Along with sponsoringthe children and buyingwhat is on the children’slist, the club will add somebooks.

Pittman stresses the im-portance of reading to chil-dren at an early age. Allstudents are welcome tojoin the club. The only re-quirements are $5 month-ly dues.

“Anybody that has a loveof learning about childrenand working with childrenis welcome to join,” Pittmansaid.

For more information,students and faculty cancontact Pittman at (405)682-1611, ext. 7159.

Staff Writer John Savagecan be reached at StaffWriter1@okccc.edu.

Students give a little

Photo by Holly Jones

Dec. 12, 2005 • PIONEER • 15

Class ifi eds

FOR SALE: ’99 Jeep Wran-gler. 4 cylinder, 4 x 4, maroon withtan soft top, 5 speed. 77k miles.$8,500. Call 823-2287.

FOR SALE: ’95 Chevy Astro,58k miles. Runs great, clean,handicap equipped, $4,500 OBO.Call 527-4448, M-F, 9-5.

FOR SALE: ’91 Honda CivicDX, Lt blue, 183k miles, 4 cylin-der, 5 speed, CD player, runsgood. Asking $1,500 OBO. CallScott at 314-4935.

FOR SALE: ’91 Lexus LS400,V8, loaded, $2,995. 326-5495.

FOR SALE: ’90 Honda AccordLX, sports, manual. $1,499. Nicestudent car. White, economical.For info call 408-2828.

FOR SALE: ’88 FleetwoodCadillac. As is, $500. 605-7728.

FOR SALE: ’88 GMC 4 X 4.Runs great, $2,250. 922-1284.

FOR SALE: ’85 Chevy SWBCustom Deluxe truck, red, Trenzgrille, APC Euro tails, tinted win-dows, bed rails, audio system(head unit, speakers, subs, & ampincluded). Owned for 6 years.Never wrecked. Great sport truck.$2,800. 821-4321.

Pioneer Classified Advertisingis free to all currently enrolledOKCCC students and employ-ees for any personal classifiedad. Ads must be submitted inwriting with IDs supplied orwork area and college exten-sion included. Deadline for ad-vertising is 5 p.m. Tuesdayprior to the publication date.For more information, call (405)682-1611, ext. 7674.

BOOKS FOR SALE: Macro-economics, 7th edition by Arnold,$30. Prentice Hall Guide for Col-lege Writers (Eng Com I), 7th edi-tion, $30. 202-0032.

BOOK FOR SALE: HumanAnatomy and Physiology by Elaine

Part-time loaders/unloaders needed.$8.50 - $9.50 to start. Continuous raises,3 shifts to choose from, weekends off,

free benefits. To inquire, visitwww.upsjobs.com.

EOE

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FOR SALE: Tanning member-ship to At the Beach. Why pay theinitial membership start up fees,when you can purchase an exist-ing membership for $25. Pleasecall Lesa at 414-4158.

FOR SALE: Travel ‘N’ Play playpen, in great shape, $20. Infantsbath tub w/ shampoo & condi-tioner holders, like new, $10. Over400 original music CDs availablein all genres, good condition w/ocases, $1-$5. Contact for list ofmusic at zum21zum@aol.com, orcall Deedra at 388-2336.

FOR SALE: Boys bike in greatcondition, $40. mrstoops@yahoo.com.

FOR SALE: Two new 10” Al-pine Competition Type R sub-woofers in box w/ a 920-wt. self-cooling Kenwood amp, also new,$700 OBO. Please call 606-9114.

FOR SALE: Electric wheelchair, good condition, $1,500OBO. Call 527-4448, M-F, 9-5.

FOR SALE: Cream king blan-ket, $20. Green chenille king bed-spread, $20. Tan king bedskirt,$10. OBO. All in very good condi-tion; redecorating — now colorsall wrong. 685-3776, VMBox 3574.

HELP WANTED: Female stu-dent looking for a job as a nanny.Responsible, experienced, owntransportation, afternoons andweekends. 314-9017.

FOR SALE: Maytag washer,Gas hook-up, late ’90s model,good condition. $60. Call Jared488-5330.

FOR SALE: Frigidaire washer

FOR SALE: 6-month-old rab-bit, $20. Includes the rabbit, cage,water bottle, food bowl, 1st monthsupply of food, 1st month supplyof cedar, and shampoo. The rab-bit is mostly white with a few grayspots. Likes to be petted and loved.If you are interested, please callRachel Johnson at 639-9574.

FREE TO GOOD HOME: Mynewborn son is allergic to our long-time family cat and the doctorsays she has to go! Lovable andspoiled rotten. De-clawed.Spayed. 10 years old. Female.She is not an outdoor cat! If inter-ested, please call April at 682-1611, ext. 7462, or e-mail at ajackson@okccc.edu.

FOR SALE: Pure bred red nosepit bull puppies. $125. One darkbrown beauty. The others aremostly white with great markings.I have 2 females/2 males. If inter-ested, please call 301-0822.

FOR SALE: Pure bred Ameri-can Big Head Pit Bull dogs. Born

EARLYWINE PARK YMCAOpening soon — Now taking

applicationsMembership, Health bar,

Childcare, Sports, Aquatics,and Fitness staff

Full and Part-timepositions availablePlease apply at theGreenbriar YMCA

1500 Kingsridge DriveOKC, OK, 73170

Seeking bilingual casemanager to work full-time inCARF accredited non-profit

organization. Degree in socialservices, psychology, or

related field. Send e-mail toproyectocambio@

latinoagencyokc.org.Or send résumé to LCDA

Attn: Proyecto Cambio420 S.W. 10th St.,OKC, OK, 73109

Child Care Assistant I (PPT)M-F Day shift

Clean OSBI, Current CPR, Experiencea plus, Continuing education a must.

Starting pay: D.O.E.Call (405) 840-3224

09-22-05. Have several purewhite. All are adorable with excel-lent markings. $100 each. If inter-ested, call 409-8871.

FOR RENT: Original ownerlooking for responsible renters forlovely townhouse duplex at S.E.24th & Hwy 9 in Norman. This 2bedroom, 1 1/2 bath has an ex-tended one-car garage, fenced inbig backyard, fireplace, w/d hook-ups, refrigerator, ceiling fans. In aquiet family/college student neigh-borhood. Pets OK with deposit.Immediately available. Easy ac-cess to Hwy 9. $500/month. Call682-1611, ext. 7305, or e-mailpnewman@okccc.edu, for moreinformation or to see your newhome.

FEMALE ROOMMATES NEE-DED: To share large home 3 milesfrom OKCCC, 20 minutes fromOU. Nice neighborhood, 3 cargarage, 2 1/2 bath. Fully furnishedexcept bedrooms. $340/monthplus 1/3 bills. Call 615-2396, leavemessage, or e-mail im_luv@yahoo.com. Pictures available.

FOR SALE: Very nice blue,twin-size racecar bed withmattress, $175. Excellentcondition. Must sell!! mrstoops@yahoo.com.

FOR SALE: Full size book-case headboard and matchingchest, $75 OBO. Call 364-6051or 682-7544.

FOR SALE: Glass dining tablew/ 4 chairs, excellent condition.$150 firm. Call Candi at 573-4829.

FOR SALE: Pulaski glass/mir-ror hutch. Gorgeous, 46” X 79.”$500 OBO. Call 627-1435.

FOR SALE: Large OctagonTrain table with two pull out draw-ers. Fake landscaping on the topof the table and colorfully deco-rated on the outside. Excellentcondition and only one year old.Asking $50. Call Gretchen at 745-4156.

FOR SALE: Leather recliner,$75. Leather executive style deskchair, $50. Call Annie at (405)

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N Marieb, 6th edition. Asking for$80. For contact call 408-2828.

BOOK FOR SALE: ModernRadio Production book for sale,$25. Call Christiana at 682-1611,ext. 7409.

BOOK FOR SALE: HIST 2103,$15. Call 793-2774.

BOOK FOR SALE: Conversa-tional Spanish book, Motivos deConversacion, 6th edition. $65.Call 823-2287.

& dryer set. $450. Less than 1year old. Warranty with Best Buyuntil October 2007. Call Rachel at408-5327.

FOR SALE: Brand new Net-gear wireless router MR814-11mbps. $20. Please call 640-8183.

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16 • PIONEER • Dec. 12, 2005

Formerly Don Serapio’s of Oklahoma CityOwned by the Sanchez family since 1954

LEGENDARY MEXICAN FOOD

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405.262.7744www.donserapios.com

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NOW accepting orders for HOMEMADE TamalesOpen Daily at 11am

Closed Sundays & All Major HolidaysCLOSED Dec. 24 & 25

Spending time with family and friends can help reduce holiday stress “Stress,”

Cont. from page 1

“Online,”Cont. from page 1

Use secure sites for online buying

through Amazon are safe.“Our secure server soft-

ware is the industry stan-dard and among the bestsoftware available today forsecure transactions,” shesaid. “It encrypts all of yourpersonal information, in-cluding credit card num-bers, names and ad-dresses.”

Bishop said websites likeAmazon and eBay are pop-ular because they’re repu-table. “There’s no suchthing as being perfectly safebut Amazon and eBay areas safe as they come.”

Many online shops, in-cluding eBay, use a pay-ment option called PayPal,which, Bishop said, is agood way to make financialtransactions and to dobusiness.

“Though it’s still a youngbusiness, PayPal is secureand offers a lot of features.”

Buyers are protectedagainst unauthorized pay-ments sent from accountswhen they use PayPal, ac-cording to www.paypal.com.

PayPal also offers money-back guarantees for selectonline purchases and won’tshare a user’s personal in-formation with other com-panies.

Bishop said, when buying

from eBay, always usePayPal or a credit card andnever send personal checksor cash.

“It’s safer to use PayPal orcards,” he said. “Manycredit card companies offerbuyer protection and onlyhold card holders respon-sible for the first $50 offraudulent charges.”

When shopping onlinethis holiday, Bishop said,follow three simple rules tokeep yourself safe.

“Know who you’re talkingto, make sure the websiteis secure, and don’t leavepersonal information oncomputers.”

Staff Writer Richard Hallcan be reached at SeniorWriter@okccc.edu.

“Don’t cram [holiday ac-tivities] in at the lastminute. Plan a little downtime,” Edwards said. “Giveyourself permission to re-lax.”

Student DevelopmentCounselor Mary Turner

agrees with Edwards’ as-sessment.

“Students should main-tain some type of sched-ule.”

She said, during the holi-days people get busier andtend to get out of sync withtheir normal routine.

“You should plot out atimeline of what you haveto get done,” Turner said.

And, above all, be honest

about your feelings andemotions. The NMHA rec-ommends keeping all feel-ings out in the open. Hid-ing or closing off emotions,even if negative, can causea build up and if not re-leased can lead to severedepression.

Spending time with fam-ily, friends, and people whoare supportive of you alsocan help keep your spirits

high according to theNMHA website.

Edwards suggests deal-ing with holiday stress bycontacting a communityhealth center, or participat-ing in an online screening.Loneliness can increasestress, Edwards said.

Turner said college coun-selors are available tospeak with anyone needinghelp and assist them withany problems.

If the counselors are not

able to help with the prob-lem they are able to referpeople to an off-ampusagency. Additional phonenumbers for help are:•Reachout 1 (800) 522-9054•Safeline 1 (800) 522-7233•Contact 1 (800) 848-2273•Cope 1 (800) 377-7757

Staff Writer Lizzie Byrdcan be reached at StaffWriter3@okccc.edu. StaffWriter Matthew Caban canbe reached at Staff Writer2@okccc.edu.

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