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Oklahoma CIty Community COllege INSIDE PIONEER ONlINE To comment on stories, or to access the latest news, features, multimedia, IONEER online exclusives and PDECEMBER 2, 2011 WWW.OCCC.EDU/PIONEER COVERING OCCC SINCE 1978 updates, visit occc.edu/pioneer. SUSPICIOUS ChaRGES MaDE tO OFFICE CREDIt CaRD FBI investigating bursar’s office EDItORIal JEREMY CLOUD Jordan also confirmed that a federal in- Jordan said he could not comment on the Editor vestigation into the OCCC Bursar’s Office reason for Henson’s leave of absence, as it is Lack of [email protected] has been in progress since the beginning of against college policy to discuss personnel. money causes the semester. On Aug. 20, the FBI began looking into heartache The college bursar, Brandi Henson, re- He could not say if the two events are related. suspicious charges made with the Bursar’s Editor Jeremy Cloud signed her position on Sept. 30, said Cordell Henson was placed on administrative leave and his husband Jordan, media relations coordinator. early in this semester. See BURSaR page 9 recently made a tough decision regarding a family the unveiling member. Read on to learn why. OPINION, p. 2 CaMPUS lIFE ‘Beethoven geek’ gets recognized An OCCC music professor recently received a national award for teaching excellent. Continue reading to learn who the professor was and why he won. NEWS, p. 7 SPORtS occc to host swim event The campus’ Aquatic Center will play host for the first time Rachel MoRRison/PioneeR ever to the NAIA National Swimming (Left to Right) President Paul Sechrist, music dtudent Lori Colbart, Gilliam Music owner Mike Gilliam, Steinway donor Ed Krei, and Diving Gilliam Music owner Wanda Gilliam, and Board of Regents Chairman Ben Brown unveil the endowed OCCC Steinway Concert Grand Championships. Piano on Nov. 30 in the Visual and Performing Arts Center. The Steinway concert grand piano unveiling ceremony was followed by Learn more inside. a reception during which adjunct Professor Tony Carrillo tickled the ivories for those in attendance. SPORtS, p. 8 tWO StUDENt GROUPS tO PERFORM CaMPUS lIFE Free jazz concert to be held on campus author discusses HALA ALJAZZAZI Theater. “Students will get many ben- The two jazz ensembles meet racism News Writing Student This will be the first time to efits from going to this concert,” on different nights for practice, California Professor incorporate Christmas music said Boyle. “Students will enjoy and they have different flavors. Roy Brooks spoke A jazzed up version of “Jingle into the jazz concert, said music great music, support their fel- The Tuesday night group in- at OCCC about his Bell Rock” will be one of several Professor Michael Boyle, who low students, and it’s a cheap corporates the vocalists, while latest book about holiday selections included in trains the musicians. date.” He also mentioned that the Wednesday night is more race. Read on for more. the free jazz performance on Boyle said the performance Music Appreciation students of a blues-jazz group. campus at 7:30 p.m. Wednes- will involve two student jazz get extra credit in their music COMMUNIty, p. 10 day, Dec. 7, in the Bruce Owen groups. class. See JaZZ page 9 2 • DECEMBER 2, 2011 PIONEER | OCCC.EDU/PIONEER oPinion EDItORIal | Prevention is easier on your wallet and heart gReg holkan/gRegholkan.coM animals should get their shots Since the housing crash of 2009, Americans have The news was mixed; it was definitely parvo, but we’d slowly gotten used to living in a bad economy. We’ve caught it in time. If treated immediately, our puppy gotten used to making hard could have as high as a 90 percent chance of making decisions with a shrug, or a sigh a full recovery. of frustration, or a rant about And then, the worst thing anyone ever wants to hear how tight money is. when a loved one’s life is on the line, be he or she two But yesterday, this was all or four-legged: brought home to my husband Will that be cash, check or charge to start treatment? and me, as we made such a Ringing in to the tune of $1100 for the first three decision with tears. days, the parvo treatment was far beyond anything Earlier this semester, we my husband and I could afford. adopted a bull shepherd puppy We asked if they would take payments. They would from my parents. As a raving not. We tried to qualify for financing. We were denied. Jeremy Cloud Tolkien fan, I named the ram- Sitting there in the office, we came to the sickening bunctious puppy Balrog. realization that this wonderful animal, with a treatable This past week, Balrog came disease, and a good prognosis, was going to have to down with canine parvovirus, an illness that simultane- be put down. ously starves, poisons, and dehydrates a dog. Parvo is Because we couldn’t afford to pay for treatment. ones. extremely contagious, and has a high mortality rate. Perhaps the final straw in all this was when, after Get your animals their shots. Make the time and There is a vaccine. My husband and I had not yet tears and discussions, we asked them to put him down. set the money aside. The economy is hard, but your taken Balrog for his shots, both because we thought And we couldn’t afford that either. pet is family. he was too young, and because we were too broke. In the end, we had to hug our puppy good bye, sign And preventatives are infinitely easier, both on the The moment Balrog started showing symptoms, him into the vet’s care, and let them euthanize him in wallet and the heart, than hospital visits. we rushed him to a vet, hoping it wasn’t parvo, and private. Without us. —JEREMY Cloud hoping we could catch it in time. There are hard decisions, and then there are simple Editor americans should work to contain cost of college to the editor: will always be some of the most controversial and Dozens of colleges and universities have either cut Over the last decade, the net price of college has thankless work in all of higher education. or frozen tuition, or provide a four-year graduation risen nearly 6 percent a year, after inflation. Yet in Now, there are some who will tell you that guarantee. Even more ambitious are efforts to boost the last three years--thanks largely to a dramatic controlling college prices and student debt is higher productivity and learning by redesigning courses and expansion in federal aid and tax credits--net tuition education’s Mission Impossible. They point to the reimaining the use of technology in the classroom. and fees paid by students at two-year institutions so-called Iron Triangle of Higher Education. Nearly That kind of innovation requires looking beyond and non-profit four-year institutions have actually every college president and governing board seeks traditional institutional silos--and the ability to declined in real terms. to simultaneously improve quality, increase access, anticipate the educational needs of the future. That progress is an encouraging sign. But I believe and yet constrain costs. Our students deserve no less. that we can do much more to help contain the price It’s true that these three sides of the iron triangle— Working together is the department, states, and tag of college and reduce individual student debt. quality, access, and cost—sometimes seem like institutions across the country—can help achieve Postsecondary institutions and states also have yet mutually conflicting choices. Yet I don’t believe the President’s goal, that by 2020, America will once to truly tackle the cost containment challenge in a that this challenge is higher education’s Mission again lead the world in college attainment. comprehensive and sustainable fashion. Impossible. —ARnE DUncan The difficulty of reducing the price of college and I want to encourage you to take back to your U.S. Secretary Of EducatIOn student debt cannot become a discussion-ending campuses the idea that productivity and accountability excuse for inaction. are reform tools that can help postsecondary Read the full version online at www.occc.edu/ Containing the cost of college and student debt institutions break out of the trap of the iron triangle. pioneer Oklahoma CIty Community COllege PIONEER vol. 40 no. 15 Jeremy Cloud................................Editor Cynthia Praefke.....advertising Manager The PIONEER is a publication of Oklahoma City name if the request is made in writing. Emily Schorr.......................Senior Writer Whitney Knight...................Online Editor Community College through the Division of Arts The PIONEER has the right to edit all letters Christy Johnson.....................Staff Writer Robert Bolton.....................Online Writer and Humanities. It is published weekly during the and submissions for length, libel and obscenity. Sarah Hussain.......................Staff Writer Cybele Hsu..........Graphics/Webmaster 16-week fall and spring semesters and the eight- Letters should be fewer than 250 words. Students week summer session. must list their major. OCCC staff and faculty must Priscilla Colley.......................Staff Writer Aaron Donahue......Circulation Manager Opinions expressed are those of the author list their work title. Mike Wormley............Community Writer Richard Hall..............acting lab Director and do not necessarily represent those of the Letters to the editor can be submitted to the Sean Tolbert.......................Sports Writer Shawn Stawicki.................lab assistant PIONEER, the college or the publisher. PIONEER office, located in room 1F2 on the first Rachel Morrison...............Photographer Sue Hinton....................Faculty adviser The PIONEER welcomes letters to the editor floor of the Art and Humanities Building, mailed to Casey Akard.....................Videographer and encourages the use of this publication as 7777 S.

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